Professor Kirsty Fairclough has shaped the way Manchester—and the world—understands the intersections of screen cultures, music, and celebrity. A cultural force within the city’s creative industries, she has spent her career championing the North as a global centre for media and the arts, ensuring that its voices, stories, and talent are recognised on the international stage.
From the music halls of the industrial North to the digital landscapes of the modern entertainment industry, Manchester has always been a city that challenges the status quo, and Kirsty Fairclough’s work does the same. As a professor at Manchester Metropolitan University’s School of Digital Arts (SODA), she has helped cement Manchester as a centre for cutting-edge media research and digital innovation. Her influence is embedded in the city’s cultural fabric—not only as a researcher, but as an advocate, curator, and leader in the arts.
For six years, she served as Chair of Manchester Jazz Festival, the UK’s longest-running jazz festival outside London, championing diverse talent and ensuring that the city remains at the forefront of contemporary music culture. Beyond jazz, her work has strengthened Manchester’s international cultural reputation, with collaborations at HOME, Manchester International Festival, Factory International, and the BBC. Through these partnerships, she has connected Manchester’s creative industries with global conversations on music, screen culture, and digital media.
Kirsty Fairclough is an internationally recognised scholar, but her impact remains rooted in the North. Through her books—including Diva: Feminism and Fierceness from Pop to Hip-Hop, Pop Stars on Film, and This is Me: Interrogating the Female Pop Documentary—she has explored the ways music, celebrity, and visual media shape identity and cultural discourse. Her research does not just analyse popular culture—it elevates it, ensuring that the North is recognised as a space of cultural production rather than just consumption.
Her expertise has been sought by institutions worldwide, with teaching and research residencies at New York University, Columbia College Chicago, The Royal College of Music Stockholm, and Middle Tennessee State University, but her focus remains on Manchester as an incubator for talent, research, and creative expression. As a mentor and supervisor, she has guided countless students and doctoral candidates, ensuring that the next generation of cultural analysts, filmmakers, and media scholars emerge from Manchester’s creative landscape.
Beyond academia, Kirsty Fairclough’s influence reaches policymakers and cultural leaders. She has provided written evidence to the UK Parliament on the future of the creative industries, shaping discussions that will impact Manchester’s—and the UK’s—position in music, film, and digital storytelling for years to come.
To understand Manchester’s evolving cultural identity, look at Kirsty Fairclough’s work. She has spent her career ensuring that the North is not just part of the conversation—it is leading it. Through research, advocacy, and leadership, she has carved out space for Manchester’s music, media, and creative industries on the global stage, proving that cultural power does not reside solely in the South. It thrives in the North.
