Lana’s new song, Fake, is loaded on the system to play out after the interview.
After having spent years working on a number of successful musical endeavours, including performing on the current season of Music Roulette on SABC 2, South African music sensation, Lana Crowster, needs your help to make her latest venture a reality.
The singer and songwriter, who hails from Belhar in the Western Cape, is one of South Africa’s most sought-after performers.
From international performances and recordings, featuring in the first season of The Voice South Africa as well as winning the top prize of performing at The 2016 Cape Town International Jazz Festival in the ESP Afrika Young Legends Competition, Lana’s versatility as an artist is as consistent as it is enthralling.
With an already stellar career spanning 20 years, and which includes sharing stages with local and international artists such as Josh Groban, George Benson, Karen Zoid, Toya Delazy, Arno Carstens, Zaki Ibrahim to name a few, this vocal powerhouse has already proven that her creative skills extend far beyond the stage. Now, Lana hopes to help give back to the music community by pursuing a Masters in Music Business at New York University.
The Big Apple awaits:
In September 2021, Lana will attend New York University to pursue her Masters in Music Business degree. Due to the fact that NYU doesn’t offer scholarships for foreign students and because of her age, she is ineligible to apply for a number of external scholarships, hence Lana is pursuing a Crowdfunding campaign to help realise her life-long dream of studying at NYU.
“I was supposed to start school in September 2019 but due to lack of funding and sponsorship, I was unable to attend. Fortunately, the Board of Admissions at New York University was granting a deferral which means they kept my spot for September 2020. Then COVID-19 hit and we all know how that went/is going. Regardless, I am extremely determined to start studying in 2021 and Back A Buddy will be a great way to collect as much funding as possible for this cause.” she says. “We are in the final stretch of fundraising and I hope my community can support and get me over the goal line in time to start my studies next month.”
Having worked in the music industry for the past 20 years and the music education industry for 10 years, Lana has realised, through research, workshops, and discussions, that South African young creatives “do not have a clear understanding of the business of music, their rights as artists as well as standard business practices”.
“All these things combined are what makes a successful and financially viable career path in the arts, but unfortunately, South African schools and tertiary institutions do not place importance on this, therefore I am pursuing this Master’s Degree.”
The funds raised will be used to cover tuition for the two-year degree. For Lana, the experience of studying at NYU will afford her the ability to fulfil another passion of hers – giving back to up- and-coming musicians on the local scene.
“I hope to learn foreign business practices within the scope of the creative industry and find a way to merge it with what I’ve learned in my years as a professional musician. It is my aim to share this information with young creatives, especially young women, so that they can make their way through the industry without making too many mistakes. I’d like to give young artists the resources to create longevity within their careers in the music industry.”
Crowdfunding: Link for Lana Crowster: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/lana-crowster
For more information about this singing sensation, visit her website: www.lanacrowster.com
