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Heather Lowrey was working as VP of Expertise and Touring at Dwell Nation City when a single query altered the course of her life.
“I used to be doing a panel, and somebody requested what I used to be doing to help ladies in reside music — and I did not have a solution,” Lowrey remembers. “That query haunted me for months.”
Decided to make a distinction, Lowrey based Femme It Ahead, a female-led music and leisure firm targeted on celebrating, educating and empowering ladies, whereas offering them with a platform to share their voices each on and off stage.
Femme It Ahead’s debut was a “multi-format sequence” of all-female concert events and occasions, that includes A-list headliners like Brandy, Monica, Teyana Taylor and Cardi B.
“I rapidly realized this was greater than only a sequence,” Lowrey says. “It was the beginning of a motion.”
Femme It Ahead rapidly developed from a sequence to a full-fledged enterprise, however every part modified when the pandemic hit. The nationwide lockdown spelled catastrophe for any reside occasions firm. However for Lowrey, it was a blessing in disguise.
“Now I can do every part I’ve all the time wished to however by no means had time for,” she says.
First on her agenda was becoming a member of the wildly well-liked Verzuz sequence, created by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz. Verzuz, a digital showdown between main hip-hop artists, turned a defining second of early COVID-19 tradition.
Lowrey, a fan of the battles, observed a evident hole: “They weren’t doing any ladies’s battles.”
Decided to alter that, she reached out to Swizz’s supervisor and ultimately obtained on a name with the music mogul himself.
His response? “Present me what you bought.”
Lowrey rapidly secured a Verzuz battle between Jill Scott and Erykah Badu. Quickly after, followers have been handled to iconic face-offs like Brandy vs. Monica and Keyshia Cole vs. Ashanti — a few of the most-watched episodes of the sequence.
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Flip setbacks into springboards
Whereas Verzuz was successful, Femme It Ahead confronted the problem of a halted reside programming trade. Adaptation turned important for survival.
“I used to be pondering, what can I do proper now, once we cannot do reside occasions?” Lowrey shares.
She launched the Subsequent Gen Femme Mentorship program, pairing trade leaders with aspiring expertise targeted on the enterprise aspect of the music trade. Later, she launched the MUSE mentorship program, supporting the inventive group, from songwriters to producers to artists.
“I began Subsequent Gen Femme as a result of I needed I had a mentor after I was developing,” Lowrey says. “As ladies rise within the trade, it is vital to elevate up these following behind us.”
Femme It Ahead is constructed on three core pillars: mentorship, schooling and empowerment. These values are mirrored in initiatives like Subsequent Gen Femme and MUSE, the Give Her Flowers awards gala, and the Femme It Ahead Femmeland at Sea Cruise.
Picture credit score: Femme It Ahead
As if that weren’t sufficient, FIF produces music albums, manages reside occasions, and is dipping their toes into short-form documentaries and podcasts.
Regardless of the various initiatives, Lowrey explains how every a part of Femme It Ahead is interconnected, supporting each other to embody these core rules. The Give Her Flowers awards gala, for instance, serves as a platform to showcase rising artists like Doechii, connects ladies within the trade, and raises funds for initiatives like mentorship applications.
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Be the change you need to sea
Femme It Ahead’s newest initiative, the Femmeland at Sea Cruise, is one among its most formidable tasks. Curated for ladies, the cruise gives reside performances from FIF artists Monica and Coco Jones, together with trade panels, wine tastings, and salon journeys.
Although the dimensions might sound daunting, Lowrey had a clear imaginative and prescient from the beginning.
“I knew what I wished to see on the cruise already,” she says, describing her course of as inverted — beginning with the ultimate idea and dealing backward. “The best half for me is visualizing, strategizing, creating, and executing,” she explains. “I typically see all of it earlier than it exists, then work to convey that imaginative and prescient to life.”
Lowrey remains to be early in her journey with Femme It Ahead, however the optimistic suggestions from her group is overwhelming.
“As a result of I give a lot and help ladies in so some ways, I am now seeing that love return to me,” she says. “It feels superb.”
Regardless of the early success, Lowrey stays grounded, specializing in her final objective: constructing a robust, supportive group for ladies within the music trade. “The perfect recommendation I give myself is an affirmation I repeat typically,” she shares. “Keep in mind who you might be and why you began.”