Singer/Songwriter and Celebrity Vocal Producer Shannin "Shining Rae" Watkins of Magnolia has beeb selected by The Recording Academy to serve as a Grammy U Mentor for the Fall 2022 semester starting September 26, 2022.
Connecting college students with the industry's brightest and most talented minds, GRAMMY U provides aspiring professionals with the tools and opportunities necessary to start a career in music. Throughout each semester, events and special programs touch on all facets of the industry, including the 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 so that music's next generation flourishes.
A GRAMMY U Mentor is a trusted counselor to a student, helping shape their future career decisions and teach them how to navigate the music industry. Students will be given multiple opportunities to engage with their mentor, build valuable connections, and see first-hand the business of making music.
In Shining Rae's words:
"I am so excited and deeply honored to be selected by the Recording Academy to serve as a GRAMMY U Mentor for the Fall 2022 semester! The most heartwarming and fulfilling highlights of my life and music career revolve around being a "Rae of sunshine" for youth, the rising stars of the tomorrow. I am truly grateful for this opportunity to invest my time, knowledge, and resources in my new amazing mentee from Berklee College of Music, the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Thank you to my parents and all of my dear mentors for pouring so much love and wisdom into me that I will continue to pass on to the next generation. Thank you to GRAMMY U Director Jessie Marie Allen, the Grammy U National Team, and the entire Recording Academy for granting me with this beautiful honor. I believe the more souls we touch the brighter our world will be."