Washington, D.C. - GRAMMY U in The Spotlight: Layal Brown
Layal Brown, former GRAMMY U Rep
When Layal Brown came to Washington, D.C., she knew nothing about the music industry except that she wanted to be a part of it. Layal did not know how to get her foot inside the door of an industry that is notoriously difficult to penetrate.
It was not until Layal became a member of GRAMMY U that she began networking her way through the D.C. music industry. After attending a few GRAMMY U events, Layal knew that this was her ticket into the industry. She wanted to get more involved, so she applied for the summer internship and landed the position. Her summer internship with The Recording Academy led to her job as last year's GRAMMY U Representative. As graduation approached, she relied on the contacts made through her time with GRAMMY U to help her transition from school to the working world. Layal describes D.C. as, “A huge, tight-knit music community. I was able to network with people who are more established than I am.”
Layal quickly learned that she loved the behind the scenes aspect of the industry, and this realization - in addition to a contact made through GRAMMY U - led her to her current project with KNA Artist Management. KNA Artist Management is a member of the D.C. GRAMMY Chapter and is headed by Kenny Darby and Anna Lee.
“They have a young singer, Kolten Perine. He’s only 18, but he’s a multi-talented young man. He writes his own stuff, produces, plays four or five instruments, and dances. The whole package,” she says. Layal is working directly with Kolten’s management team doing Public Relations for them and trying to get him as much publicity as possible.
In addition, Layal is responsible for booking Kolten’s gigs. The first thing she booked for him was at the University of Delaware opening for Miguel. “This was his first really big show,” she muses.
Layal with the KNA crew at Kolten's opening gig for Miguel
Through her experience with GRAMMY U, she gained insight into different organizations that she can reach out to; different studios, different music venues, and various events. “You kind of learn the ins-and-outs of the music industry. You’re not star-struck; you learn the business side and learn to conduct yourself professionally,” she says.
Although she has achieved quite a bit in a short time, Layal has big dreams for the future. “I want to own my own PR firm that will successfully drive the media behind artists who are really talented. I want to help them expand their careers.” For now, Layal is looking forward to helping Kolten shoot his first music video.
For more information on Layal, visit her Web Site:
http://layalbrown.wordpress.com/
For more information on KNA Artist Management and Kolten Perraine, visit
http://knamanagement.com/ (contains Kolten's music tracks)
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheKoltenExperience
Written by Alessandra Conti, GRAMMY U Rep, Washington, D.C. Chapter