Behind the Music: Why GRAMMY Winners and an Oscar-Nominated Artist Are Coming Together for Songwriters

Some of music’s most accomplished songwriters and musicians are coming together in Studio City for an intimate evening designed to support the people whose creativity helps power the music industry.

On Saturday, Aug. 22, the SONA Foundation will host an exclusive benefit house concert featuring GRAMMY winners Autumn Rowe and Andrae Alexander, along with Academy Award-nominated singer-songwriter Abraham Alexander.

Rather than a traditional concert venue, the artists will perform at a private Studio City residence, creating an up-close experience that puts the music — and the people who make it — at the center of the evening.

For the SONA Foundation, that is the larger story behind the evening.

Supporting songwriters and composers means recognizing them as people as well as creators — people who may need financial guidance, career resources, mental health support or assistance when an emergency threatens their ability to keep creating.

It is a side of the music business audiences rarely see. Behind the songs that become part of our lives are creators navigating financial pressures, mental health challenges, career uncertainties and unexpected emergencies, often without the visibility afforded to the artists who ultimately perform their work.

The SONA Foundation was created to help address those realities. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit provides songwriters and composers with resources, support and programs focused on mental health, financial well-being, career development and emergency funding.

The Aug. 22 house concert brings that mission to life by bringing together artists whose careers demonstrate the impact songwriters, composers and musicians have on the culture. Tickets are available through Humanitix, with proceeds supporting the SONA Foundation and its work on behalf of songwriters and composers. The private Studio City address will be provided to confirmed ticket holders.

For an organization centered on supporting music creators, the evening’s lineup is particularly fitting.

Autumn Rowe: A Career Behind Some of Music’s Biggest Names

Autumn Rowe has built a career that moves comfortably between songwriting, producing, performing and mentoring.

The GRAMMY-winning singer, songwriter and producer has worked with an extensive list of artists, including Diana Ross, Dua Lipa, Tori Kelly, Ava Max, Jon Batiste, Fifth Harmony, One Direction and Macy Gray, among many others.

Rowe earned a GRAMMY as part of the writing and production team behind Batiste’s Album of the Year-winning We Are. Her influence also extends beyond the recording studio. She appeared on The X Factor and served as a vocal coach on America’s Got Talent, working with performers including Grace VanderWaal, Fifth Harmony, Bea Miller, Carly Rose Sonenclar and Diamond White.

Currently based in Los Angeles, Rowe continues to write and mentor established and emerging artists while developing her own projects as an artist and producer. She is signed to Stellar/Sony Music Publishing.

Andrae Alexander: Where Music, Education and Service Meet

Joining Rowe is Andrae Alexander, whose career represents an intersection of music, education, military service and philanthropy.

A GRAMMY-winning musician and composer, Alexander shared songwriting credits on Batiste’s We Are and has contributed to projects including Empire, Detroit and The Birth of a Nation. His credits include work with Ne-Yo, Swae Lee, Melissa Etheridge, Meek Mill, Pusha T, Kanye West, Rodney Jerkins, Lamont Dozier and No I.D.

Alexander is also a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and U.S. Navy Band in Washington, D.C., an educator and the author of Build Your Music Career From Scratch. He is currently a faculty member in the Music Industry Department at the USC Thornton School of Music and has traveled to more than 40 countries as a musician and clinician.

His commitment to using music beyond entertainment also makes his participation in the SONA Foundation benefit especially fitting. Alexander has worked with nonprofit organizations to use music as a tool for social rehabilitation within the homeless community and to serve underserved schoolchildren in communities where music education has been removed from school curricula. His nonprofit involvement includes the SONA Foundation, Amazing Grace Conservatory and Urban Possibilities.

Abraham Alexander: Turning Life Experience Into Music

Rounding out the evening is Abraham Alexander, whose soulful fusion of blues, folk and gospel has helped establish him as a distinctive voice among a new generation of singer-songwriters.

Born in Athens, Greece, to Nigerian parents and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, Alexander turned to music following a career-ending soccer injury and personal tragedy.

His critically acclaimed 2023 debut album, SEA/SONS, features collaborations with Mavis Staples and Gary Clark Jr. and debuted on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart.

In 2025, Alexander reached another career milestone when his original song “Like a Bird,” written for the A24 film Sing Sing, earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.

Alexander has performed at major festivals including Newport Folk Festival, Austin City Limits and Bonnaroo and has toured with artists including Leon Bridges, The Lumineers and Mavis Staples.

More Than a Night of Music

Together, Rowe and the two Alexanders represent different paths through the music industry, but their appearance at the SONA Foundation benefit underscores something they share: an understanding that sustaining a creative career requires more than talent.

The people responsible for creating the music audiences love can face challenges that are largely invisible once a song reaches the public. Supporting their mental health, financial stability and long-term careers helps strengthen the creative ecosystem behind the music itself.

That makes the SONA Foundation House Concert more than an intimate evening with accomplished performers. It is also an opportunity to support the songwriters and composers whose work continues to shape music and culture.

Doors open at 5 p.m., with performances beginning at 6 p.m. Light bites and nonalcoholic beverages will be provided, and guests may bring their own alcoholic beverages. Rideshare is encouraged, and street parking will be available.

The private Studio City address will be provided upon ticket confirmation.

The SONA Foundation Benefit House Concert takes place Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, from 5 to 8 p.m. in Studio City, California.

For tickets: Purchase tickets through Humanitix