Aloft Hotels and Universal Music Group Announce ‘Project: Aloft Star’ Americas Finalists

REYNA

Bethesda, MD – October 1, 2018 – Aloft Hotels, in partnership with Universal Music Group & Brands (UMGB), the brand strategy division of Universal Music Group (UMG), today announces the three finalists of the Americas chapter of the global Project: Aloft Star artist discovery competition. The competition from Marriott International’s hotel brand for music lovers and music makers and the accompanying Project: Aloft Star Tour, a five-city international tour of UMG’s emerging artists, is part of Marriott International’s global partnership with UMG, the world leader in music-based entertainment, which has evolved to include a focus on emerging talent.

After receiving a record number of entries, the finalists in this year’s competition include solo artist Camden, indie pop band The Eiffels and sister duo guitar act REYNA, who will now receive individual mentoring sessions from X Ambassadors, this year’s Project: Aloft Star mentors.  The contestants will then perform in front of a panel of industry judges at the Project: Aloft Star Tour finale event at Aloft Austin Downtown on November 1 to compete for the coveted prize which includes:

• An opportunity to record a single at the legendary Capitol Studios in Hollywood
• Mentoring from UMG’s executives which will include help selecting a song to record
• 500,000 Rewards points redeemable for Marriott International hotel stays and other experiences

A winner will be chosen from a combination of public votes and the panel of judges’ scores, which includes representatives from UMG, Aloft Hotels and live music discovery platform Bandsintown. From today through October 22, music fans are encouraged to vote for their favorite artist at alofthotels.com.

Project Aloft Star Finalists:

Camden-

Camden is an American piano player, singer, and songwriter within the electronic pop/soul genre. His most recent release, ‘Friend’ combines moody electronic pop vibes with syncopated dance rhythms. Camden, having grown up heavily influenced by jazz and soul, is currently working on new music that combines those genres with ambient electronic sounds. Camden is also noted for his innate songwriting ability which has put him in rooms with international pop artists and DJ’s alike. His original single ‘Grow Old With Me – Stripped Version’ keeps climbing after exceeding 235,000 streams on Spotify.

The Eiffels-

After their spot on the Vans Warped Tour, and seeing their music featured in television shows (MTV’s Are You The One?, The Only Way is Essex), and video games (Rock Band 4), The Eiffels return with the same diabolically catchy hooks and an even bigger sound.

The week of its release, their debut EP was hailed by Baeble Music as an ‘opening salvo that any band would dream of’ and was the 15th most added record on U.S. college radio. They’ve since seen spins from major radio stations like Los Angeles’ KROQ and KLOS, and San Diego’s 91X and Z90.

REYNA-

Milwaukee-by-way-of-Texas sister-duo REYNA comprised of Vic Banuelos and Gaby Banuelos first appeared with their shimmering 80s inspired pop debut single ‘Spill Your Colors’, attracting over 20K streams in its first day. Since then REYNA has released a series of singles which have so far garnered over 3 million combined streams on Spotify to date. It wasn’t long before they were opening for the likes of CHVRCHES, Death Cab for Cutie, KESHA, Coast Modern and The Naked and Famous. Featured on Billboard’s 12 LGBTQ Artist to Discover During LGBTQ Pride Month and Beats 1/Apple Music Chart Show sparkling declaration that REYNA has arrived.

“This diverse group of finalists is the reason we developed Project: Aloft Star – to give all types of vibrant, emerging talent the platform to be recognized,” said Toni Stoeckl, Global Brand Leader, Aloft Hotels, and Vice President, Distinctive Select Brands for Marriott International. “Being able to support music makers in a way that could change the trajectory of their life is what makes this year’s Project: Aloft Star program truly special.”

“We’re proud to partner with Aloft Hotels on this endeavor to discover fresh new musical acts while giving our existing emerging artists the opportunity to reach new fans across the country through the Project: Aloft Star Tour. We look forward to having the opportunity to work with the Project: Aloft Star winner” said Mike Tunnicliffe, EVP Business Development & Brand Partnerships, UMG.

As a truly global hotel brand, concurrent Project: Aloft Star competitions are running in Europe, the Middle East & Africa and Asia Pacific.

Aloft Hotels has been an incubator for emerging musical talent for a decade. Aloft Hotels are in thriving music destinations, welcoming touring musicians with special discounted artist rates, the opportunity to use the W XYZ® bar as a performance space for free, and a musicians’ guide featuring everything from where to dine late-night after a gig, the best nearby affordable recording studio, where to purchase guitar strings, and more to hit the right note for each stay.

Project: Aloft Star Tour

To inspire emerging talent to enter this year’s competition, Aloft Hotels has been taking some of UMG’s hottest breakthrough artists on the road, hitting some of the great music cities to host intimate music performances in the brand’s signature W XYZ® bars. The free performances kicked off with Years & Years in Philadelphia on June 23, and continued in four other locations, including Tank & the Bangas in New Orleans on August 9, Bea Miller in Asheville on August 21, Stanaj and Fátima Pinto in Costa Rica on September 14 and BANNΞRS in Denver on October 17. At each tour stop, fans are able to collect an exclusive custom memento poster featuring art created by New York designer and illustrator Sophia Chang.

UMG and Marriott International Partnership

Since UMG and Marriott International first started working together in 2015, the global partnership has grown to encompass Marriott’s expanded portfolio and has come to life through concerts showcasing UMG’s premiere talent at Marriott properties across the globe, most recently at an emerging female-led artist showcase at Aloft Austin Downtown during the 2018 South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals.

For further details on the Project: Aloft Star competition and tour, please visit www.alofthotels.com.

About Aloft Hotels

With over 150 hotels now open in over 20 countries and territories around the world, Aloft Hotels, part of Marriott International, Inc., delivers a fresh approach to the traditional staid hotel landscape. For the ‘always on’ next generation of traveler, the Aloft brand offers a tech-forward, vibrant experience and a modern style that is different by design. For more information, please visit www.alofthotels.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Aloft is proud to participate in the company’s award-winning loyalty programs – Marriott Rewards®, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®, and Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG). The programs, operating under one set of unparalleled benefits, enable members to earn points toward free hotel stays, achieve Elite status faster than ever, and seamlessly book or redeem points for stays throughout our loyalty portfolio of 29 brands and more than 6,700 participating hotels in 130 countries & territories. To enroll for free or for more information about the programs, visit members.marriott.com.

About Marriott International, Inc.
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and encompasses a portfolio of more than 6,700 properties in 30 leading hotel brands spanning 130 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts all around the world. The company also operates award-winning loyalty programs: Marriott Rewards®, which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®, and Starwood Preferred Guest®. For more information, please visit our website at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com. In addition, connect with us on Facebook and @MarriottIntl on Twitter and Instagram.

About Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group (UMG) is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content in more than 60 countries. Featuring the most comprehensive catalog of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans. Universal Music Group is a Vivendi company. Find out more at: http://www.universalmusic.com.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

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