Connect
To Top

Meet Chanel “Anomaly” Lanae of A1Caliber in Fulton

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chanel “Anomaly” Lanae.

Chanel, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m professionally known by my pen name “Anomaly”. I am from Southern California and have been in Georgia since 2011. I am a Music Management Consultant, Brand Manager, philanthropist, and entrepreneur acclaimed for my cutting-edge marketing strategies and blunt business savvy. I nurture the professional development of some of the industry’s most sought-after songwriters and producers of Drake, Chris Brown, Kendrick Lamar, Migos, Nipsey Hussle, Janelle Monae, Fantasia, Timbaland and more.

At the beginning of my career, I worked as a freelance writer and independent A&R consultant who sourced talent and pitched music to blogs and music discovery sites like ThisIsRealMusic.com. Chronicling the road to success for new artists fueled my desire to embark on my own entrepreneurial journey. Pairing business savvy with street smarts, I became a catalyst and digital sounding board for untapped talent and founded A1Caliber LLC.

Although technology transformed the music industry, it didn’t circumvent the need for music business education and artist development. I viewed the disconnect as an opportunity to strengthen the financial literacy, leadership and professional mindset of every unsigned artist, music producer, and enterprising entrepreneur. My ability to forecast market trends, leverage resources and maximize exposure brought in new lines of business as a brand manager and marketing strategist. But, it was my off the cuff approach to driving sales and increasing profits piqued the interest of execs at Universal Music Publishing, Warner Music, Atlantic Records, Republic Records, and others.

To accentuate my professional brand, I worked as a small business mentor, curator and digital marketer for the Atlanta chapter of Operation HOPE’s annual Hope Global Forum. While there, I captured media coverage for Sean “P Diddy” Combs’ appointed President of Combs Enterprises, Dia Simms, Barack Obama’s former advisor, and CNN contributor Van Jones, TV One’s host Roland S. Martin, and other high-profile influencers and political figures. To foster relationships with the international music market, I was invited to become a brand ambassador for Midem -the world’s largest international music conference held in Cannes France throughout 2016 to current.

With an exclusive roster, growing resume, and a global network of knowledge, I channeled my personal and professional experiences into her community. As a founding member of Change.org, I made sure to amass a career well beyond the parameters of the arts. My civic engagement is being put to use in Maryland as a campaign contributor for the former president and CEO of the N.A.A.C.P, Ben Jealous, in support of his bid for governor.

I volunteer at several nonprofit organizations such as Lift Up Atlanta and Medshare by shipping humanitarian aid to Nigeria, Ghana, Ecuador, Haiti, The Philippines, Nepal, Malawi, Sierra Leone and 13 additional countries around the world. My delegation and empowerment are backed by a proven track record of success a professional powerhouse and compassionate philanthropist. Above all, I want to respect as a self-motivated leader, unfiltered influencer, and advocate for progressive learning, economic education and financial empowerment for creatives and communities alike.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I believe there’s a huge misconception in being an entrepreneur. The excitement that comes with being your own boss and quitting your day job- especially one you hate- is the most liberating experience ever. But, the reality is you’re completely on your own and the feeling of empowerment can fizzle away with the weight of responsibility that follows your leap of faith.

The main challenge I faced when starting out was getting out of my own way. I obsessed over the smallest
details of my brand image, my message, how and when I connected with my consumer base. Although those are extremely important, they can hinder your progression if that’s all you focus on. I spent too much time planning and re-planning and not enough time executing my plans. That made me feel like I was moving in slow motion and before I knew it A1Caliber was a year old and then 2 years old and then I was like, ” WHOAH, were has the time gone” That’s usually when self-doubt sneaks up on you and makes you question everything you’ve done up until that point.

Another challenge I faced was dealing with the fact that a work-life balance is almost nonexistent. Dating becomes a huge waste of time. Your friends may say they support you but when all you talk about is your business or new strategies to market your client’s music then you realize just how lonely the road to success can truly be. You get completely detached, lose sleep, cook less and eat out more. The money I’d spend on new heels or a new crop top gets funneled into my business. Your business becomes an obsession and that can be a huge downer for your social life.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
A1Caliber (formerly A1Caliber Brand Consulting) is the most trust name in music marketing, management and artist development. We’re industry leaders with global reach in the entertainment market and our clientele includes award winning artists, Billboard charting songwriters and Grammy Nominated Producers.

Our clients trust us to develop their brand, build their fan base and maximize their exposure and professional credibility.

Since our inception, we’ve grown from a small music marketing company to a globally recognized artist development agency by setting the standard in honest and fair music business practices. We foster relationships built off trust and provide value-based services that benefit our clients at every stage of their career!

We help our clients reach the next phase of their career by creating content that sells, marketing relatable experiences and connecting them to the industry’s best-recording facilities, producers, engineers, vocal coaches, and music execs! Our job is to shoulder some of the responsibilities that unsigned artists carry alone by being the team they can always trust and depend on!

Our process is transparent and our price points are fair and affordable. but what’s most important is our client’s success. We’ treat our clients like the royalty because we truly believe in their story, we’re fans of their music and we’re honored they trust us with their business year after year!

What were you like growing up?
I was a huge tomboy growing up and I recall being the ringleader of just about everything, good and bad. I used to talk… A LOT, so it’s no surprise that I’m a consultant and public speaker. I had a natural appetite for learning new things. I thought I was going to be a teacher when I got older and I guess, in a sense, I am. As punishment, I had to read the dictionary but I started to enjoy learning new words and from there developed an interest in writing short stories and poems. I got my first job at 15, went to summer school just to get more credits so I could graduate early. I was a straight A student and always had my eyes set on being someone people would remember.

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in