Making a name for yourself in the entertainment industry is hard work. It’s easy to instantly share music on popular streaming platforms like SoundCloud and YouTube, but gaining recognition takes time and good management. That’s why having a talent manager to guide an artist through the day-to-day business dealings of their professional career is vital to an artist’s success.

We talked with recording arts alumnus and talent manager Renato Lopez at a recent studio session at the Recording School. Renato has worked as a producer, engineer, and mixer with artists like will.i.am, Priscila Renea and Sevyn Streeter. One of his newest clients is 13-year-old up-and-coming singer Alena aka AlenaOneMusic. Alena and her team collaborated in our SSL Duality Studio on a her new five-track EP. Renato brought Alena into the SSL Duality Studio to experience The L.A. Recording School’s large-format analog mixing console and live-performance room to help diversify her music.

How to make it in the music industry

According to Renato, some artists can reach the same amount of downloads and followers, which is hard to do, but rarely get much further without the help of connections in the music industry. That’s where Renato steps in and helps elevate lesser-known talent in the music industry. He has a knack for finding and developing undiscovered talent.

Since January 2019, Renato has been traveling to Las Vegas to coach and develop Alena for live performances around the city. He has also been coaching her, pairing her with the right writers and producers, and getting her ready for packaging to label executives. “This week is super important to the team because it is the first time Alena and her family have been to L.A. for the reasons of getting in front of record labels,” says Renato. “We will be meeting with The Black Eyed Peas this week along with some folks over at Disney.”

Even at a young age, Alena is a self-starter with an impressive vocal range. Her musical style is a fun mix of soul and pop, which has garnered her 7.3 million streams on SoundCloud. Alena also has a growing Instagram (@alenaonemusic) following with almost 20K followers.

The L.A. Recording School Connection

Renato works with The Los Angeles Recording School to help create a collaborative community within the larger recording industry. “Staying in touch with LARS program directors, new students, old students, and upcoming talent both within and outside of the school has helped shape me into who I am today. I enjoy connecting all the dots and hope to give back to those who have given so much to me in my career,” said Renato.

Interested in learning more about our many talented alumni from The Los Angeles Recording School? Click here.

Alena has 7.3 million streams on Soundcloud and almost 20K followers on her Instagram account.