Amber Grimes is sharing what a day in the life of a music executive and culture creator is all about.
As the executive vice president and general manager of Love Renaissance (LVRN), Grimes oversees a roster of artists under the Atlanta-based recordand management agency. LVRN is breaking new ground, creating opportunities for Black, global artists to expand their careers across multiple genres.
Grimes oversees the company’s daily operations, marketing, and revenue strategies for its entire roster of artists. With over 15 years of industry experience, including Capitol Records and Spotify, she’s more than equipped to handle the role.
“Really, just like whatever roller coaster the artists take me on is what my day is like,” Grimes tells BLACK ENTERPRISE.
Though she’s constantly budgeting and strategizing for LVRN artists, her favorite part of the job is marketing and branding. Crafting campaigns comes naturally to the Millennial entertainment guru.
“Really helping brand artists. That’s what I got in the business for,” she says.
Grimes says there are two types of artists: those who naturally brand themselves through their star power or personality, like Sexxy Red, and those who need help discovering their brand identity. For the latter, having a label like LVRN can be invaluable. The company is dedicated to elevating its artists, discovering new talent, and aligning with cultural events and movements that boost brand awareness on a global scale.
“I think we just like understand that music’s global, especially Black music,” she says. “That has not always been the norm, exported or imported.”
Most recently, LVRN partnered with Jerk x Jollof, an event series celebrating Afro-Caribbean culture. This collaboration provides LVRN with a platform to elevate Black culture while seamlessly showcasing its artists.
“I think that party and the growth of that party is pretty parallel with what was happening with the music, and so I really feel like it just only made sense,” Grimes says of the partnership. “Instead of us trying to go start our own thing, also being a company that was created by five first-generation immigrants. I think four of them are college dropouts.
“We also want to be able to reinvest in other people’s business and helping them grow other young Black men and women, instead of just saying, ‘OK, we can do this idea ourselves.’ Let’s collaborate, let’s do it together and uplift each other,” she said.
Outside of her responsibilities at LVRN, Amber is the founder of Amber’s Book Club, a non-fiction book community designed to make reading a flex and help others discover the power of books. She shared her passion for reading and how much she enjoys making reading “a flex” for Millennials and Gen Z consumers.
As for what fans can expect from Summer Walker’s new album, Grimes shared how much of a fan she is of the soul singer and how pleased fans will be with the new music.
Press play above for the full interview.
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