Grammy-winning artist Tems has completed the inaugural edition of The Leading Vibe Initiative (LVI)—a two-day, hands-on program designed to fast-track the next wave of women creators in African music.
Held 8–9 August at Amah Studios and GAIA Lagos, the debut cohort brought together 20 young women—producers, artists, and songwriters-for an immersive experience centered on creative collaboration, industry mentorship, and professional development.
What happened
Studio immersion: participants worked in small writing and production rooms, exchanging stems, arrangement ideas, and feedback in real time.
Mentorship circles: veteran creatives and executives (A&R, publishing, management, live) unpack career pathways, contracts, and release strategy.
Career labs: practical sessions on building a catalog, split sheets, and metadata hygiene, release calendars, stage craft, and brand positioning.
Why it matters
Women remain underrepresented in core decision-making and technical roles in the music ecosystem—especially in production and songwriting. LVI tackles that gap by pairing skills development with network formation: access to studios, structured feedback, and relationships that outlast a single workshop.
What LVI signals
The program mirrors Tems’ ethos—lead with intention, protect the art, and expand opportunity. By keeping the first edition in Lagos, LVI anchors world-class training at home while speaking to a global audience that already streams African music at scale.
What’s next
Organizers say the pilot will inform a growing platform: ongoing mentorship, community meet-ups, and future cohorts aimed at widening the pipeline for women producers and songwriters across Africa and the diaspora.
LVI is more than a workshop; it’s early infrastructure. Tems has turned cultural capital into a working engine for opportunity—one that equips talented women with the tools, rooms, and relationships they need to ship records and shape the sound of what’s next.
