• About Amp U

      Amp U is the brainchild of childhood friends, Jake McKim and Neeki Bey. After attending high school at Houston’s renowned High School for the Performing Arts, the music industry veterans both went their separate ways with Jake attending the University of Houston and Neeki, Morehouse College. Jake took the path of music business which led him to Mathew Knowles, where he worked to help shape the careers of Beyonce, Solange, Maddie & Tae, and Chloe & Halle to name a few.

       

      Neeki's roots were in making music. This led him to perform and music direct on stages all over the world, while working with artists as diverse as Celine Dion to Maddie and Tae to countertenor John Holiday. In 2015, Neeki and Jake decided to reunite their efforts with the express purpose of helping to advance the careers of developing artists. Amp U was born as an A&R-based company focused on catering to the biggest challenges that many artists face - great songwriting and great production.

       

      Leveraging their 20 plus years of professional experience and relationships, Jake and Neeki, along with their team, provide Amp U artists next level access to the Music Industry. Connections with songwriters, producers and top industry influencers, allow Amp U to help launch emerging artists from the ground up. As seen with artists like Maddie and Tae, the #1 top selling country female group since the Dixie Chicks, artists have found success in their careers as independent artists or deals with publishing and record labels.

       

      By working with each artist individually and bringing together important artist allies including; parents, vocal coaches, songwriters and producers, Amp U’s mission of creating success for the artist becomes a supportive team effort.

    • Meet the Team

      Jake McKim

      Mr. Cool

      Since entering the music industry in 2002, Jake has steadily worked in artist development with many of today's biggest recording artists and songwriters including Beyonce, Destiny's Child, Janet Jackson, Solange, Maddie & Tae, Chloe & Halle, Ray J, and hit songwriters Shane Stevens (Selena Gomez, Carrie Underwood), Michelle Buzz (Katy Perry, Steve Aoki), and Cam Wallace (Chris Brown, Beyonce) among others.

       

      Most recently, Jake launched the nonprofit Amp Ur Room in 2016. AUR brings music and entertainment experiences to the bedsides of cancer patients at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Tx., Dell Children's in Austin, and Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Recent visits have included Fifth Harmony, Pentatonix, Luke Bryan, Hailee Steinfeld, Chloe & Halle, and Maddie & Tae.

      Neeki Bey

      Silent Assassin

      Neeki Bey has had the privilege of being a part of some amazing musical stories: as a choirboy in the Houston Boychoir, attending the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, singing in the Glee Club at Morehouse College, studying voice in Vienna and sacred music at Southern Methodist University, along with working with many amazing talents like John Holiday, #1 Female Country Duo Maddie & Tae, Sister C, Music World Music (Home of Destiny’s Child) and Sophie Beem. Bey is co-founder of Amp U Music which specializes in A&R and artist management and he owns a Dallas-based production company called Ikeen Music. When not making music or building shows, Neeki enjoys traveling and gardening.

      Alton Hawthorne

      The Nice Guy

      Alton Hawthorne is Senior VP, Artist Development & Branding for Birch Street Music and is someone who is in tune with the pulse of the music industry. His attention to detail and passion for the music business has put him in a position to work amongst major music executives across the country and he has been successful in connecting creative minds in the music industry to create sustainable projects and careers. With Birch Street Music, Alton has handled artist development for artists signed to Beyonce's Parkwood Entertainment and Epic Records and works with producers and writers signed to Warner Chappell, Sony, and Atlantic among others. Alton is also Managing Director for the nonprofit Amp Ur Room which brings music experiences to the bedsides of cancer patients at Texas Children's Hospital. Past visits include Fifth Harmony, Pentatonix, Luke Bryan, Maddie & Tae, Robert Glasper, Hailee Steinfeld, and more.

      Brenna Moses

      Ms. Positivity

      Brenna Moses handles logistics for Amp U including scheduling with clients and coaches and finances with a smile. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Brenna, the youngest of five, grew up with a passion for sports, playing Junior Olympic Volleyball for 6 years and Division I college volleyball at the University of Dayton. She’s transitioned her passion for sports into entertainment having in the past served as personal assistant and brand manager for singer Yasmeen, as well as Operations Director and Lead Producer for runway shows for Phoenix Fashion Week, the leading fashion event in the Southwest.

      Olivia Norman

      The Aggie

      Olivia Norman is the new kid on the block and helps to coordinate with our vocal coaches, songwriters/producers and industry contacts. She grew up in Austin, Texas – the live music capital of the world - and started going to concerts and music festivals at a very young age! She attended Texas A&M University where she majored in Finance, but always kept herself connected to the music industry. With multiple summers interning for an artist management company in Austin under her belt, she's assisted in management and tour marketing. Olivia also acted as a co-editor for a Texas Country Music blog, and served as the Large Scale Events Executive for the programming board at Texas A&M where she brought concerts to campus with artists ranging from Judah & The Lion to Foreigner.

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