Femme It Forward
Keyshia Cole, Monica and SWV are the performing stars enlisted to headline Femme It Forward’s first-ever cruise, Billboard can exclusively reveal. Presented in association with Sixthman and Vibee, Femmeland at Sea will sail from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas between Feb. 20-23, 2026.
Femme It Forward’s voyage aboard the Norwegian Pearl also marks the female-led music and entertainment firm’s transition into a 100% woman- and Black-owned company after a five-year partnership with Live Nation.
Femme It Forward president/CEO Heather Lowery, who founded the firm in 2019, tells Billboard, “I’ve always fought to have more equity in a company I’ve worked so hard to build. Now Femme It Forward is 100% woman-owned and Black- owned. I’m so excited! It feels like the beginning again, but this time I’m starting from a different place.
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“Live Nation was a great partner that allowed for a lot of business as well as personal growth,” continues Lowery, a Billboard Women in Music 2025 honoree. “They’ve provided me with a lot of resources for me to continue building Femme It Forward independent of the partnership. I’m super grateful for it all. We’re celebrating our five-year anniversary and there’s a lot of symbolism in the number five representing freedom, change, adventure and adaptability. I’m stepping into this next phase with open arms.”
In addition to the aforementioned live performances, Femmeland at Sea will also offer uniquely curated activities, live podcast recordings, parties, workshops/panels, mentorship labs, wine tastings and karaoke. The popular podcasts being featured include Keep It Positive Sweetie, hosted by Crystal Renee Hayslett, and Let’s Try This Again with B. Simone. Among the cruise’s additional activities will be wellness sessions helmed by WalkGood LA, Pretty Vee, Pretty Girls Sweat and Morning Mindset with Tai. Femme It Forward will also present its own branded activities such as Femme Salon and Femme Mentorship, with the latter hosted by mentors from the company’s Next Gem Femme and MUSE initiatives. Also on the schedule: Kirk Franklin’s Sunday School and #MusicSermon LIVE.
In the press release announcing the inaugural sailing, Lowery states in part that the cruise is “a vision I’ve had since our launch in 2020. I have always been bold about what Femme It Forward stands for and the experiences we create with women at the center. And despite the current optics and everything around us demanding we shrink, we will continue to do more — create more opportunities, make space for more representation and curate more experiences that amplify the voices of women everywhere.”
In turn, Femme It Forward will continue to present its various other events inaugurated over the last five years such as the annual Give Her FlowHERS Gala, the Femme It Forward High Tea and the My Sister’s Keeper Summit honoring artists and executives in music and entertainment. Future plans for its mentorship program include launching global chapters in South Africa and Europe.
Femmeland at Sea’s first round pre-sale sign-ups are available now through April 1 at 11:59 pm (ET). Final round pre-sale sign-ups will conclude on April 9 at 11:59 pm (ET). Public on-sales begin April 11 at 2:00 pm (ET), exclusively here.
Femme It Forward (FIF) is expanding its mentorship services with the launch of MUSE: Musicians Uplifting Stars Everyday. Created by FIF founder/president and Live Nation partner Heather Lowery, the new initiative has enlisted Alicia Keys, Teyana Taylor and Erykah Badu as advisors to help guide emerging female artists and creatives in the music industry. MUSE […]
Femme It Forward announced its inaugural R&B and Afrobeats music festival on Wednesday (March 1), which will be headlined by Tiwa Savage and Nao this spring.
The festival will be held at Coney Island Amphitheater in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday, May 6. Additional performers include Nigerian artist Ayra Starr as well as South African singers Elaine and Tyla, who are some of the most recent female stars coming out of the African continent and therefore the focus of this festival, alongside other women in the R&B, Afrobeats and adjacent genres.
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Across the Pond “will shine a spotlight on the talented artists and creatives in these spaces who, too often, are overshadowed by their male counterparts,” according to a press release, and “further Femme It Forward’s mission to celebrate and empower women.”
Through a joint venture with Live Nation Entertainment, Femme It Forward is a female-led music and entertainment company that centers its mission in celebrating, educating and empowering the industry’s most creative and accomplished female visionaries through multi-format, multi-market consumer experiences.
General admission and VIP tickets will go on sale this Friday, March 3 at 10 a.m. local time at livenation.com.
See the Across the Pond festival poster below.
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Trailblazing Black women in entertainment will be celebrated with an annual ceremony, the Give Her FlowHERS Awards Gala, Billboard can exclusively reveal.
An initiative of Femme It Forward, the Give Her FlowHERS Awards is set for next Friday, Nov. 11 at the Beverly Hilton Los Angeles, with funds raised on the night supporting Femme It Forward’s mentorship program, Next Gem Femme.
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Femme It Forward, the female-led music and entertainment platform, launches the event to fete trailblazing Black women in entertainment who “empower, uplift, and inspire change.”
First-time Special Awards honorees include breakthrough hip-hop star Latto (“The Big Femme Energy Award”); songwriter and artist Jozzy (“The Pen It Forward Award”), R&B singer and songwriter Muni Long (“The Bloom Award”); Lashon Jones, mother of rapper Lil Baby (“Moms I’d Like to Follow” or M.I.L.F. Award); singer-songwriter Victoria Monet (“The Visionary Award”); and high-profile couple Ciara and Russell Wilson (“The Black Love Award”)
Also, organizers will today announce honorees who have made “an invaluable impact as mentors” as part of the Next Gem Femme program. The list of 22 mentors to be honored — as voted on by their mentees — includes Baroline Diaz (Interscope), Dimplez Ijeoma (Capitol Music Group), Madeline Nelson (Amazon Music), Nicole Wyskoarko (Interscope Geffen A&M), Valeisha Butterfield Jones (Google), Alex Maxwell (Live Nation) and Diana Dotel (MTW), among others.
Emerging artists will also get time in the spotlight on the night, from Baby Tate, Mapy The Violin Queen, Joyce Wrice and Alex Vaughn, while Jasmine Solano is booked to DJ at the afterparty.
The gala “is a realization of the work we do year-round with Femme It Forward to champion, empower, and celebrate the women who are pushing our culture forward every day,” comments Heather Lowery, president and CEO of Femme It Forward.
Lowery and her team “wanted to take it a step beyond a traditional awards show and create a special experience that truly represents everything our culture is about: family, love, sisterhood, entrepreneurial spirit, innovation and artistic brilliance,” she continues.
Initially launched under the Live Nation Urban banner, Femme It Forward is now a joint venture with parent Live Nation Entertainment. Its mission, to celebrate, educate, and empower the industry’s “most creative and accomplished female visionaries through multi-format, multi-market consumer experiences,” according to a statement.
Additional details for the inaugural gala will be announced ahead of showtime.
Visit GiveHerFlowHERS.com for more and buy tickets at femmeitforward.com/gala.
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