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‘They put Cork on the map!’: what the kids behind rap sensation The Spark did next


Theirs was the feelgood song of the summer – praised by Stormzy and reaching hundreds of millions of listeners online. But what’s it like to go on the road when you’re still at school?

And then, as you approach a curve in the road, flashes of colour appear: a repurposed metal container splotched red, yellow, green and blue like an artist’s palette, with two words stencilled in black: Kabin Studio. Photograph: Rory Carroll/The GuardianThis August morning is no typical day at the studio: it is 10.30am and about 20 kids and a handful of adults are milling in the yard, talking a mile a minute while checking makeup, sunglasses, tutus, sparkly outfits, packed lunches and backpacks. Plus, it’s a really catchy song The Cork crew developed the chorus and first verse, after which tutors took the material to a direct provision (asylum seekers’ accommodation and support) refugee centre in Lisdoonvarna, where children from Sudan, Nigeria, Kosovo and elsewhere helped to complete it.

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