Skye Yearwood – Full of Melody with the Sky as the Limit!
Skye has been around music for as long as she could remember. Her mother is a music educator, and her father, Grafton Yearwood, is a master steelpan tuner with the UK Steelpans Tuners Guild. At age three, her father gave her a Jumbie pan, and by the time she was five, the pan became her first instrument. Skye accompanied Grafton when he went to tune during UK Carnival season, her introduction to the steel pan was really from an early age.
Skye playing a pan around the neck.
Skye stated that she started playing the steelpan because her parents are involved, her mother, Charlotte, plays and father tunes them; so it has always been part of her life. The first steel band Skye played with was Steel Pan in Motion, and Wade Austin her tutor, taught her how to play. Pantonic was the steelband she wanted to play for as its her family’s band, and now she is playing with them, which is a great achievement.
Skye playing with Steelpan in Motion.
In 2025, Skye travelled to Switzerland with Steel Pan in Motion to perform at the Cudrefin Steel Band Festival. One of her dreams is to go to Trinidad and Tobago and play with Renegades Steel Orchestra in the Trinidad & Tobago National Steelband Panorama competition.
Her first public performance was with Steel Pan in Motion at a Christmas concert. She also played at her primary school for the Windrush Day. Skye completed performances with her mother, and even played a solo pan performance at her great-grandmother’s funeral. She is confident play in front of an audience and stated that she does not get nervous or stage fright.
Skye practicing.
So far, Skye has played with Steel Pan in Motion, Croydon Steel Orchestra, Pan Nation Steel Orchestra and Pantonic Steel Orchestra. She has performed in two UK National Steelband Panorama competitions in 2024 with Croydon Steel Orchestra and with Pan Nation Steel Orchestra in 2025. They were some of her most challenging but inspiring experiences she has had. Skye also played at the Notting Hill Carnival in 2023 and 2024 as well as Luton and Ware Carnivals with Steel Pan in Motion. She also performed with Pantonic Steel Orchestra at 2025 Notting Hill Carnival.
Skye with Croydon Steel Orchestra at UK National Steelband Panorama 2024.
Overall, Panorama has been the most inspirational moment for her. It really pushed her musically and changed her forever. At age 12, Skye played in her first UK National Steelband Panorama competition with Croydon Steel Orchestra. She found it was such a new experience that tested her and helped her grow. With Steel Pan in Motion, she learned how to build up a repertoire, tour, and perform at Carnivals as part of a group. Her second UK National Steelband Panorama was with Pan Nation Steel Orchestra, she learned about dedication and the process of watching the music develop over weeks. She said with a beaming smile that with Pantonic Steel Orchestra, it felt different because it’s her family’s band. She is learning a new repertoire, focusing, and getting prepared to play at gigs with them.
Skye with Pan Nation Steel Orchestra at UK National Steelband Panorama 2025
Skye was very confident when she said that the most important qualities you need in a steel band are good listening skills, being able to follow the arranger’s directions, and working as part of a team. The advice she imparted for new players was not to hit the pan too hard, to get to know your instrument and focus on playing it well. Her favourite pan is the tenor. She is musically inspired by my mum and dad and has a love for female rappers.
Skye playing with PNSO at UK National Steelband Panorama 2025.
Looking ahead, she would love for steel pan in the UK and worldwide to grow, reach new audiences, and fuse with other styles of music. Her dream is to become a professional pan player and build a career in music. She thinks collaborations with musicians from different genres is the way forward to get steel pan recognised on a bigger musical platform.
Skye Yearwood’s Overview:
Skye at a gig with Steelpan in Motion.
Her musical career has been shaped by her love for steel pan and her involvement in promoting it within her community. At primary school, she played an important role in celebrating the Caribbean culture on Windrush Day. The whole school community got involved, and through her performance, they were able to learn more about the steelpan and the Windrush story. In secondary school, She was part of the steel band and even earned a full music scholarship based on her solo pan performance. Later, when she joined Trinity Laban Music School in Greenwich, she was the only pannist in the program. She brought more attention to the steel pan there, especially during a course on Blues for young people, helping others see how versatile the instrument can be.
She has also shared steelpan within her wider community for example, when she played at her great-grandmother’s 100th birthday and later at her funeral, the community in Sussex was deeply moved by both the music and the culture it represents. She is proud to be born into a musical family. Her grandfather, Ezekiel ‘Biggs’ Yearwood, was a huge influence on her father, Grafton Yearwood, who is a master tuner and founder member of the UK Steelpan Tuners Guild and one of her biggest inspirations. Their legacy, along with her own experiences, drives her to keep promoting steel pan, performing, and carrying its culture forward.
