GRAMMY U Rep Emma Hampton contributed to this story.

Student members and local influencers swarmed the Hilton Hotel in downtown Miami on April 22 to attend the annual National GRAMMY U Conference presented by Nike. The highly anticipated event is designed for aspiring music professionals and, in its sixth year, the GU Conference was the biggest yet.  

Attendees were given an immersive experience from the moment they walked through the doors, with tables stacked full of limited edition GRAMMY U merch, Nike swag bags, and themed snacks. Guests also stopped by GRAMMY U’s signature purple carpet and step-and-repeat, while Nike’s infinity room photo booth with wall-to-wall mirrors and notable shoe collections suspended in the air left every guest speechless.

GRAMMY U members also had access to a professional headshot studio — a handy tool for marketing yourself, according to the Building Your Personal Brand panel, which featured executives from Spotify, TikTok, Beats Communications and the Recording Academy. 

Yet the GRAMMY U Conference is more than just Instagrammable moments and swag. Attendees could attend a number of panels, including a songwriting discussion with GRAMMY/Latin GRAMMY-nominated artist Elena Rose and Latin GRAMMY-nominated artist GALE. The event's keynote session featured Latin GRAMMY-nominated artist Guaynaa, moderated by Emily Estefan. 

Guaynaa offered tips and tricks for making your mark on the music industry, detailing his personal background, and the meaning behind the name "Guaynaa." At the end of his keynote, the superstar even made time for every student in the audience who had questions for him and made an effort to give them each a moment of his undivided attention.

Read on for five main takeaways from Guaynaa’s keynote. 

Understand Your Platform And Your Audience

Guaynaa mentioned multiple times throughout his panel that it is incredibly important to "understand the work and behavior of each and every social media platform as a marketing strategy." 

Social media has become a vital tool for musicians, and not every marketing strategy is right for every platform available to you. Facebook may be where you post your more sentimental side with the older generation, whereas TikTok is geared towards your younger audience and fun, casual content. 

Know how each platform works and how each audience responds, then cater your marketing plans to accommodate the social climate of these platforms, Guaynaa suggested. 

It’s Not Always About You

When it comes to collaborating with other people in the industry — be it other artists or your own marketing team — you must be able to do what’s best for the music, even when it may go against your own opinions. 

Guaynaa referenced Capitulaciones, the album he recently released with his wife, Lele Pons, in which they both had different ideas on what tracks would make the best single. Guaynaa’s least favorite song was Pons’ pick, and the marketing team believed it to be the best representation of them as a duo. Guaynaa set aside his opinion and went with it. 

"Music is so wonderful because the songs you have the least faith in could be your biggest hits," he told conference attendees. "You have to release every song with faith in it and put energy into it like it’ll be your biggest hit. Every song you leave in the world is going to be your legacy."

At the end of the day, you have to have faith in your music and understand that you don’t always know what’s best.

Know Your Industry Well

Guaynaa advises artists to know the industry, front to back. Every part of the industry plays a critical role in bringing art to life — whether it be the producer, mastering engineer or label — and it’s important to know how to identify who is the best fit for your vision. One resource isn’t better than another, it all depends on context. 

"If you’re signed to Sony and I’m signed to Warner, it doesn’t mean it’ll be better for one of us then the other. It’s just about finding the best fit for your type of project," he said. "If you’re an indie band, you want an indie label to support you. If you want to make reggaeton music you need a reggaeton producer."

As an artist, it’s important to be intentional about who you bring onto a project in order to build a team that speaks to you and can work together to create the cohesive brand you want to put out.

Music Is A Vehicle That Must Be Maintained, So Get Your Hands Dirty 

The way Guaynaa sees it, music is a vehicle that requires three main parts needed in order to make music work: lyrics, composition and visuals. It’s important to maintain all aspects of the vehicle. 

Guaynaa emphasized visuals as key to an artist's success. If you only focus on the music and neglect the visuals, for example, you will not travel as far. If you leave the visuals completely up to a third party, you likely will end up with something that isn’t unique and uphold your artistic voice. 

The musician encouraged artists to get their hands dirty and make sure all the parts are working together in harmony to create your artistic vision. "This is why a lot of people look the same on social media. Most of us leave that aspect up to someone else," Guaynaa said. "It’s very important to make sure you present your visuals the way you want them to be, because that’s going to have a huge impact on where you are going to go and how people perceive you."

It’s A Privilege To Make Your Mark

Contrary to what many may think, your goal should not be to go viral on TikTok. While having your songs be on everyone’s "for you page," certainly doesn’t hinder the success of your music, it can’t be the driving force behind your writing. 

Guaynaa encouraged attendees to "do what’s in your heart or else you’ll ruin the concept." Your music is a reflection of you and what you believe in, and if you are too focused on being the next viral sensation, your music will fall short of that. 

After all, Guaynaa wholeheartedly believes that "it is a privilege to make your mark, even if it’s one person." Therefore, regardless of who hears it or how many views or streams it gets, only put your authentic self into your music. That is guaranteed to help you leave behind a valuable legacy and make your mark on both the industry and the world. 

Watch the 2023 GRAMMY U Conference on YouTube (and Twitch) to learn more from Guaynaa and to watch the other panels that brought the 2023 GRAMMY U Conference to life. 

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