Soundtrap’s 3rd Annual Beat Battle: Celebrating Emerging Talent in Music

Soundtrap hosted its 3rd annual Beat Battle on Friday and set the stage for a fierce showdown to inspire creators and educators worldwide. In partnership with Young Producers Group, the event featured nine finalists from Southern California who went head-to-head in three categories: vocalist, producer, and instrumentalist. 

Beat Battle 2023 Winners

Molly Sierra from Los Angeles County High School of the Arts (LACHSA) claimed the top spot in the vocalist category with her original song “The Fold,” while Adam Gonzalez from LAUSD’s Torres ELAPA swept the producer category with his track “Ycantusee.” In the instrumentalist category, Kai Spatzier from LAUSD’s LACES was crowned the winning maestro with "Everywhere At Once."

The winners received prizes totaling over $50,000, generously donated by Sweetwater, Apogee, and Fender. This support highlighted the collective effort of the music community to invest in the future of music and recognize the potential of these emerging artists.

Listen to the winning songs from the finalists and honorable mentions via SoundCloud

Inspiring the Future of Music

Not only was the grand finale of this year's Beat Battle an avenue for outstanding student artists to shine, but it also had a strong focus on Career Technical Education (CTE), illuminating the different career paths within the audio industry that awaited the talented participants post-graduation.

“Music is a universal language and the self expression that comes from making music changes lives,” said LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. “What these student creators have done through this year’s Soundtrap Beat Battle is beyond extraordinary. I commend the nearly 500 young creators for their commitment to their art and elevating their own voices. Not only have you honed your craft but you have honored your own experience and courageously submitted these works to be critiqued by other talented artists. The diversity in genres represents the incredible diversity of Los Angeles.”

Soundtrap and YPG partnered with a number of prominent audio companies on immersive experiences throughout the venue, including installations such as the Roland & Chicas Verdes “Artist Oasis,” the Artiphon “Shredding Zoo,” the Riot Games Game Zone, and the Warner Music Experience “Merch Stop.”

A Panel of Esteemed Judges

Nearly 500 students from over 60 schools in Southern California submitted their projects to be evaluated by a distinguished panel of judges, including Grammy award winners and nominees: Dahi, Jasper Harris, Kosine, Jae Stephens, Blu DeTiger, and Kenyon Dixon. 

The judges brought their unparalleled expertise and discerning ears to the event, adding an extra layer of prestige to the competition.

Grammy award-winning super producer and Beat Battle judge, Dahi, shared this advice for the young creators: “You can mimic, you can imitate, but don’t let that define you. Figure out what you love, figure out your sound, figure out who you are, and that will always keep you going!”

A Final Surprise 

To cap things off, the night ended with a special surprise gift for the nearly 200 student guests in attendance. Every student was gifted an Artiphon Orba and a Mic+ USB microphone from Apogee -- nearly $50,000 in free audio gifts for these young creators!

About Soundtrap

Made by musicians and producers, our mission is to make music creation and storytelling simple and collaborative for everyone by providing powerful tools, expansive sounds, and intuitive interfaces that empower the next generation of creators to create professional-sounding music and audio projects from anywhere, at any time, and with anyone.