Mayah Dyson of Manassas to perform at ESSENCE Festival

Berklee’s Popular Music Institute (BPMI) is sending seven artists to perform at top music festivals in the U.S. and Canada this summer. The program enables students to go from the classroom to the stage in every facet of artist development and touring. BPMI has nearly doubled its festival slate, from four to seven, since piloting the program last summer.

Students will perform at ESSENCE Festival in New Orleans, June 30-July 2; Chicago Open Air, July 14-16; WayHome Music and Arts in Ontario, July 28-30; Lollapalooza in Chicago, August 3-6; Osheaga in Montreal, August 4-6; and Outside Lands in San Francisco, August 11-13. A student already performed at The Governors Ball in New York, in June.

Mayah Dyson, of Manassas, VA, performs at ESSENCE Festival – headlined by Diana Ross, Chance The Rapper, and John Legend – on Sunday, July 2. Mayah Dyson is a singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and model studying at Berklee. In 2013, Mayah released her debut EP, Mayah The ?. Dyson counts Kelly Rowland as one of her biggest inspirations and a mentor. In 2016, she appeared on Rowland’s television show Chasing Destiny. Later that year, she sang backup for Solange during her Saturday Night Live performance. Dyson is currently working on a new project, due for release in 2017. Dyson’s latest video is for her song “I Miss You.”

Eighteen music business/management students were selected for BPMI’s inaugural class, which began its first full-year cycle in the fall of 2016. The class listened to hundreds of submissions and chose seven student artists to appear at a festival and to feature on its artist compilation, Dorm Sessions 12. Mayah Dyson, Aversed, Flakes, Lady Pills, Olivia Swann, D-Will, and Jack Martini were selected based on live performances, recordings, videos, and social media presence.

The class then split into teams of three, with each team assigned to work with an artist throughout the spring and summer to prepare for their festival appearance. The teams handle artist development, marketing, contracts, tour budgets, digital presence, merchandise, and sponsorships. They will also accompany the artists to each festival to handle on-site promotion; assist with production and tour management; and film the performances and document their travel experiences.