LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) – The SoLa I Can Foundation and Live Nation (LN) announced today (May 5) the second annual music festival hosted by the LN Next Gen participants, which they’ve named “Home for the Summer.” Each year, the students create their own branding for the festival, which was the When You Grow Up Fest fest in 2022.
The event is hosted at The Beehive by SoLa Impact and serves as a fundraiser in which all revenue is redirected into the program and the SoLa I Can Foundation. Last year’s lineup included Alex Isley, Amindi, and others. The current lineup is set to highlight local musicians and ends with a special performance from tobi lou.
The SoLa I Can Foundation partnered with LN to train a new generation of South LA black and brown industry professionals. Twenty young people between 16 and 21 are selected to participate in an annual six-month educational series comprising guest lectures, panels and hands-on workshops. Throughout this series, participants can apply what they learn in real-time as they curate and produce their own festival, which takes place at The Beehive by SoLa Impact.
Jack McGrail, Program Lead of the Next Gen Program at the SoLa I Can Foundation, describes what it has been like to guide his students in the planning of the music festival:
“Working with this talented group of young individuals has been a refreshing look at the current trajectory of the live music business. With continued support from such a key partner in Live Nation, we’ve been able to build out a career development program that is truly unique. I’m certain that it’s only a matter of time before we start to see Next Gen alumni shaking up the industry,” McGrail says.
Menely Hercules, one of the Next Gen students, remarks on what she is most excited about regarding the Home for the Summer music festival:
“I’m most excited for people to see that black and brown students did this. We created this. It’s our project. It’s our imaginations and our ideas coming to life. I am so excited for people to enjoy what we put out there,” Hercules shares.
