Calling teen musicians: Get your big break through the WYEP Reimagination Project

Photo above: The band Andmore plays at the Reimagination 2022 Album Release Party.

It’s that time of year for teen musicians with big dreams to take the next step to stardom. Applications are open for WYEP’s Reimagination: The Teen Recording Project That Rocks.

Now in its tenth year, WYEP’s Reimagination claims a stellar record of success with its alumni. The project helped launch the career of Daya, a Grammy Award-winner for her Best Dance Recording, “Don’t Let Me Down.” Jessica Bitsura won an Emmy Award for her song, “Dear Neighbor,” a tribute to the victims of the Tree of Life tragedy. And Sloane Simon made it to the “American Idol” stage.

High school students accepted to the six-month program are paired with a professional producer to help guide them through the music industry process from songwriting to recording. Masterclasses hosted by music industry professionals will cover a range of topics such as promotion and distribution, production and touring, songwriting and marketing.

Kids will spend eight hours inside a professional recording booth to produce their tracks, which will be distributed worldwide on digital streaming services. And they will have the opportunity to perform live at Pittsburgh events like the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival and the WYEP Summer Music Festival.

Do you know a teen musician ready for their big break?

Here’s what they need to apply:

• Be a high school student between the age of 14-18.
• Live within a reasonable driving distance of the City of Pittsburgh.
• Submit one original song via YouTube link, Soundcloud, Dropbox or Google Drive.

The deadline to apply is Jan. 13, 2023.

Reimagination is all about taking your music to the next level. The 2022 class produced a diverse collection of music from rap and rock to pop punk, and powerful vocalists created a “theater-music-meets-folk-music-meets-rock-music” sound.

Their musical influences are just as varied, from church choir to marching band to musical legends and top stars of the day.

Vocalist Ashley Marina admires legends like Celine Dion, Whitney Houston and Etta James. Ashley is serious about her music. She performed on the “America’s Got Talent” stage at the age of 12, and continued building her career as part of Reimagination’s class of 2022.

Love songs and the music of Michael Jackson, the Commodores and the Statler Brothers inspire Dallas Chapman, another 2022 alum.

And the multi-faceted Louisa C accompanies herself on cello, piano and guitar. Her music has been inspired by a couple of her favorites: Taylor Swift and Anson Seabra.

Here’s the WYEP Reimagination class of 2022:

Listen to their music here.

412Shxm: “Vacation Dreams”

Ajonia: “Can’t Stop”

Andmore: “Home Free”

Ashley Marina: “Cover Me With You”

Bad Judgement: “Not This Time Around”

CJ Johnson: “Villain”

Dallas Chapman: “Figured It Out”

Elena Bishop: “Hourglass Eyes”

Elliana: “Repeat”

Louisa C: “I Won’t Lie To You”

Marii 2x: “Me Vs Me”

The Glass Passenger: “The Resolution”