In honor of Grammy Week, the Recording Academy hosted a full-day event at Grammy House on Friday for members of Grammy U — the Academy’s initiative to immerse young creatives into the music industry through programming and networking opportunities, according to its membership page.

The day began with a masterclass with English rock artist YUNGBLUD at noon, followed by the first-ever Grammy U Soundstage festival, featuring 14 artists on three stages.

Neon lights welcomed attendees as they entered the venue. The entrance was lined with vendors and sponsors, leading to a purple carpet photo backdrop. The event opened with beats mixed by DJ The Expelled at the LVL20 Stage.

Grammy U member, Lindsay Liebro, kicked off performances at the Indigo Stage at 6:45 p.m. Playing a solo, acoustic set, her voice filled the building and the entrance area. Her set included popular originals such as “Boardwalk,” “Pretty Boy” and her most-streamed song “Wasted Potential.”

Los Wizzards took over the Main Stage at 7 p.m., instantly raising the crowd’s energy. Dressed in coordinated purple and black outfits, the group delivered an electrifying, high-energy set. The dozen-member ensemble, featuring three lead vocalists, three backing singers, drums, synth, trumpet and guitar, moved seamlessly between songs in Spanish and English, blending originals with crowd-pleasing covers.

Choreographed movements and tight musicianship drove the performance, while frequent call-and-response moments kept the audience fully engaged. Midway through the performance, the band brought out Grammy U member Isairis as a special guest.

Attendees filtered back to the main stage for Hailey Knox at 8 p.m., whose set showcased her signature live looping and airy falsetto riffs. Layered drums, guitar and bass built a rich, rhythmic sound that rippled through the crowd, prompting head bobs and gentle swaying in time with the music.

Ana Fukuhara, a junior majoring in music industry, helped with various Grammy House events, beyond those directly associated with Grammy U. She said seeing many of her friends in the space was a highlight of her evening.

“I’ve spent all week working with production teams, and I think it’s been really fun to see how alive it can become when fun people are in it,” said Fukuhara, currently a Recording Academy temporary assistant for the Grammy season under the diversity, equity and inclusion department. .

Sofia Gomez, a junior majoring in popular music performance, took the Indigo Stage at 8:30 p.m. Gomez, a Grammy U member, was joined by her band, three juniors also majoring in popular music performance at USC: Trey Miles, Nolan Heilman and Bailey Thomas.

Wallis “WALLIS” Schriver, a junior majoring in popular music performance, attended with fellow popular music friends and collaborators, including junior popular music majors Asher Belsky and Sophia Condon.

“It’s been really fun talking to everybody, and I just can’t wait to see Sofia Gomez,” WALLIS said.

The performance showcased Gomez’s singer-songwriter pop sensibility, marked by raw emotion and melodic clarity. Gomez opened her set with “All Yours,” an original track slated for release Feb. 13. Her emotional, yearning vocals filled the room as friends in the audience sang the lyrics back to her, creating an intimate and communal atmosphere.

Gomez followed with another original, “Funny Feelings,” before transitioning into a cover of “Frisky” by Dominic Fike. Together, the songs highlighted her vocal range, stylistic versatility and confident guitar work.

She closed her set with another original, “159 Days,” telling the crowd she first released the song in 2023 during her freshman year and hadn’t performed it in around a year. After hearing from fans that the track remained a favorite, she decided to bring it back for the night, reworking it with a more folk-leaning feel.

At 9 p.m., Durand Bernarr stormed the Main Stage, entering with bold, kinetic energy, dancing to center stage as a dramatic guitar line cut through the venue.

The evening wrapped up with headliners Zoe Ko taking the Indigo Stage at 9:30 p.m. and Ari Lennox performing at the main stage at 10 p.m.. The DJ sets continued at the LVL20 Stage with DJ Effy, DJ Aspen and n8vboy, before the festival ended at 10 p.m.

Dairius Grantling, a junior at Grand Canyon University, Grammy U mentee and songwriter from Arizona, came to Los Angeles to gain inspiration and to meet music industry professionals.

“There are a lot more people who don’t do music and [are] more on the business side,” Grantling said. “I’ve been meeting a lot more people who want to be [artists & repertoire representatives] and publicists, which I think is really cool because … when they come to these events, you just see how broad the Grammy program actually is and what they do for music.”