Winner of “ChooseATL Tracklanta” Music Competition Performed at Atlanta House
Commission Staffers Attended Informative Sessions Around Film, Music and Digital Gaming, Bringing Valuable Insights Back to DeKalb
The DeKalb Entertainment Commission (DEC) last week brought R&B singer Cydnei Chyan, the winner of the 2018 “ChooseATL Tracklanta” competition, to the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, TX, to perform at the ChooseATL house. It was a highlight in a week of networking, brand building and education for the Commission.
DEC staffers at SXSW were focused on education, attending a wide range of sessions covering film, music and digital gaming. The event also allowed for networking with influential players in the entertainment industry, such as top players in animation, film production, music production and management, and municipal economic development.
“We were able to learn from top executives in the entertainment industry and we’re bringing very specific best practices and ideas back to DeKalb,” said Shelbia Jackson, director of the DeKalb Entertainment Commission. “Our team also had the opportunity to network with representatives from countries and cities from the U.S. and around the world. There are so many potential partnerships for us to explore and we’ll be implementing many new ideas over the next year.”
More About the Tracklanta Winner
In addition to her SXSW performance, Chyan received rehearsal time at Atlanta’s Stage Audio Production in preparation for SXSW, and still has a recording session scheduled with Atlanta-based music/audio engineer Bill Zimmerman at Callanwolde’s new recording and mixing studio at the Rick Baker School of Music and Music Recording. Zimmerman works as a freelance engineer and assistant to Phil Tan, where he has assisted on recent projects for Fifth Harmony, Coldplay, Zara Larsson among others.
Listen to Chyan’s Tracklanta musical entry, “Blu,” here.
“It is thrilling to have been chosen for Tracklanta. I have been wanting to perform on the SXSW stage for years so this was literally a dream come true for me,” said Chyan. “My music comes from the heart and it’s really the way I express myself — for that to be recognized by ChooseATL, the Dekalb Entertainment Commission and Kawan ‘KP’ Prather is tremendous. Music is real life for me, so I was excited to help represent Atlanta and share my music and thoughts with the world.”
Chyan was selected through a review process led by record executive, songwriter and record producer Kawan “KP” Prather and his team. Prather, who is currently Head of Music at i am OTHER (Pharrell Williams’ record label), will also provide an A&R evaluation of the her performance.
Upon hearing Chyan’s music application, Prather said, “… when I heard her song, I forgot for a moment that I was reviewing for a contest.”
Prather was a member of the first generation Dungeon Family rap group, Parental Advisory (PA), before starting his executive career at Antonio “L.A.” Reid’s LaFace Records — Prather later started his own label, Ghet-O-Vision, before joining the team at Island Def Jam. Throughout his career, Prather has worked with the likes of TLC, OutKast, Usher, Goodie Mob, John Legend, Pink, Toni Braxton, YoungBloodZ, T.I., Khalil and more.
About Cydnei Chyan
23-year-old Cydnei Chyan is a singer/songwriter born in Indianapolis, Indiana and raised in Atlanta. She has made a point to fuse the walks of life and experiences from both places in her music. Chyan’s melodic stories and soulful tone has formed into her own sound, and her soulful tone will grab you from the beginning and carry you to the end. Hip hop has been a big influence on her, and she has always loved and admired how honest Rappers reflect themselves in music. As a result, she strives to achieve the same. Chyan’s most recent release, “The BluEP” is a deeper portrayal into her life. (more)
The Prizes
Cydnei Chyan was selected by Prather and his team. As the winner, she:
- Received advance rehearsal time at Stage Audio Production for the SXSW performance
- Performed at the ChooseATL House during SXSW
- Will receive one recording session with Bill Zimmerman at Callanwolde’s new Recording and Mixing Studio at the Rick Baker School of Music and Music Recording
Listen to Cydnei Chyan on Soundcloud or iTunes
Watch Cydnei Chyan on YouTube
About the DeKalb Entertainment Commission
The DeKalb Entertainment Commission offers businesses in Georgia’s fast-growing entertainment industry access to a collaborative, supportive infrastructure which stimulates the growth and success of creative ventures in film, television, music and digital entertainment.
The Commission is the primary driving force attracting and expanding businesses supporting the film, television, music and digital entertainment industry in DeKalb County. To help DeKalb businesses thrive, it is building a supportive, collaborative infrastructure.
DeKalb County is home to 13 cities and 20 unincorporated communities the Commission works with to advance, strengthen and support their participation in the entertainment industry.
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