MINNEAPOLIS — What started as a Spotify playlist quickly grew into something more.
Last spring, KARE 11 Sunrise reporter Kiya Edwards stayed up "way past bedtime" to cover a story well worth her time. Bay Laurel was hosting a free music camp for inner-city teens.
Noting a mutual passion for supporting the arts, the entertainment and lifestyle brand later asked Edwards to curate a playlist of songs by Minneapolis-area artists. They decided to call it Tundra.
"[This is] an effort to put the Minneapolis music scene on the world map because, I believe, the talent here is as good as LA, NY, ATL, Houston... and deserves to be recognized," Edwards said.
Just as she and Bay Laurel's team began spreading word about "the coldest songs from Minneapolis' elite artists," the coronavirus spread too, putting stay-at-home orders in place and the normalcy of live performances on an abrupt halt. Ticket sales would no longer be a main source of an artist's income.
But knowing that artists earn money with every Spotify stream, Tundra was at least one way to help. Only, to reach more listeners, the platform would need to expand.
Friday morning, Bay Laurel launched an online video series called TUNDRA: Quarantine Edition. Edwards hosts the show, which features remote interviews with the Tundra artists.
The first episode highlights the career of Chillah Rose, whose song "Ride" ft. Karma also leads the playlist.
Watch the full episode here:
The show is also available on Bay Laurel's website and Instagram.
To stream and follow Tundra on Spotify, click here.