By Jordyn Taylor
The 66th Annual Grammy Awards was hosted on Feb. 4 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA and three Howard University students had front-row seats to the spectacle.
Grammy U is a program that gives students and early-career music industry professionals the opportunity to interact and connect with the Recording Academy community, from board members to voting members and even Grammy winners. Shaneel Young, Zsana Hoskins, and Eric Azike are all proud members of the program.
With the three Howard University students at the awards show in Los Angeles and behind the scenes, their experiences highlight the importance of exposure for college students interested in the industry.
Shaneel Young poses before The Grammys stage and viewing area for guests. Though she may be a spectator this year, Young hopes to have a table with her name on it in the coming years. (Photo courtesy of Shaneel Young)
As the Grammy U Washington D.C. chapter representative, Shaneel Young has been creating opportunities for Grammy U students throughout the 2023-2024 academic year, hosting sound check events for artists like Victoria Monet and Laufey and providing mixers with professionals in the area.
The junior marketing major at Howard University was given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to not only attend the Grammys but to work with the Recording Academy team that puts it all together.
Young interviewed guests like Erica Campbell and Rhapsody, volunteered and produced content at different awards ceremonies throughout the week, and enjoyed an assortment of events with high-profile guests. She says she had a memorable experience for her first time in Los Angeles.
“I was so excited to be a part of something such an impactful week in music like Grammy Week. Representing Howard in Los Angeles was everything. I got to meet 50 Cent, Leon Thomas, Erica Campbell, Stevie Wonder, everybody was there,” Young expressed.
Young is an active content creator, a familiar face on the official Grammy U Instagram page, and an avid graphic designer for music and social media creatives.
Zsana Hoskins poses on the red carpet of the Grammys at the Crypto.com Arena. She was excited to see the performances and wins for Black women that evening. (Photo courtesy of @zsanajoyelle on Instagram )
This was not Zsana Hoskin’s first appearance at the Grammys. Hoskins previously attended the show on her own behalf in 2023 as a 2022 The Recording Academy x Amazon Music Your Future Is Now Scholar, a first for the program. She then attended the 2024 show as an esteemed guest of her brother, Dilan Hoskins, a Quinn Coleman Memorial Scholarship recipient attending Tennessee State University.
Hoskins attributed the familiarity and comfortability she felt while attending Grammy Week as a result of the network she has built as an active member of Grammy U. The senior journalism student at Howard University highlights the impact of programs under the Recording Academy like Grammy U.
“The program has given me so many connections and it’s important to note that these programs and scholarships are for students of color and students from HBCUs,” Hoskins stated. “Having that access and being in the room with all of these professionals is important for me, my brother, and students trying to break into the industry alike.”
For Eric Azike, a senior marketing major at Howard University, the night was a major celebration of Nigerian American culture. Having won a Grammy in 2021, the Nigerian singer-songwriter Burna Boy took the stage this year, making him the first-ever Afrobeats artist to perform at the Grammy Awards.
Burna Boy has also been nominated in four different categories: Best Global Music Album for “I Told Them…,” Best African Music Performance for “City Boys,” Best Global Music Performance for “Alone,” and Best Melodic Rap Performance for “Sittin’ on Top of the World.”
Azike, a Grammy U member since 2023, said that the performance was revolutionary.
“His performance at the Grammy’s is very monumental. The fact that he won a Grammy is even better. I grew up with afrobeats, and now it’s represented on the world stage. It’s not a popular genre, but it’s blown up over the last two years,” Azike said. “His performance at the Grammy’s is very monumental. The fact that he won a Grammy is even better. He’s a pioneer for Afrobeats in American music markets.”
For more information on the Grammy U program, please visit here.
