Moses Boyd collecting the Jazz Award at the 2017 MOBO Awards

This year’s MOBO awards have been cancelled. The ceremony celebrating all forms of black music and urban culture (including categories for jazz, soul, gospel and R&B) was due to take place in November but its founder Kanya King CBE says she’s taking a ‘gap year’, promising to return with a bigger, revamped show in 2019. It’s the first time this has happened since its inception in 1996.

King says despite the cancellation, she has described it as an “exciting new chapter”. Her ‘MOBO Help Musicians Fund’ will be expanded, distributing £40,000 to unsigned, independent musicians; and the organisation will also launch a film production company.

The full statement from King is below: