Heather Lowery doesn’t believe in giving any energy to stacked odds.
Makes sense since she is a professional anomaly: Black, female, and a highly successful music industry insider-turned-entrepreneur. Putting that in numbers, 2021 data shows just 13.9% of top executives across various sectors in the music industry are from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, 4.2% were Black, and 13.9% were women. That figure is even lower when counting Black women in leadership.
Lowery has always known this, that’s why in she launched her company Femme It Forward, a joint venture with Live Nation that prioritizes the spotlighting, growth and development of women in music executive leadership.
“Despite these {dismal} numbers, I’m not really concerned about the walls that we always encounter because we’re always breaking down walls—we’re always breaking boundaries,” Lowery tells ESSENCE. “We’re always prevailing. I like to focus on the positive. So, my mission is to give women the tools that they need to sit at any table, to be in any room, even if that means building your own. I focus on that.”
Femme It Forward’s latest initiative, the MUSE (Musicians Uplifting Stars Everyday) Mentorship Program, a seven month-long educational immersion is dedicated to specifically uplifting and empowering emerging female creatives. With it, early career female-identifying musicians receive access and mentorship from figures alongside advisors including Teyana Taylor, Erykah Badu and Alicia Keys. Rapsody, Trina, and Amber Riley are among a group of celebrated industry veterans that will serve as mentors.
“If you look at the definition of muse, the meaning is a woman or a force personified as a woman who is a source of inspiration for creative artists,” Lowery tells ESSENCE. This is the perfect embodiment of that.”
The mentorship program is targeting specifically songwriters, producers, composers, engineers, and DJs aiming to take their careers to the next level with the help of the stars who have seen and conquered it all.
“Of course we’re aiming to give our mentees inspiration, but we need them walk away tangibles as well—one-on-one mentorship, hands-on experience, and career guidance. These young women deserve it all and I’m going to help them get it.”
This interview was edited for clarity and brevity.