The GRAMMY Museum has announced the next special guest in its Mentorship Monday series: singer, songwriter and producer Davido. You can catch the session Monday, Aug. 31 from 11:30–12:30 p.m. PT on the GRAMMY Museum's Instagram.

The 27-year-old breakout Afrobeats star will participate in the instagram Live event as part of its Mentorship Monday series in partnership with GRAMMY U and former first lady Michelle Obama's Reach Higher initiative. Every Monday from July 20 through Aug. 31, top-tier music industry professionals have mentored college students and recent graduates via digital conferencing.

Davido has been everywhere of late. He was featured on the May 2020 cover of Billboard magazine and was a guest on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" just last month. According to Rolling Stone, his single "Fall" off his 2019 album, A Good Time, holds the record for the longest Nigerian pop song in Billboard history.

We recently spoke with Davido about his rise to success and what he loves about his African musical influences.

"To me, when I listen to Afrobeats, it's just a different feeling," he sad. "You'd be in the club, they play hip-hop, trap, R&B, whatever the case may be. And once the Afrobeat come on, you can tell the difference from the scenery, the feeling, the beats. Most people don't even know what we saying, but they still listen to it. So that's the great thing about it."

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The Mentroship Monday sessions have provided an opportunity for students to connect with established music industry professionals and creatives, and served as a valuable tool for information, advice and exploration within a wide variety of music careers and topics as they pursue their own careers. 

The Instagram Live event features Davido and will be hosted by GRAMMY Museum Education Coordinator Schyler O'Neal. For more information, visit www.grammymuseum.org, "like" the GRAMMY Museum on Facebook, and follow @GRAMMYMuseum on Twitter and Instagram.

Davido On Elevating Nigerian Culture, New Music & What He'll Teach His Son About Being Black In America

How can you write a song, when you have nothing to sing about? One trusty well to return to is life on the road;  the musical canon is filled with odes to whizzing highway dividers, beds in strange places and, on occasion, a deteriorating home life.

The buzzy and prolific singer/songwriter Remi Wolf just folded these experiences into Big Ideas — her second full-length album, and one born of perpetual travel, transit and transition. (And, it should be said: her Carmen Sandiego traversals led her to NYC’s 2024 GRAMMY U Conference.)

"Well into my 20s, it was like a second puberty, because essentially, I was reborn as this touring musician," the thoughtful and loquacious indie-popper tells GRAMMY.com, over Zoom from her rehearsal space. (Even then, she's in motion, ducking from room to room to evade clamorous comings and goings.)

She evokes her breakout 2021 debut album: "I'd never toured like that before. My whole entire life felt so new after Juno was released."

This led to a white-hot writing streak. Big Ideas' highlights, like advance singles "Toro" and "Alone in Miami," directly address change and upheaval. Goes the former: "Dancing around and spilling wine/ You look good in my hotel robe." Goes the latter: "Met up with Maine, bought cocaine/ Clothes in the lobby waiting for me."

"There's no frills in that s—," Wolf says. "They're quite literally about real life." Read on for a full interview with Wolf about Big Ideas — a locus of that life, in all its nuances and dimensions.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

I love how funky and rhythmic 'Big Ideas' is. Which rhythms from the musical canon got you going? Are you a Purdie head? A Dan head? 

Oh, all of the above. I love a Purdie shuffle. The Purdie shuffle is a pretty legendary groove. I'm a huge fan of Steely Dan. I went to music college; I feel like as a music school student, you kind of have to love Steely Dan. Well, some of the kids choose to hate them, but I chose to love them. 

But yeah, I love a funky groove, a funky beat. I also like simple s—, but we love syncopation in this household. 

What'd you grow up listening to on that front? 

Honestly, not much. I feel like as a young kid, I would just listen to what my parents were listening to, and my dad listened to a lot of '80s classic rock, and my mom really liked Prince.  

And then, also, my first album I ever owned was Speak Now by Lindsay Lohan, which is a completely different direction, and I was about eight when I got that album. 

I didn't know she made music. 
 
She had a music career. It was brief, but it was mighty, truly. She had all the best songwriters in the industry at the time working on this album. So honestly, even though it wasn't the pinnacle of musicianship, the writing was really good. Great songs. 

I just flashed back to Hilary Duff jewel cases in grade school. 

Oh, yeah, that's another classic, but I was a little bit more alternative than that. Lindsay Lohan was kind of on more of a pop-punk, like emo front-facing type of songwriting and energy. A little bit more like Alanis Morissette vibes. 

If I ever encounter a Lohan song in the wild, I'll remember your recommendation. 

When I was a high schooler, that's kind of when I started really listening to a bunch of staff that wasn't playing in my house. And that's when I got into Stevie Wonder and the Beatles and Cake. 

I ride for Cake. Great band. 

I ride for Cake, too. Honestly, they're one of my favorite bands of all time. I don't know, I feel super similar to them sometimes. Their lyrics are so wacky and sad, kind of — and bizarre, but they're so funky, and the songs are just great, but they're weird.

Take the readers through the span of time between your first album, 'Juno,' up to this sophomore album. What seed was planted? 

I released Juno at the end of 2021, and I guess the seed that was birthed after that was that I've essentially been on tour ever since. 

This new album, Big Ideas, is kind of the product of: I would go out on tour and come home for a week at a time, because I was on back-to-back-to-back tours. I went on 10 tours in one year; I was only home for about six weeks of all of 2022. And then, going into 2023, I kept touring, and kept doing the same thing. 

Watch: GRAMMY Museum Spotlight: Remi Wolf 

This album is a collection of all these moments and memories, and getting really focused, short amounts of time with me getting home and kind of exploding songwriting-wise — then, going back on tour and building up s— to talk about, and then exploding once again. 

There were about five concentrated week-and-a-half to two-week-long periods of writing that became this album. 

Do you get a charge out of touring? I couldn't imagine doing it again. 

Yeah. I think that there is an adrenaline that I like about it. I like traveling. I like seeing different cities, even if it's for a couple hours. I really like that. 

I like the communal aspect of it. I like getting really close to people and having a routine, to be honest. It's the most routine time of my life. Other than that, when I'm home, I'm just all over the place and doing a bunch of s—, which also has its perks. 

But I don't know, there's something about waking up and doing the same thing every day that kind of is nice for me. And it's cool to be able to just focus on one thing, getting to the next city and playing the show and making people happy. 

What about your life disappearing temporarily? Leaving a partner, your houseplants… 

No, that's really difficult. I luckily don't have a partner right now, but I think that tour is really capable of ruining a lot of relationships, unless you've got a really strong one where they understand the lifestyle and everything. But I've had many houseplants die. It's actually really sad. 

Your life just kind of is on pause. It's like a time machine, or a time capsule. Especially living in L.A. where the weather's the same every single day, you come home, and it's exactly the same as when you left the city. 

Once the emotional and conceptual pieces were on the floor, how did you assemble 'Big Ideas?' 

There are so many iterations of what it could have been. Because like I said, I had five two-week long sections of writing a f— ton of songs. And I'm not kidding, I wrote full albums within those weeks. I would be hunkered. 

I had one week in L.A. where it was five days, and we wrote 10 songs. And then I had another week in L.A. We wrote seven songs. And I had another week in New York, and we wrote nine songs. And then another week in New York, and we wrote 12 songs. And then another week finally back in L.A., and we wrote four songs that time. 

But essentially, I was kind of just doing what felt right. Until I felt like we had an entire album that was cohesive but expansive in its palette, I kept writing. And then finally, at a certain point, I was like, OK, I feel like we have the record. 

But there were moments where I was like, oh, I just wrote an album. I don't have to do anything else. And then a month would go by and I'd be like, I need to do more. 

In terms of choosing the songs, I think I was drawn to the songs that felt the most real to me — that continued to feel the most exciting and real to me. 

Define "real" in this context. 

That is a very difficult question to answer, and I think it is such a gut thing. It's beyond language. I don't know how to describe that. I don't know. If I feel invested. There are certain songs that you write and you like them, but you don't have that same feeling of investment in them. 

Does this really need to be heard? Does anybody need this? 

Yeah. Or: Do I need this? Honestly, it's so inexplicable. 

Do you ever try to work the songwriting muscle of making something specific, universal? Is that part of your calculus? 

Typically, it's not, but there's one song that I tried to do it on very intentionally: "Soup." 

[I had] the intention of making it a song that was built for an arena in terms of the sonics and the expansiveness of the drums and the four-on-the-floor. In my head, I was like, OK, I want this song to play, and then you see the arena with the people pumping their fists and feet. 

I think I'd recently seen Coldplay at Wembley Stadium, and I was like, Holy s—, this is so wild. Their stuff is so arena, stadium-bound. I was inspired by essentially the four-on-the-floor feel — hearing the reverb in the rafters of an arena like that. 

Going into writing that song, I was like, this is the song where it would make sense for me to be blunt and universal with my lyrics. And I think it was a cool experiment and honestly quite vulnerable for me, because I think sometimes I shy away from that type of lyric writing, whether it be out of just wanting to be a little bit more artsy. 

Sometimes I think it's fear-based, in the sense of: I want to hide, I want to be able to be the only one to really know what I'm talking about sometimes. And I think with "Soup," I kind of just let it fly and let that universality shine through a little bit more. 

You don't need to know what songs mean all the time. You mentioned the Beatles: John sang, "Yellow matter custard, dripping from a dead dog's eye." 

Yeah. It's syllables, and imagery. This s— can be anything you want to be, and I always try to remember that. 

What's coming up in your musical life? 

I'm going on tour in the fall; today is our first day of rehearsals. We're starting to put together a big show. More travel, more motion. I never stop moving, essentially. Hopefully I'll be writing more soon.

The GRAMMY Museum joins forces with HYBE to present its newest exhibit, HYBE: We Believe In Music, A GRAMMY Museum Exhibit. This interactive exhibit chronicles the history and impact of HYBE, and showcases its legacy of unparalleled innovation and creativity as a trend-setting global entertainment brand.

The exhibit opens on Aug. 2 in downtown Los Angeles and features spotlight moments with K-pop stars BTS, SEVENTEEN, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, ENHYPEN, LE SSERAFIM, and many more. "HYBE: We Believe In Music" runs through Sept.15. The exhibit will kick off on Aug. 1 with "Global Spin Live: TWS," a program featuring a moderated conversation with K-pop group TWS, followed by a performance.

The exhibit traces HYBE's evolution and influence by showcasing instantly recognizable artifacts from its roster of artists, creators, and fans. The displays notably feature original outfits worn in iconic music videos such as "Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)" by BTS, "MAESTRO" by SEVENTEEN, "Sugar Rush Ride" by TOMORROW X TOGETHER, "Sweet Venom" by ENHYPEN, and "EASY" by LE SSERAFIM. HYBE: We Believe In Music also boasts accessories and performance gear donned by ZICO, fromis_9, BOYNEXTDOOR, TWS, &TEAM, and ILLIT. The exhibit marks the first time these artifacts will be on display together in one location.

Other highlights include interactive sing-along and dance rooms, a dedicated Fan Section celebrating the endless support between HYBE artists and their fandoms, a Mono to Immersive room featuring BTS's 2022 GRAMMYs performance of "Butter," and a Photoism Booth that allows visitors to pose alongside their favorite K-pop artists.  The GRAMMY Museum exhibit will also feature exclusive video content with producers, artists, music videos, and more.

"HYBE and their artists represent the present and future of the global music landscape, and our goal with this exhibit is to deepen the appreciation and respect for its creators and performers," says Michael Sticka, President/CEO of the GRAMMY Museum. "HYBE has contributed to creating a playground of innovation that inspires fandoms that transcend age, gender, geography and beyond. The GRAMMY Museum is thrilled to provide a space where fans can express their love for K-pop and feel closer to their favorite idols."

Read more: 11 Rookie K-Pop Acts To Know In 2024: NCT Wish, RIIZE, Kiss Of Life & More

HYBE Chief Operating Officer Taeho Kim added, "Putting out an exhibition that captures HYBE's journey is a new experience for us. We're very excited about this partnership with GRAMMY Museum, and we look forward to welcoming music fans who visit the museum to enjoy and connect with our historical pieces."

The exhibit highlights the roots of HYBE's meteoric rise. In 2005, South Korean producer, composer, and songwriter Bang Si-Hyuk, known as "hitman" Bang, changed the trajectory of Korean pop music by launching the record label Big Hit Entertainment. He soon signed a talented 16-year-old rapper named RM, which became the first step in creating the label's groundbreaking boy band — BTS. With the group's global success, "hitman" Bang and Big Hit Entertainment became known as musical trailblazers and record industry innovators. Big Hit Entertainment has now evolved into HYBE, which only continues to break boundaries in music and beyond.

Did you know that among all GRAMMY U members, songwriting and performance are some of the most sought after fields of study? This playlist dedicates a space to hear what these members are creating today!

The GRAMMY U Mixtape, now available for your listening pleasure, highlights the creations and fresh ideas that members are bringing to this industry directly on the Recording Academy's Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music pages. Our goal is to celebrate GRAMMY U members, as well as the time and effort they put into making original music — from the songwriting process to the final production of the track.

Each month, we accept submissions and feature 15 to 25 songs that match each month’s theme. This summer playlist is vibrant mix of bubblegum pop and soulful tunes that will have you bopping and singing as you soak up the sun. So, what’s stopping you? Press play on GRAMMY U’s Mixtape and listen now on Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music.

Want to be featured on the next playlist? Submit your songs today! We are currently accepting submissions for songs of all genres for consideration for our next playlist. Whether you write pop, rock, hip-hop, jazz, or classical, we want to hear from you. Music must be written and/or produced by the member (an original song) and you must be able to submit a Spotify, Apple Music and/or Amazon Music link to the song. Artists must be a GRAMMY U member to submit.

About GRAMMY U:

GRAMMY U is a program that connects aspiring professionals and creatives ages 18-29 with the music industry's brightest and most talented minds. We provide a community for emerging professionals and creatives in addition to various opportunities and tools necessary to start a career in music. Throughout the program year, events and initiatives touch on all facets of the industry, including business, technology, and the creative process.

As part of the Recording Academy's mission to ensure the recorded arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, GRAMMY U establishes the necessary foundation for music’s next generation to flourish.

Not a member, but want to submit to our playlist? Apply for GRAMMY U Membership here.

Former GRAMMY U Reps Heather Howard, Sophie Griffiths and Samantha Kopec contributed to this article.

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With the newly expanded eligibility for GRAMMY U membership, the GRAMMY U mentorship program has also shifted significantly this year. For the very first time, the mentorship program timeline lasted for an entire year, rather than being split into two semesters. The longer timeframe allowed the mentorship pairs to meet more frequently, take on bigger projects, and develop deeper connections.  

Through the program, GRAMMY U members from around the world receive one-on-one guidance from seasoned music industry professionals. Mentors and mentees have the flexibility to select their specific track within the music business, including performance, songwriting/composing, marketing, or the general music industry. Pairs are aligned as closely as possible, and match mentees with mentors in roles that reflect their interests. 

With over 600 pairings across the 12 Recording Academy Chapters, hundreds of members had the chance to work on amazing projects or participate in once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, all thanks to their mentors. Read on to hear about six outstanding pairs from the 2023-24 GRAMMY U Mentorship Program. 

Andre Gibson | Mentor | Chicago Chapter 

Lylajean Bariso | Mentee | Chicago Chapter 

Andre Gibson and Lylajean Bariso were paired to focus on songwriting and vocal performance. Gibson is currently the President and Owner of Chiat Records, while Bariso majors in creative writing at Northwestern University. 

During this year’s mentorship program, Bariso had the unique opportunity to advance her music career. Under Gibson’s guidance, she participated in her first professional studio recording session and registered with a performing rights organization, enabling her to copyright her music. 

Although Bariso is not enrolled in her school’s music program, music is one of her most passionate hobbies. After participating in this year's mentorship program with Gibson, her perspective has shifted. 

"I've felt discouraged from pursuing music as a full-time career for most of my life, even though it's definitely a dream that's out there and high up for me," Bariso says. "However, I really appreciated that Andre took me seriously as a musical artist and supported the idea of me doing this as a career and following the same practices as professionals in the industry."

Steve Lane | Mentor | Florida Chapter 

Zayna JeBailey | Mentee | Florida Chapter

Zayna JeBailey, a music business and entertainment industries graduate from the University of Miami, was paired with Steve Lane, Executive Director of the Florida Songwriters Association. At the start of the program, JeBailey hoped to gain a deeper understanding about the industry through hands-on experience; with Lane as a mentor, she accomplished that goal. 

Over the past few months, JeBailey has worked on the Florida Songwriters Association podcast, assisting with everything from setting up equipment to filming. Additionally, she helped organize the 5th Annual Florida Songwriters Association Workshop, hosted at Full Sail University. The workshop offered networking opportunities and featured  panels with multiple industry professionals. 

"Graduating with my bachelor's back in December left me feeling a bit lost about where to go next," says JeBailey, who will continue to work for the Florida Songwriters Association on projects for youth and young adults in Central Florida. She'll also continue to work on the organization's podcast and next year's workshop. "My mentor's advice and guidance this year, and the connections I have made while working with him, have provided a space for me to discover my next endeavors."

Rachel Levy | Mentor | Los Angeles Chapter 

Joshya Gupta | Mentee | Los Angeles Chapter 

Joshya Gupta, a music industry major at the University of California, Los Angeles, was paired with Rachel Levy, the Executive Vice President of Film Music at Universal Pictures. Acknowledging the significant impact mentors have on shaping young minds, Levy reflects on how mentorship shaped her own early experiences in the industry. 

"I was also lucky enough to have a few mentors when I started out in this business that really had an effect on me," Levy says. “So, it’s been great to be able to do that regularly for the college students I have been connected with."

During the mentorship program, Gupta visited Levy's office at NBCUniversal and shadowed her during her day-to-day routines. During this experience, Gupta gained valuable insights into the world of film music and the various responsibilities associated with the role. Through Levy's guidance, Gupta successfully secured her dream internship at NBCUniversal. 

"My goal is to work in film music and my mentor has been instrumental in propelling me towards that aspiration," says Gupta. "Beyond mentorship, she has facilitated opportunities for me to connect with her colleagues, broadening my network and deepening my understanding of the field."

Corynne Burrows | Mentor | Los Angeles Chapter 

Jaida Brown | Mentee | Los Angeles Chapter  

Hoping to sharpen her skills as a confident content creator, Jaida Brown, a music business student at The Los Angeles Film School, was paired with Corynne Burrows, the founder & CEO of Midas Touch Management.  

"I have learned how important it is to surround yourself with people who have a constant desire to grow and to have fresh perspectives from others to be able to help you see all sides of situations," Burrows says.

During the mentorship program, Burrows and Brown focused on taking Brown’s career as a performing artist to the next level. Creating her press kit and logo were among the projects the pair tackled throughout the year, ultimately transforming Brown’s brand as an artist. 

 Ben Raznick | Mentor | San Francisco Chapter 

Jack Bunch | Mentee | San Francisco Chapter 

Over in the San Francisco Chapter, Jack Bunch, a rising sophomore at the University of California, Berkeley, Bunch was matched with Ben Raznick, a Governor for the San Francisco Chapter Board of the Recording Academy. With the help of Raznick, Bunch was able to realize that his aspirations within the industry are far more attainable than he originally believed. 

"Ben helped me realize the realities I look up to aren’t so far away. I listen to dozens of self-produced, prodigious, and seemingly thriving musicians, and I’ve felt far removed from them in the past,"  Bunch reflects. "Now that I’ve begun taking the time to develop skills, set goals, and take tangible steps, I know I can become the artist I want to be."

Raznick also gleaned insight from his mentee during the program. Upon listening to Bunch’s EP, Raznick learned about music tools that he had "never heard of before," which opened his eyes to some of the latest trends and techniques within the fast-paced industry. 

"I felt inspired by Jack’s engagement in our meetings," says Raznick. "It was rewarding to spend time with a young artist that reminded me of myself when I began exploring music as a career." 

Jake Roggenbuck | Mentor | Nashville Chapter 

Anisa Utilla | Mentee | Nashville Chapter 

Anisa Utilla, a human and organizational development major at Vanderbilt University, joined the GRAMMY U mentorship program to gain hands-on insight into the music business, which her formal education lacked. She was paired with Jake Roggenbuck, the Senior Manager of Production at Universal Music Group in Nashville. 

"Music acts as a universal language, bridging people together. I knew I wanted to be a part of that with more of a business lens," says Utilla. "I have a dream to become a record label executive, but through my classes and internet research, it was hard to understand what the day-to-day work in a label is actually like. Jake showed me that. Through his mentorship, I learned things I couldn't learn in a classroom setting." 

Roggenbuck has been actively involved in the GRAMMY U Mentorship program since 2022. He notes that serving as a mentor is a reciprocal experience, as he gains valuable knowledge from his mentees as well. 

"I have learned so many lessons from my mentees and can honestly say I get as much out of the program as I give," says Roggenbuck. The biggest takeaway for me is the enthusiasm and passion that my mentees have. It brings me back to a time when I dreamt of working in the music industry and is a reminder of how lucky I am to have a career I’m passionate about." 

The GRAMMY U mentorship program allows members to gain invaluable guidance from an experienced music industry professional from multiple tracks within the industry. Results from the program include expanded networks, newfound industry advice, career opportunities, and more. If you are interested in becoming a mentee or mentor for the 2024-25 GRAMMY U mentorship program, be sure to keep an eye out for applications opening in Fall 2024. 

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