Fighting Okra Talent Agency (FOTA.), a student-run talent agency at Delta State University, has been created to book Delta Music Institute student artists at venues in the Mississippi Delta and surrounding areas. Chace Holland, a senior entertainment industry studies student, has taken over the position of Student Agent and will oversee all operations.<\/p>\n
The agency\u2019s main venture will be DMI Music Mondays, a lunchtime music series featuring FOTA\u00a0artists. The student artists will be performing on the first floor of the H.L. Nowell Student Union on the Delta State\u00a0campus from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. The series will begin March 16 and run through\u00a0April 27.<\/span><\/p>\n “Music Mondays will give FOTA\u00a0artists a chance to practice their act, as well as provide entertainment for the student body, faculty and staff,” said Holland. “Additionally, artists\u00a0will learn to be more comfortable in front of a crowd while also working on communicating with the audience. This series aims to provide a\u00a0fun experience for both the artists and the listeners.”<\/span><\/p>\n The continuation of the agency is in partial fulfillment of\u00a0Holland\u2019s senior project requirement for the DMI entertainment industry studies degree. This unique project will involve a collaborative effort throughout the DMI. Students Katie Ann Locke and Brennan Barham will serve as the booking assistants for the DMI student artists.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n FOTA’s\u00a0roster includes: Jarrick Finkley, a soulful singer\/songwriter from Vicksburg, Miss.; Jessica Faith, a singer\/songwriter from Monticello, Ark.; Ethan Estes, an R&B singer\/songwriter; and LockeStation, a country Americana duet that consisting of Justin Boatman from Eupora, Miss.\u00a0and Katie Ann Locke from Vicksburg, Miss. New additions to the roster\u00a0this semester are Kelsey Buquet, an alternative pop singer\/songwriter from Houma, La. and Argiflex, better known as Curtis Lehr, an experimental neo-rave live electronic musician from Brandon, Miss.<\/span><\/p>\n The mission statement of the agency is to provide the student roster with professional quality music and entertainment industry services, while also providing venues in the Delta region and surrounding regions with quality entertainment in an effort to expose the\u00a0artists to the broadest possible audience.<\/span><\/p>\n Tricia Walker, director of the DMI, is looking forward to the future of this project.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m excited about this additional opportunity for DMI students to have a hands-on learning experience as it relates to the live event sector of the entertainment industry,\u201d said Walker. \u201cThe student artists on the Fighting Okra Talent Agency roster are talented and deserve to be seen and heard.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n