Music mogul Heather Lowery shares her journey to media entrepreneurship with the Bass Fellows
by Taylor Marie Contarino
“When I started Femme It Forward, it felt like everything I had done up until then was Femme It Forward.”
Entertainment executive Heather Lowery recalls a story about her mother having a dream of her sitting near a fireplace mantle, turning objects into gold when she touched them. At the moment, Lowery didn't quite understand what her mother was saying, but now it’s clear that everything Heather touches really does turn into gold.
Lowery receives a warm introduction at the start of the meeting. [Photo credit | Craig Stanley]
Heather Lowery has dedicated her career to empowering women in music and entertainment. She is a Partner at Live Nation Entertainment, as well as the founder, president, and chief executive officer of Femme It Forward: a multi-faceted music and entertainment venture with a mission to celebrate, educate and empower women.
Lowery is a strategist, creative visionary, and alchemist. Leading Femme It Forward, she’s responsible for overseeing and executing a variety of missions including MUSE, Next Gem Femme, the Give Her FlowHERS Gala, the My Sister’s Keeper Empowerment Summit, The High Tea Grammy event, the Big Femme Energy Volume 1 compilation album, and hundreds of concerts, festivals, and tours. Heather has been a trailblazer and pioneer within the music industry, and is responsible for notable event programming across the industry.
At her core, Heather Lowery is an advocate for women in music, and her philanthropy creates limitless opportunities for artists, executives, creatives, and more. She grew up in New Castle, DE, where she always knew there was something special about her. Writing a thesis in high school on the relationship between hip-hop music and misogyny with Questlove as a primary interviewee, her peers had always envisioned that she would go on to work in the entertainment industry. Many thought she would be on-screen, but that was never her intention.
“I wanted to be somebody. I knew I wanted to be a boss,” Lowery told the Bass Fellows.
Lowery shares the story of her career journey with enthusiasm. [Photo credit | Craig Stanley]
Originally, Lowery had thought she had wanted to be an entertainment attorney. She held several internships, interning in the Legal Department at LaFace Records, FOX television stations, and with attorneys. At the end of her collegiate career at Spelman, Lowery was unsure of her future, and eventually decided against law school.
After returning to Delaware from Atlanta, she was unsure of her exact whereabouts and considered becoming a teacher. Leveraging her connections to The Roots and Questlove, Lowery got introduced to Larry Gold, and she asked him for a job, telling him that she would be open to anything — answering the phones, organizing the studios, etc.
“I just needed my foot in the door,” explained Lowery. She became a receptionist for him and his studio, and eventually the part-time job turned into a full-time job. Ultimately, she became the general manager of the studio.
Lowery encourages the soon-to-be graduates to enjoy their last days of college. [Photo credit | Craig Stanley]
After working in management, Lowrey began her company, “Agency For Artists,” in 2005 and also joined Live Nation as VP of Talent and Touring at Live Nation Urban. She did this for two years before starting Femme It Forward as a joint venture with Live Nation.
“Oh, this is why. It all makes sense,” explained Lowery, reflecting on her career. She added, “Every single experience” that Lowery had brought her to where she is now.
Lowery’s empowering philosophy follows her everywhere that she goes, allowing her to leave a lasting legacy in every single thing that she does for every campaign, event, activation, or program she embarks upon.
When it comes to Femme It Forward, Lowery has always been a passionate advocate of empowering and uplifting women in the music and entertainment industries. Her central mission is to get more women on stage together to cultivate community and to celebrate each other.
Lowery takes a parting photo with the Bass Lab. (L-R: Varidhi D’Cruz, Sasha Jackson, Olivia Kelleher, Heather Lowery, Allissa Richardson, Rafiq Taylor, Taylor Contarino, Sahil Thakkar and Jameela Hammond. [Photo credit | Craig Stanley]