AN ON-DEMAND VIDEO SERIES CELEBRATING ARTISTS FROM YOUTUBE’S FOUNDRY

#FOUNDRYFEST TO FEATURE NEW VIDEOS FROM FOUNDRY ARTISTS PAST AND PRESENT INCLUDING DUA LIPA, ARLO PARKS, BEABADOOBEE, BABY ROSE, OMAR APOLLO, RAUW ALEJANDRO, REI AMI, RINA SAWAYAMA, TESSA VIOLET AND MORE 

STARTING AT 2 PM GMT / 9 AM ET ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23 EXPLORE THE #FOUNDRYFEST HASHTAG ON YOUTUBE TO DISCOVER NEW PERFORMANCES, PREMIERES AND PERSPECTIVES FROM GLOBAL FOUNDRY ARTISTS

Today YouTube Music announce #FoundryFest, a series of videos featuring performances, premieres and perspectives from Foundry artists past and present. The on demand videos will be discoverable by searching #FoundryFest on YouTube starting October 23 at 9 AM ET / 2 PM BST and dropping throughout the day.

To celebrate YouTube’s international artist community, and its creativity and resilience in 2020, #FoundryFest will salute the diverse and global nature of YouTube with more than 20 videos including collaborative conversations, performances and music from Foundry artists Premiering via their Official YouTube Channels.  Additionally, #FoundryFest will help raise funds for Save Our Stages, Equal Justice Initiative and additional charitable organizations through YouTube Giving’s Donate feature where available.

“YouTube Music Foundry was a great resource to me early in my career, and I'm happy to be an alum of a program that helps support emerging artists from all over the world,” said Dua Lipa, 2015 Foundry Alumni.

More than 20 global Foundry artists, past and present have created videos that range from artist to artist conversations, performances, and official music videos which will Premiere as a part of #FoundryFest. Participating artists include Dua Lipa, Beabadoobee, Omar Apollo, Arlo Parks, Joesef, Rauw Alejandro, Gabriel Garzón-Montano, Natanael Cano, Rina Sawayama, Lost Stories, Tessa Violet, Baby Rose, Michael Brun, Eladio Carrion, Novelbright, Lime Cordiale, REI AMI, Adam Melchor, TESSÆ, Guapdad 4000 and Isabella Lovestory.

“YouTube created Foundry in 2015, to celebrate developing artists from around the world and help them build a global fanbase, which holds true today. Artists are always ingenious, creative problem solvers, but I’m especially impressed by how they’ve navigated change this year. #FoundryFest is a testament to the resiliency of the artist community, and I’m excited for fans to explore what these artists are creating right now, and hear more about their experiences this year.” said Naomi Zeichner, YouTube’s Artist Partnerships Lead. 

Established in 2015, Foundry is YouTube’s global artist development program that helps independent artists use music and storytelling to engage fans across borders and build careers that are uniquely their own. Below current and alumni Foundry artists from across the globe discuss #FoundryFest and how Foundry has contributed to their career growth and success:

Arlo Parks, 2018 Foundry Alumni (UK): “It was lovely to chat to Joesef. He’s a prince and his tunes are so warm. I feel like I’m being held whenever I play them. YouTube Foundry has had my back since I was 18 years old, I’m forever grateful for the support.”

Beabadoobee, 2019 Foundry Alumni (UK): “YouTube has supported me soooooo much from day one. Foundry helped me film the first tours I ever went on and now I’ll have that to share forever. It was super cool to hang out with Omar for #FoundryFest!”

Baby Rose, 2019 Foundry Alumni (US) “Being selected as a Foundry artist by YouTube has been a huge honor. The opportunity they gave me when I was an independent artist allowed me to expose my art to a larger audience than I would have been able to reach on my own.”

Joesef, 2020 Foundry Artist (UK): “It was class to chat to Arlo. She’s a sweetheart whose work I admire and respect massively. Foundry has been a massive help for me, and it’s cool to meet someone else who YouTube has supported along the way.”

Lime Cordiale, 2020 Foundry Artist (AUS): “We’ve loved being part of the Foundry program. YouTube has helped us look outside the box with our music and videos, especially during a time where live music hardly exists. They’ve been massive supporters, have helped us reach a new audience and given us a wealth of ideas moving forward.

Novelbright, 2020 Foundry Artist (JP): “We are thrilled to be a part of #FoundryFest! We feel YouTube opened up a door for us to connect with a new audience, and we hope to expand that globally through this festival.”

TESSAE, 2020 Foundry Artist (FR) “Foundry has been a wonderful experience. Thanks to Foundry, I have developed my community and we now share a strong and authentic bond.”