Young Creators Project



Young Creators Project

KCRW's Young Creators Project is back, and 2024 is all about music. We’re looking for submissions from young musicians (under 21) in the greater LA area. We will choose five artists to spotlight across all of our channels. Show us what you've got! 

Want to get more involved beyond just submitting a track? Tune in to KCRW’s TikTok Live every Tuesday afternoon for an Ask Me Anything (AMA) with KCRW DJs and local LA-based artists. Come to find out how to get your music on the map.


Check out our 2024 featured creators!

Yorba Linda’s Kaiden Surti is a 13-year-old violinist, tabla percussionist, and composer uniting his Indian and American roots through song.

San Fernando Valley band The Lemonfrogs have the balm for your next broken heart. It’s their dreamy indie-pop waltz, “Naive.”

Laurel Canyon indie folk band Great Big Cow carry forth the storied sonic traditions of their neighborhood.

19-year-old jazz pianist, drummer, and composer Veritus Miller is destined to join the ranks of LA’s boundary-pushing jazz scene.

LA alt-rock quartet Slideshow are here with your new favorite teen angst kiss-off anthem, "By The Way."


Young Creators Project Events 2024

MUSIC SUBMISSIONS

Have original music you want to get out into the world? Send us a video of your best song! All genres of music are welcome. Have fun with your video, it doesn’t have to be professional quality — but one that includes you performing is a great way to give us a vibe check of your style and vision.

Hot tip: Audio quality is key (‘cause, hey, we’re a radio station!).

Submissions Open | Thursday, February 1st at 12:00 AM PDT

Submissions Close | Thursday, February 29th at 11:59 PM PDT


Submissions are Closed



Selected Young Creators will be featured on the following channels once submissions close:

  • On KCRW’s socials
  • On KCRW.com
  • In KCRW newsletters
  • On-air on KCRW 89.9 FM

Selected Young Creators will receive: 

  • $500 honorarium for your submission to be featured on KCRW
  • Invitation to perform live to KCRW’s Young Creators Showcase at School Night on April 8th
  • Invitation to KCRW HQ for an in-person interview with a KCRW DJ, to air alongside your featured track
  • Apogee MiC+

Every young creator who submits will automatically receive a year of KCRW membership with all the perks!*



Check out our 2023 featured creators!

‘90s-alt-inflected Eagle Rock trio Forsythia rock us into the abyss… and we like it here.

17-year-old singer and ukulele player Ceres unleashes sharply constructed celestial metaphors into the face of an uncertain future.

17-year-old multi-instrumentalist Brayden Nguyen shares his artist origin story alongside his deeply funky single, “Take Me Away.”

19-year-old songstress Raine spills sweet mundanities to the cosmos in “Never Tell,” and shares about writing through grief and pursuing music full time.

LA indie-jazz quartet The Treedome’s music sounds like a random (but seriously awesome) 7” bin score at your favorite record shop.

Mariana Ramos started reporting in high school. Now at Fullerton College, she’s covering the tough but necessary stories.

Adrian Casillas and Diego Hernandez profile Gang Reduction Youth Development (GRYD) in their submission for KCRW’s Young Creators Project.

Mid City based artist Ella Rose Saulnier is a part of KCRW’s Young Creators Project visual arts showcase. She talks about her piece “Reaching Out.”

Eagle Rock-based photographer Sophie Weil is part of KCRW’s Young Creators Project visual arts showcase. She talks about her experimental photography.

In “Chica del Barrio,” photographer Jade Carrera Johely captures the beauty of her East Hollywood community that’s rapidly gentrifying.

Roc Collins started painting three years ago, when he sold hand-designed tiles at a local barbershop. He talks about his piece “Green Acres.”

KCRW showcases young visual artist Sterling Molldrem. The 17-year-old muralist talks about his painting “BALI.”

Check out our 2022 featured creators!


Expect shades of Bikini Kill and the Runaways along with face-melting drums and hook-laden lyrics that bring girls to the front of the mosh pit, and keep them there.

Sophmores Josue Monterroso, Jose Lopez, and Solomont Lytle-Hernandez, otherwise known as JSJ Photo Collective, meet up after school to take photographs of their community in Koreatown.

Salome Agbaroji, a high school student in Artesia, loves the adrenaline of performing spoken word poetry. Her writing speaks to the beauty and disparities in her hometown of LA.

Jacqueline Chow loves bugs. Her poetry speaks to the true beauty of nature.

Leimert Park’s Ras has been honing his hip-hop craft since 2015, evolving his surrealist production, effortless flow, and studied visual palette to create undeniable outputs.

Redondo Beach high schooler Ceci Apitz is out to critique the American food system.

Arianna Louie’s self portrait for Young Creator’s Project is oil painting collaged with photographs of her as a toddler.

Minnie Lerner’s sculpture for Young Creator’s Project is made with a vintage corset that has been ripped and embroidered.

Kaia King-Hall’s drawing for Young Creators Project pictures a powerful nude figure lunging forward into a cityscape.

Armed with a cello and rich R&B rhythms, the college quartet’s penchant for shifting seamlessly between English and Spanish proves to be just one of the group's many selling points.

The high school senior has only performed at talent shows, but can already name Graham Coxon among her collaborators. She joins us to discuss her passion for composing, creating space for underrepresented artists, and more.

Studio City’s Magnus Ferrell calls on his jazz piano background to inform his alternative R&B and “ballad/romantic type music.”

Middle school student Nathan Horowitz takes inspiration from The Beatles, Marc Rebillet, and Bill Wurtz among others to create his own music under the moniker Ruler of Program.

Poetry teacher and performer Aiyana Sha’niel is the youngest graduate of the Community Literature Initiative program.

Gillian Chamberlin’s haunting and beautiful poems will make readers long and ache. She says that writing poetry allows her to make her thoughts more digestible.

August MacDonald finds peace in writing poems. She writes about brains and bodies and how humans are changing chameleons.


Guidelines

  1. All submissions must be entered by music artists who are under the age of 21 and based in the greater Los Angeles area. 
  2. If you're submitting a song as a band, the majority of artists must be under the age of 21.
  3. Only one submission per artist. 
  4. KCRW will need a sign-off from a parent or guardian to spotlight any selected artists under 18 years old.

FAQ


Who’s reviewing the submissions and deciding which artists will be selected?

KCRW’s music team will be reviewing all the submissions and handpicking a few artists to spotlight across our channels.

What does it mean for my work to be featured by KCRW?

Selected creators will be featured on KCRW’s socials, newsletters, website, on-air, and at the Young Creators Showcase.

Who is allowed to participate?

You must be under 21 and based in the greater Los Angeles area (including Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, and Orange counties).

Does my video submission have to be a live performance or can I use pre-recorded audio?

Whatever works best for you, friend! But “air-quality” audio will go further on our channels.

What happens if my video is over five minutes?

Your song will not be considered for selection by KCRW.

Am I allowed to use obscenities in my piece?

Yes, but if you are selected for an artist spotlight, KCRW will censor your song on air per FCC guidelines. 

How will I know if I’m selected? When will selected artists be notified? 

KCRW will choose which artists to spotlight within two weeks of submissions closing. KCRW will reach out to you directly if you are selected. 

Who can I contact with questions that aren’t included in the FAQ?

Please reach out to events@kcrw.org for any further questions.





Support for the Young Creators Project is brought to you by the Snap Foundation


*Please note: Only first-time members are eligible for a complimentary KCRW membership.