Sebastian Mikael attends Fan Fest - AT&T, Geico, Poetic Jeans, Sneaker Con, Tennis, Xbox, Health And Wellness, Nickelodeon, Opening Concert, Centric Centrified during the 2014 BET Experience At L.A. LIVE on June 28, 2014 in Los Angeles, California.
Jerod Harris/Getty Images for BET
Pepsi has debuted the two latest installments of their Pepsi Pulse Artist Spotlight program -- two original music videos for rising artists Sebastian Mikael andMayaeni. The installments, produced by Complex Media and debuted on Pepsi’s YouTube channel and at PepsiPulseArtistSpotlight.com, follow the August premiere of a Pepsi-sponsored U.S. edition of Nico & Vinz’s “Am I Wrong” music video.
The focus on collaborating with artists right at the beginning of their careers runs parallel to Pepsi’s dual focus on working with superstar acts like Beyonce, Blake Shelton and Usher. As Emma Quigley, Pepsi’s recently appointed North American head of music (the first), told Billboard last month, “We're really looking for new ways to collaborate with artists -- to see how we can be part of their growth trajectory.” Quigley adds of the collaborations with Mayaeni and Mikael, “Each video was a true collaboration between artist and brand to bring the vision to life.”
As part of the Pepsi Pulse premieres, Swedish-born singer-songwriter Mikael released his new video for “Made For Me,” an R&B duet with singer Teyana Taylor. The track is featured on Mikael’s debut album Speechless, released via Slip N Slide Records in June. Currently based in Brooklyn, the 26-year-old played an acoustic set for Pepsi executives earlier this year at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, which included “Made For Me.” After his performance, Mikael and the Pepsi team “started bouncing ideas off each other of what we could do,” he recalls, “ and it’s been crazy surreal ever since. I’m still a new artist, and it’s crazy that they would take a chance on me.”
Detroit-based singer-songwriter Mayaeni, who is prepping her upcoming debut full-length for release via Roc Nation, was similarly enthused to get a Pepsi push for her latest single “Black Jeans” and its accompanying music video, calling the collaboration a “rewarding experience.” Mayaeni adds, “It was cool to see my vision come to life, and have my hometown Detroit be a part of it.”
Pepsi isn’t the only major brand putting its marketing muscle behind lesser-known musical talent. Red Bull just kicked off a 30-day L.A. concert series called Sound Select, featuring critical darlings like Future Islands, Run The Jewels and The Julie Ruin. And American Express announced its own emerging-artist programon November 4, AIR (Artists In Residence), which is set to feature Betty Who, Mary Lambert and Rixton. Even Kraft Foods/Mondelez International’s Sour Patch Kids is getting into the indie arms race by establishing a free residence in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood to house acts like Saint Pepsi, Magic Manand Kitty Cash during their current tours in exchange for original content.
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