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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 girls 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 centered on celebrating, educating and empowering girls, whereas offering them with a platform to share their voices each on and off stage.
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Femme It Ahead’s debut was a “multi-format collection” 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 collection,” Lowrey says. “It was the beginning of a motion.”
Femme It Ahead rapidly developed from a collection 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 at all times wished to however by no means had time for,” she says.
First on her agenda was becoming a member of the wildly common Verzuz collection, created by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz. Verzuz, a digital showdown between main hip-hop artists, grew to become a defining second of early COVID-19 tradition.
Lowrey, a fan of the battles, seen a evident hole: “They weren’t doing any girls’s battles.”
Decided to vary 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 number of the most-watched episodes of the collection.
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Flip setbacks into springboards
Whereas Verzuz was successful, Femme It Ahead confronted the problem of a halted reside programming business. Adaptation grew to become important for survival.
“I used to be considering, what can I do proper now, once we cannot do reside occasions?” Lowrey shares.
She launched the Subsequent Gen Femme Mentorship program, pairing business leaders with aspiring expertise centered on the enterprise facet of the music business. 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 wanted I had a mentor once I was arising,” Lowrey says. “As girls rise within the business, it is vital to carry up these following behind us.”
Femme It Ahead is constructed on three core pillars: mentorship, training 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 ideas. The Give Her Flowers awards gala, for instance, serves as a platform to showcase rising artists like Doechii, connects girls within the business, and raises funds for initiatives like mentorship packages.
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Be the change you wish 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 business panels, wine tastings, and salon journeys.
Although the size may appear daunting, Lowrey had a transparent 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 continues to be early in her journey with Femme It Ahead, however the constructive suggestions from her group is overwhelming.
“As a result of I give a lot and help girls in so some ways, I am now seeing that love return to me,” she says. “It feels wonderful.”
Regardless of the early success, Lowrey stays grounded, specializing in her final aim: constructing a powerful, supportive group for ladies within the music business. “The perfect recommendation I give myself is an affirmation I repeat typically,” she shares. “Bear in mind who you might be and why you began.”
