Five weeks before three female artists took the stage at the Moroccan Lounge, “FOR THE GIRLS” was little more than a class assignment and a collection of ambitious ideas.

PINK NOISE PRODUCTIONS appeared on social media Sept. 8. They needed performers, ticket sales and a nonprofit partner. Above all, they needed to transform their pieces into a cohesive concert before their deadline found them unprepared.

On Tuesday, Rey Solei, Selma Eriksen and headliner ALYSSAD performed for an all-ages crowd at the Moroccan Lounge. Between the alternative-rock sets and calls for  the empowerment of women, every ticket purchased earned money for Altadena Girls, an organization serving teenage girls affected by the Eaton fires.

For the USC students behind PINK NOISE PRODUCTIONS, the evening marked their first time producing a concert together. What began as a requirement for their “Live Music Production and Promotion” course became an opportunity to connect emerging artists, young listeners and a recovering community.

Andrew Han, a senior majoring in music industry who is from the Pasadena area, suggested Altadena Girls while the group considered organizations to support.

“[Altadena Girls was] one of the [organizations] that actually reached back out and said they were interested in working with us,” Han said. “We chose very early on to do an all-female lineup, so the fact that Altadena Girls is a charity that supports teenage girls was perfect for a collaboration.”

The course requires students to organize a show open to the public that benefits a charity. As a result, Han and fellow seniors majoring in music industry Samantha Navarro, Sam Reyes, Vianey Gutierrez and junior Mila Northrup joined together to form PINK NOISE PRODUCTIONS.

Although it was the group’s first time producing a concert together, PINK NOISE itself was not entirely new. 

Navarro founded PINK NOISE Magazine in 2023 while studying journalism at Long Beach City College. She began the publication as a way to enter the music industry, interviewing emerging artists and developing a network the group later drew from while planning the benefit.

The team initially envisioned a pop concert, but the lineup gradually shifted toward the alternative-pop and alternative-rock music Navarro personally enjoys.

ALYSSAD caught the group’s attention after commenting on an early PINK NOISE PRODUCTIONS social media post. Navarro, already familiar with ALYSSAD’s music and live performances, reached out and secured her as the headliner.

Eriksen, a freshman majoring in popular music performance, joined as an opener. In collaboration with the social media-based music platformcurator “Off the Record with Isaiah,” the organizers found Solei through an online search for a local artist to complete the bill.

They later learned she was a USC alum who had majored in music industry.

“We knew that we didn’t want to do an all-USC-student lineup,” Navarro said. “We love all the USC kids, but it’s also nice to branch out and have other people meet other artists from the [Los Angeles] scene.”

Though the performers entered the project through different corners of South Central’s music community, all of their sets shared an emphasis on women’s experiences and empowerment. Between performances, the artists and a representative from Altadena Girls spoke about the show’s purpose.

“Altadena Girls [is] an after-school program that gives back to the girls who were affected by the Eaton fires,” said Sharlize True Trujillo, a representative from the nonprofit, at the (begining? ) of the benefit. “It gives them a space that is not a school, not a home — a place that they can feel safe [in]. … [Altadena Girls is] changing the way young girls see themselves [now] and going into the future for the rest of their lives.”

The partnership also put thought into who could attend: The organizers originally expected the show to be restricted to attendees 18 and older, but that changed when they learned Altadena Girls primarily works with girls between 13 and 17 years old.

“We immediately were like, ‘We have to make the show for all ages,’” Han said.

For Navarro, the performances also gave genre newcomers a chance to experience an alternative-music community that can appear intimidating from the outside.

“The community is more welcoming than you would think,” Navarro said. “The fans are a lot of fun and easy to talk to.”

Behind the scenes of the performances, the organizers raced to secure the venue, artists, charity partnership and ticketing arrangements within four weeks.

Reyes found the Moroccan Lounge through an unexpected connection while attending her cousin’s bachelorette party in Las Vegas. After meeting a booking agent and telling him about the developing show, she was introduced to the venue’s management. 

Once the venue was secured, the organizers divided responsibilities according to their strengths: Reyes handled the venue while Navarro and Northrup worked with artists. Han and Gutierrez coordinated with Altadena Girls.

The group’s limited promotional window prompted the organizers to produce a steady stream of videos and collaborative social media posts. Their outreach spread beyond their immediate circles, paving the way for the larger community to come together.

With the first PINK NOISE PRODUCTIONS concert behind her, Navarro said she is considering how the project could continue outside the classroom. She hopes to organize another show featuring artists previously interviewed by PINK NOISE Magazine, bringing the publication’s digital platform to a live venue.

Future productions could continue supporting a charity while creating room in the budget to compensate its performers, Navarro said. Each artist on Tuesday’s lineup donated their time so the ticket revenue could go to Altadena Girls.

For its first show, PINK NOISE PRODUCTIONS brought together three artists, a student team and a local nonprofit under one roof. The concert fulfilled a class requirement, but it also offered a glimpse of what PINK NOISE PRODUCTIONS could become: a bridge between emerging musicians and the communities listening to them. 

Disclaimer: [name of staffer] formerly served as an Arts & Entertainment Staff Writer at the Daily Trojan in Fall 2025. Andrew Han is no longer affiliated with this paper.