The Day'nah Evans Grant
For Our Roster of Recording Artists, Ages 8+,
Who Want to Write
The Day’nah Evans Grant will make our Recording Artist Program's Recording and Songwriting Track accessible at a fraction of our standard rate. Grounded in our Layer One, Layer Two, and Layer Three curricula, artists who want to write their songs will build studio skills while exploring social dynamics (ages 8+), romantic relationships (ages 13+), and/or bodily autonomy (ages 18+). While applying for our roster, clients will select their preferred rate and, if accepted, gain access to Marcelland, our private online community, as Princes and Princesses—allowing them to attend workshops, participate in challenges, and take courses.
Independently funded by our LLC to ensure complete transparency, our grant structure offers three financial assistance options to meet different creators' needs without ever requiring documentation of economic difficulties. This allows clients to pay 75% of our standard rate for a weekly vocal coaching and songwriting session with substantial production support; 50% of our standard rate for a weekly vocal coaching and songwriting session with moderate production support; or 25% of our standard rate for a weekly vocal coaching and songwriting session with foundational production support. After 12 months of initial development, annual guaranteed releases will be 9 per year at 75%, 6 at 50%, and 3 at 25%. Once our future 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is ready to accept donations, we will expand this structure to cover 100% of our standard rate for those with documented financial need. To learn more, please visit our Programs page and the "Our Funding" section of our About page.
Day’nah Evans is an NAACP Image Award-winning vocal producer, multi-hyphenate artist, SAG-AFTRA and Recording Academy member, and graduate of Hampton University. She has coached and produced vocals for Mary J. Blige, Brandy, Janelle Monáe, and Queen Latifah, with vocal production credits on FOX’s Star and BET’s The New Edition Story. Her career spans performing as a background vocalist for Fergie and Queen Latifah, dancing for Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, and acting in television productions including Disney's Shake It Up and AMC’s Sherman’s Showcase.
For Marcellé, Day’nah’s impact was transformational. “She produced my sexual assault awareness single, helping me discover my belting, rapping, and versatile vocal sounds,” Marcellé shares. Day’nah set a tone of emotional attunement and safety, guiding Marcellé to embrace her full vocal range while taking early steps toward trauma therapy and holistic healing. That experience proved that deep artistic expression requires a foundation of complete emotional trust and respect—values that now anchor every recording session at Once Upon a Voice.
To join our roster as a recording artist, performers apply and select how much of our rate they want to pay. If accepted, they join our roster at that rate with no questions asked—learning to write, record, release music, and perform with absolute sovereignty. Through weekly one-on-one development, studio sessions, and annual release guarantees after year one, recording artists ages 8 and up will build technical control, industry stamina, and artistic identity without financial strain, preparing them to release music sustainably.
This institutional grant honors Day’nah’s commitment to artistic identity, creative versatility, and business literacy. By making recording artist development affordable, we will ensure that performers—including those navigating trauma, neurodivergence, or disabilities—receive trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming guidance. While fiscal sponsorship supports finishing, pitching, and releasing music across our label and publishing pipelines, our institutional grants guarantee that professional studio recording and artist development remain accessible to as many artists as possible.