Hard Rock Cafe opens its doors to young musicians with Universiteen 2.0
A musician's success is hardly ever linear. There’s no formula to boost the popularity of an artist, much less how to catapult them from local gig lineups to a household name. Rather, it’s the people and places that give them a stage that might make all the difference.
I think of music festivals and gigs I’ve been to and how they became gateways to investing myself in new genres of music or a new artist. For a rising band hoping to make it big, getting that chance might mean earning another Spotify listener, a fan-made TikTok soundtracked to their song, or, in the occasional golden opportunity, having a platform to perform their original songs live.
‘Our stage is not just a mere stage. The advocacy now is mapa-artist ka, mapa-band, mapa-entertainer, we will be your launchpad. Dito ka sisikat sa Hard Rock Cafe.’
Universiteen 2.0 is a youth-centric advocacy and launchpad formed by Hard Rock Cafe, and just one of the many programs they plan to launch this year as part of their Support Local and Support OPM campaign.
“The intention is to open the stage to younger musicians and performers. Hard Rock has a lot of well-known bands and artists performing. We are not closing our stage just for them. We wanted to open our stage to the young generation because these great bands all came from the dream to perform on a live stage,” shares director of operations Clint Brian Peck. “We wanted to give back as part of our mantra: ‘Love all, serve all.’ We want these young performers to also feel welcome at the Hard Rock Cafe.”
What differentiates this year’s Universiteen from earlier programs is that it opens the stage to sign-ups; previously, bands were invited and pre-selected. This time, the opportunity to perform at the iconic Hard Rock Stage is within reach for young local bands and artists.
“Our stage is not just a mere stage. The advocacy now is mapa-artist ka, mapa-band, mapa-entertainer, we will be your launchpad. Dito ka sisikat sa Hard Rock Cafe,” shares marketing manager Vladelle Francisco. They hope that the restaurant solidifies itself as an avenue for people to discover the talent of these young artists.
Kicking off Universiteen 2.0, seven rising acts opened the launch: The Sonnets, 25 Abbey, Nextone, Waki & The Winstons, Hey June, Better Days and Gracenote, serving genres from indie-pop to soulful alternative. But a launchpad is even stronger when backed by those who have already paved the way. Kenaniah and Imago headlined the kick-off event.
So, how do you help shape these young performers? Hard Rock Cafe points to the power of stages and simply allowing the youth to do their thing. “We don’t want to own them,” the team says. “As long as they can keep performing, we will host them.” With no limit on the performance count, the restaurant doubles down on its belief that consistent exposure to the industry is what will make these artists grow in their craft.
Much more, stages across all Hard Rock Cafe branches will be open for young performers. After all, supporting local also means meeting the artists where they are: local stages where they can perform at their convenience, particularly with limited resources and tight college schedules standing in the way.
“We have to support their dreams, like parents dreaming for their child. We’re not just a restaurant venue, but we’re also supporting the community,” shares Clint. He wants the artists to look back and proudly say, “Ah, at least once in our life, we performed at Hard Rock Cafe.”
If anything, many music giants that we look up to today once started in this same cafe. To this day, Hard Rock Cafe continues to pay tribute to them with dedicated performance nights, whether that be for musicians, comedians, or artists.
The local music scene is notoriously hard to break through, but businesses like Hard Rock Cafe, which believe in the potential of our youth, make it easier for new talents to be celebrated. They’re not closing the doors to hold a grander event for them in the future, but largely, they believe that for their music to be out there, it has to start somewhere.
With the launch of Universiteen 2.0 and to make it a fuller experience, the cafe created “Everyday Cravings,” offered daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., where guests can enjoy an appetizer, entree and drink starting at P395.
Music fans who come in their Hard Rock Cafe merch are also entitled to exclusive perks, such as free drinks, priority song requests, and VIP seating to get a closer look at the action.
Interested performers can email hrcglo@bistro.com.ph or send a message to the official Facebook or Instagram account of the Hard Rock Cafe branch nearest to them.
