Pepsi is once again showing up in the Motor City — this time, for the city’s vibrant local music scene with the help of artists like Aretha Franklin’s grandson Jonah and Queen Naija.
Part of the Full of Detroit Soul initiative – a multi-year platform and creative campaign that builds upon years of ongoing support of the local community – the brand is releasing new content to announce its music enrichment program aimed at investing in and empowering local creators.
“From Aretha Franklin’s hit 1990 commercial to years at the helm of the Super Bowl halftime show, Pepsi’s history in music runs deep,” said Jazmine Robinson, PepsiCo North Division Brand Marketing in a press release. “With the Full of Detroit Soul initiative, we saw the perfect opportunity to uplift even more local talent using our brand’s footprint in music. Each of these artists brings an energy and drive to their work that speaks to the unique voice of the city.”
Jonah Franklin told the Michigan Chronicle that it is a “huge honor” to be a part of a huge musical push in the city while collaborating with Pepsi.
“Anytime I’m able to shine a light on my grandmother’s legacy and what she did for the music industry, and shine a light on Detroit is a beautiful thing,” Jonah said.
Content featuring Jonah, launched this week paying homage to his late-grandmother and her reign over music with archived footage and his own rendition of her hit “Day Dreaming.” Tapping into the city’s everlasting connection to the Queen of Soul herself – who famously recorded one of Pepsi’s iconic 90’s jingles – the brand shares Jonah’s journey to inspire and pave the way for future musicians just as Aretha did.
“Pepsi is so closely tied to music, and I’m honored to help them launch this program in the city that is so special to my family,” said Jonah in a release. “It’s amazing to be able to honor my grandmother and use her strong presence to uplift future generations of local artists.”
The 26-year-old added in an interview with the Michigan Chronicle that him doing a rendition of that song, one of his favorite songs, helped kick off the program.
In continuation of its support of local talent, the brand launched the “Full Detroit Soul” music mentorship program. Passing the torch to Detroit’s next generation of musical excellence, nine local artists are guided through a three-part crash course in music which includes:
- Executive mentorship lessons from industry veterans including Brandra Ringo (Quality Control Music), Shawn Barron (Motown Records), and Carl Chery (Spotify/ Rap Caviar).
- Studio time at The Village Detroit working with Grammy and Billboard award-winning and nominated producers and songwriters including Timothy Bullock, Ashley Rose, Quentin Dennard, Elon “Jupyter” Brown, Earlly Mac and Anesha and Antea Birchett, to create new hit tracks.
- The launch of their single online at iam.fullofdetroitsoul.com where fans will vote for their favorite, with the winning artist opening for Queen Naija during a special Pepsi live stream music event on October 26. In addition, audio-brand JBL is gifting all participants with professional at-home equipment to help them continue to make music.
“As a Michigan-native, I appreciate how Pepsi is showing up for aspiring musicians here in Detroit and was so excited to partner with them given my own journey in the industry.” said Queen Naija. As a once up and coming artist myself, I understand the hustle it takes and am proud to be sharing the stage with one of these talented performers thanks to Pepsi.”
From now until October 12, consumers can listen and vote on iam.fullofdetroitsoul.com for the favorite local artist they want to see on the livestream stage with Queen Naija on October 26. Fans can vote for the winning performance from artists including Lvrboy, Syeed Ali, Tiny Jag, Nappi Devi, Supercoolwicked, Kulture, Jahz Watts, Shayne Shalome and Johdi.
Jonah said that he thinks there is a “special thing about Detroit” and its music scene.
“Like my family and grandmother (along with present artists today) we have deep roots in music — no matter the genre of music,” he said. “There is a lot of soul … with our music. … It’s a beautiful time to be alive.”
For more information on the campaign and Pepsi’s past initiatives in Detroit, visit FullofDetroitSoul.com.
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