How We Built an IRL FYP for GRAMMY Week
Award week is a LOT but we found space to really connect on a human level.
What does it take to throw an exclusive GRAMMY week event for 400+ creators to see performances from 4 of Universal Music Group’s brightest rising artists?
Sure, there’s a TON of logistics, hundreds of collective hours planning and maybe some stress tears. But EOD, it all comes down to artistry, community and collaboration.
Just FYI before we get too deep: we moved our newsletter to Substack!
Artistry
We had incredible performances from Hudson Ingram (Interscope), Baylee Lynn (The Core/Capitol), BJRNCK (Geffen) and Magnus Ferrell (Republic). All of our artists vibrantly connected with our influencer community through their performances, and the science behind what makes a sound go viral on social media, AKA an irresistible tune. One of the performers even said, “I looked out during my set and it was like my whole FYP. So sick!”
Community
Building community by bringing our influencer network together in one room feels like an “IRL FYP.” The conversation around creativity was contagious as everyone chatted about what the creator ecosystem is evolving into next. We work with creators year-round on sound campaigns and concerts, but there’s nothing like actually hanging face-to-face, swapping new song discoveries and sharing some giggles.
Collaboration
Gibson has been our day 1 collaborator since we started this party series in 2019. The showcase is hosted in their gorgeous Hollywood showroom. They provide an amazing sound system & engineer, loaned out guitars to the artists and their staff is next level in coordinating everything with us.
For the 2026 edition, we had food & beverage partners like Don Julio, Cotton Candy Chef, Baked By Melissa, Diddy Riese, Peroni and BV Wines. Yes, we really, really, really love dessert here.
UMG divisions like Bravado, Verve, Republic and UMe practically stacked up merch to the ceiling with iconic pieces from Olivia Rodrigo, Post Malone, Jon Batiste, KISS & Sabrina Carpenter.
All-in-all, an amazing start to our award szn. Congrats to all of the UMG artists who won big at the GRAMMYs later in the week! Stay tuned for more insights on music & culture!