Sephora has entered the music industry with its first-ever music collective designed to support up-and-coming artists.
Called Sephora Sounds, the LVMH-owned retailer’s latest project features more than 55 emerging artists, whose music will be used in its social media marketing across multiple platforms.
Sephora said the programme aims to provide an opportunity for underrepresented artists, with more than 70% of participating artists saying that they have never been given a paid brand opportunity before.
The artists include Aint Afraid, a twin sister duo who are said to use their music as a platform for advocacy for a variety of causes including health care, education, mental health and more.
Also featured is SuperKnova, aka Ellie Kim, a transgender Korean-American musician who creates ‘queer pop’ with themes of identity and being your authentic self.
Nigerian-American singer-songwriter Precious, meanwhile, began by posting acoustic covers of popular songs to YouTube and has gone on to collaborate with musicians including rapper Baby Tate and singer and Coming 2 America actor Rotimi.
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There will be further opportunities for artists to join as Sephora said it plans to expand the programme over time.
Participating artists have already had their music featured in Sephora’s TikTok videos, including Fenty Beauty’s Super Bowl promotion and the launch of Glossier at the retailer.
Sephora is not the first big beauty name to venture into supporting up-and-coming musicians.
Paco Rabanne’s artist grant programme, A Million Ways To Make It, provided UK musicians with £5,000 in funding as well as mentorship from music experts.
Music stars have also shown their support to beauty start-ups, with the likes of Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa investing in tanning brand Dolce Glow and hair care brand Dizziak respectively.