Onaje is a multimedia journalist, copywriter and content producer from Houston, Texas. Onaje is currently a Digital Content Intern at The Recording Academy and a fourth-year Journalism major and African and African Diaspora Studies minor at the University of Texas at Austin. His bylines have appeared in The Daily Dot, Outdoor Voices’ The Recreationalist, Austin Monthly Magazine, GoodMusicAllDay, UT News, ORANGE Magazine and more.
If there’s any caveat to mass festival and concert cancellations behind the coronavirus pandemic, it’s the bevy of wide-ranging live streamed performances popping up left and right, even within the world of classical music. On Easter Sunday, Italian global music icon and five-time GRAMMY nominee Andrea Bocelli set a new milestone for classical music after over 2.8 million live viewers…
Just announced (Tuesday, Apr. 14), the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund is set to host its star-studded one-night benefit show ‘JERSEY4JERSEY,’ next Wednesday on April 22. The event will feature performances and appearances from a roster of NJ’s biggest artists and celebrities including GRAMMY winners and nominees Bruce Springsteen, Tony Bennett, SZA, Jon Bon Jovi, Halsey and Charlie Puth, to…
Central to any historical movement that helps to push social and political cultures forward, the power of music is a cornerstone for freedom, connection and unfiltered creative expression. However, in regards to its widespread influence and potential power in participating in the fight for social change, the music business has often fallen short to this task of moving the needle.…
With recent social unrest in response to racial injustice against the Black community, people throughout the nation have risen up and unified together en masse to demonstrate and publicly protest in support of the fight for justice and equality. To help facilitate the conversation and bring light to efforts in impacting change one step at a time, the Recording Academy’s…
On Tuesday, June 30, the Recording Academy Los Angeles Chapter hosted its “Stay In, Come Out, Let’s Talk” Facebook live panel event. In celebration of Pride, the livestream conversation featured musicians and music industry leaders who shared their journeys of coming out and self-acceptance and discussed the specific struggles faced by queer artists and members of the LGBTQ+ community. <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FRecordingAcademy%2Fvideos%2F3121375387976054%2F&show_text=0&width=560"…
Amidst the current pandemic and the fight against racial injustice, creative communities and their key stakeholders are largely and directly affected. Artists are faced not only with the daunting news cycle of world events and an industry on pause, but also the subsequent impacts on their financial hardship and mental health. Considering, on Thursday, June 25, the Recording Academy Los…
On the top bills of some of the world’s largest music festivals, it isn’t rare for Afrobeats and Afropop artists like Burna Boy, Wizkid or Mr. Eazi to round out the lineups. Last month, Universal Music Group announced the launch of its Def Jam Africa division purposed with recognizing, supporting and signing talent throughout Africa. Apple Music also recently launched its "Africa…
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect the artist’s name and pronouns. At 17 years old, Los Angeles-based DJ and producer Nico Craig has already accomplished what many artists set out to achieve within the span of a career. After falling in love with DJing through the popular video game "DJ Hero," Craig enrolled at Jam Master Jay's…
As a benefit to the Jazz Foundation of America’s COVID-19 Musicians’ Fund, the organization will host its livestreamed benefit concert, #TheNewGig Live, tonight (May 14) beginning at 8 P.M. Eastern Standard Time. The one-night special event is slated to see performances from GRAMMY-winning and nominated artists Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, Jon Batiste and others. In addition to being hosted by…
Houseparty, the face-to-face social video app, is bringing a star-studded lineup of performances, workouts and cooking lessons to its users, including appearances by Katy Perry, John Legend, Snoop Dogg, Alicia Keys and more than 40 other celebrities. The event, "In The House," will take place over the course of three days, beginning this weekend on Friday, May 15 and running through…
Although Major League Baseball has been completely called off spring training and delayed its season due to COVID-19, Arlington, Texas based club the Texas Rangers are bringing music fans an opportunity to enjoy live shows while practicing social distancing measures. Just announced, the Rangers will host its in-car summer concert series, “Concert In Your Car,” on June 4-7 with a stage…
On their new single "All Together Now," released Wednesday (May 13), GRAMMY-winning rock troupe OK Go pay homage to the heroism of frontline workers helping to battle the global spread of the coronavirus. Recorded from the band members' homes and released alongside a visual of the collective performing the single from isolation, the song touches on messages of hope and universal action that have…
On May 16, six-time GRAMMY-winning jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard and documentary filmmaker Michael Murphy will join forces for a special Q&A livestream following the virtual release of the forthcoming documentary Up From The Streets: New Orleans: The City of Music. As the film’s executive producer and director, Blanchard and Murphy’s new project features in-depth sit downs and archival footage from…
Just announced, the GRAMMY Museum will collaborate with Producer Entertainment Group’s Digital Drag Fest for Writing With Pride, a livestreamed celebration of LGBTQ+ songwriters and performers in the music industry. The one-day digital event will feature the likes of former "Ru Paul’s Drag Race" contestants Trixie Mattel, Jinx Monsoon and Alaska, as well as others including esteemed songwriters Justin Tranter…
Former lead singer of UK rock band Bad Company, Brian Anthony Howe has died at the age of 66. According to reports and confirmed by his manager Paul Easton, the band’s frontman was found suffering from cardiac arrest at his home in Florida on Tuesday. After a brief conversation with EMT’s, it is stated that the artist passed on his way…
German electronic artist and the co-founder of pioneering band Kraftwerk Florian Schneider has died at the age of 73, as confirmed by a Billboard report. According to a statement from the band's co-founder Ralf Hütter, Schneider passed away due to a bout with cancer, having just recently celebrated his birthday days ago. The duo originally connected in 1968 and went on to…
Citing safety concerns and mandated social distancing efforts following the worldwide spread of the coronavirus, annual Toronto-based conference and music festival Canadian Music Week has officially been called off for its 38th edition that was slated for September. As Canada’s largest and longest running music conference, the event that was originally set to take place at the Sheraton Centre on May…
According to a statement on the pioneering British punk band The Stranglers’ website, it has been confirmed that the band’s keyboardist Dave Greenfield has died at the age of 71. Greenfield was admitted into the hospital due to heart problems before he passed on Sunday, April 3, after testing positive for the coronavirus. In the statement regarding the news the…
Taking place tonight, eight-time GRAMMY-nominated artist Janelle Monáe is set to perform on Verizon’s "Pay It Forward Live" streaming event. The series of livestreamed performances, presented by Verizon to support small businesses nationwide that have been impacted by COVID-19, has previously featured at-home sets from the likes of Dave Matthews and Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas. Fans will be able to catch…
L.A. indie label Fearless Records will host its "Fearless At Home" livestreaming event on Saturday, May 9 at 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time/12 p.m. Pacific Standard Time via the label’s YouTube channel. <style>.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;…
