NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) — Keychange U.S., a charitable non-profit organization seeking to expand gender equality and inclusion in the music industry, announced the first class of its U.S. Talent Development Program.
The program provides career development, mentorship, team meet-ups, an artist showcase and speaking opportunities for 25 participants drawn from key music markets including New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville.
Founded in Europe in 2017 by Vanessa Reed and PRS Foundation (UK), Reeperbahn Festival (Germany), and Musikcentrum Öst (Sweden), Keychange has grown to now include 615 signatories across multiple sectors of the music industry.
Keychange launched in the U.S. in 2022 in collaboration with Founding Donors Believe and TuneCore.
“Congratulations to the 25 artists and innovators who’ve been selected for the first edition of Keychange in the U.S. and huge thanks to Believe and Tunecore for investing in gender equity and making this possible,” says Vanessa Reed, President/CEO of New Music USA and Keychange U.S. board member. “We know from the impact of Keychange in Europe that participants benefit significantly from the network and learning opportunities that this international program creates. I’m looking forward to following the change that Keychange can influence here in the U.S., the world’s biggest music market.”
“Knowing that women in music comprise only 14.4% of songwriters and 2.8% of producers – according to 2021 stats – is enough for anyone to give pause,” says NYC-based artist and 2023 cohort participant Queen Esther. “Keychange is achieving the unthinkable by strategically shifting this paradigm, one of us at a time. I am so proud to be amongst their ranks.”
The full list of participants in the inaugural Keychange U.S. Talent Development Program is below:
ARTISTS:
Natalie Greffel (She/Her)
TRISHES (She/Her)
Piper Page (She/Her)
Angie K (She/Her)
HIEN (She/Her)
LAYNA (She/Her)
Queen Esther (She/Her)
Dom Jones (She/Her)
Angélica Garcia (She/Her)
Elsa Nilsson – Band Of Pulses (She/Her)
Danielle Lande (She/They)
Medusa (They/Them)
INNOVATORS:
Sam Viotty (She/Her)
Jashima Wadehra (She/Her)
Gemma McInturff (She/Her)
Sabeerah Najee-Ullah (She/Her)
Alexandria Davis (She/Her)
Colby Lapolla (She/Her)
NINA TEAPOT OWENS (She/Her)
Dani Thomas (She/Her)
Zarrin Alam (She/Her)
Shelly Hartman (She/Her)
Alexa Disney (She/Her)
Liv Lombardi (They/Them)
Katie Hargrove (She/Her)
The full list of Keychange U.S. Talent Development Program Partners can be found below:
Festival & Conference Partners
Mondo.NYC, Joshua Tree Music Festival, Winter Jazz Fest, MUSEXPO, The New Colossus Festival, Sync Summit LA, Gritty In Pink, The Wavy Awards, Berklee Alumni Affairs, Power Station at Berklee NYC, The Village Studios
Founding Donors
TuneCore, Believe
