Girls United

3 days ago | girlsunited.essence.com | Danielle Wright

After two successful years, #GUCreatorsHouse is back at the ESSENCE Festival of Culture™, and this time, we’re expanding the experience. In partnership with @r29unbothered, Girls United will host this year’s activation on July 5th and 6th at a new location: Common House New Orleans. Now in its third year, GU Creators House remains a space designed with Gen Z and millennial creatives in mind.

1 week ago | girlsunited.essence.com | Danielle Wright

Journey Montana is entering a new era—and she’s bringing the spotlight with her. GU has the exclusive premiere of her latest single, “Hollywood,” a haunting, honest track that unpacks the emotional underbelly of chasing dreams in the City of Angels. “I wrote ‘Hollywood’ while I was in Los Angeles, working on my album,” Montana shares. “I was inspired by everything I saw and the people I met. Everyone was chasing something, but no one truly knew what it was.

1 week ago | girlsunited.essence.com | Danielle Wright

Ashley Iman’s journey into music wasn’t linear. Like many young artists, she started singing at an early age, influenced by the sounds she heard around her growing up in South London. “Croydon is full of music — rap, drill, R&B. It’s really all around you,” she says. Her interest in music deepened when she started singing regularly at ten, but it wasn’t until she applied to the BRIT School at fourteen — and was rejected — that she experienced her first real challenge in pursuing a creative career.

1 week ago | girlsunited.essence.com | Daniella Johnson

Priscilla Agyeman is spreading awareness about mental health through her podcast “The Soft Life with Saddie Baddies” one episode at a time. Though Agyeman’s mental health advocacy work officially began during her pursuit of a Master’s in Public Health, she was raised to always keep community in mind. Growing up West African and seeing her family take care of others in need emphasized the idea that Agyeman would always be a part of a bigger collective.

1 week ago | girlsunited.essence.com | Daniella Johnson

Close-up of a young Black woman in a light blue sweater, looking stressed and holding her forehead while working on a laptop at a round table indoors. As graduation season comes to an end, it’s natural to be anxious about what’s coming next.