Grammy U and Alex Warren inspire students at Fall Summit

On Sunday, Nov. 8, the Grammys came to Music City.

Grammy U’s fourth annual fall summit brought music majors and young professionals from across the country to downtown Nashville’s The Pinnacle. The organization aims to support the music industry’s next generation through networking and educational opportunities.

The summit began on Saturday, Nov. 7, with a showcase event featuring live music from headliner MŌRIAH. Other performers included Kelsey Blackstone, Davi Vandelay and Laken Campo. The main event, however, was Sunday’s keynote conversation with Grammy-nominated Alex Warren and 9-time Grammy Award winner Sheryl Crow.

Warren and Crow explored social media and vulnerability during a keynote conversation titled “Beyond the Screen.” For Warren, a young artist who got his start on online platforms, the discussion spoke to the broader trajectory of his career.

“I’ve built this off of being authentic and telling my story,” said Warren. Unlike Crow and other classic acts, Warren didn’t have to adjust to the social media landscape. He found his voice through it.

Throughout the conversation, Warren asserted that the internet is empowering young artists, like those in the crowd. “For the first time in this industry’s entirety, anyone has access,” said Warren. “No matter who you are, what you look like and what you do, you have access to all of it.”

This accessibility is what made Warren’s career possible. Warren’s story doesn’t start in music rooms or on shows like Star Search or American Idol.

Instead, Warren is a self-taught musician who wasn’t raised in a creative household. “I didn’t have anyone to teach me,” said Warren.

Through the internet, Warren was able to learn guitar and begin sharing his music with the world. This music was inspired by his life story. “Everyone in this room right now has their own stories as to why they create,” said Warren. For him, it’s his father.

Warren’s dad passed away when he was 9. This, along with his mother’s passing in 2021, taught Warren the value of vulnerability in music. “You can turn something that you had no ability to change, and you can do something with it. You can make it beautiful,” he said. “90% of the time when I write a song, it’s something going on in my life.”

In 2025, Warren released “Ordinary.” The song went on to become the year’s fourth best-selling song globally and secured him a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.

Much of Warren’s success stems from his consistent and honest online presence. Social media allows Warren to leverage this same authenticity in his marketing. He creates his own posts, hoping to reflect that he, too, is just a person.

“Everyone goes through real life s—, and a lot of times that doesn’t fit the brand,” said Warren. Regardless, Warren shares these honest moments with his audience. “What is authentic about what I do is the fact that it’s me.”

For the young professionals listening, Warren had a simple message: be bold. “At the end of the day, you just putting yourself out there is a huge step,” he said, encouraging the audience to begin posting and performing.

Following Warren, the summit featured a deep dive into the logistics of the Grammys with senior president of communications Andie Cox Gibson. Gibson explained how the organization prepares for the red carpet and how it’s set up.

For attendees, the summit offered a unique opportunity to learn from the industry’s top minds, such as Warren and Cox, and to network with one another.

Amara Frazier, a junior music performance major with a piano concentration at Fisk University, came to the event blind. “I wasn’t even familiar with Grammy U as a program,” said Frazier. “I knew it was gonna be good, but I didn’t know what to expect.”

She had been invited through her internship at Musician’s Corner. Penny Vargas, a senior audio production major from Middle Tennessee State University, came from the same internship.

“The recording academy is just huge in the music industry,” said Vargas. “I’m excited to see what they have.”

For both Vargas and Frazier, the networking opportunities were the highlight of the event.

“That’s what the music industry is. It’s not what you know, but who you know. That’s how you get in,” said Vargas. “They hire you because someone knew someone who needed someone and someone dropped out last minute and like, ‘Hey, I met Penny at this Grammy U concert.’”

The event put the two students in a room with like-minded individuals.

“My takeaway is that I made the right decision being a musician,” said Frazier. “Being in spaces like Grammy U really fits me… It reinforces who I am.”

The summit ended with a networking mixer and a reminder that nominations for the 2027 Grammys will be announced on Monday, Nov. 16. Tune in to the Grammy website as early as 6:45 a.m. CST to see the nominees.

Feature image shot by Chrissy Julien