Musicians are deeply creative individuals, using songs, lyrics and even their stage presence to express their imagination, emotions and ideas. But finding and connecting with listeners, organizing a tour and developing a brand—all of which are required for a musician’s career growth and success—require a skill set that is more typically aligned with those in business.
The mingling of creativity with linear, analytical thinking can be messy. Occupying and thriving at this intersection is Los Angeles-based music manager Lydia Asrat, founder and CEO of 10Q Management, a boutique music management company founded in 2011 with a reputation of recognizing excellence, nourishing top talent and laying the path to stardom. 10Q Management alumni and current clients include the formidable artistry of Doja Cat, Coco Jones, Normani, Sunny Daze and Haben.
Marching to her own beat
Asrat, a first-generation African American born to Ethiopian parents, is breaking the industry mold as a young Black female music manager (she was named to the 2022 Forbes “30 Under 30” list in the music category). Yet, she is quick to point out that it was from studying other women in the industry, leaders like Ethiopia Habtemariam (former Motown Records CEO), that strengthened her inherent determination.
Asrat reflects, “I would be reading up on how [Habtemariam] got to where she got and how other people like Sylvia Rhone [Epic Records chairwoman and CEO] and all these other women in these high spaces in the industry were able to get where they got. And it was all the same underlying mentality, which was, ‘We gonna do it one way or the other.’”
That determined attitude aligned with Asrat’s internal drive. With an uncanny ability to discover and nurture musical talent, Asrat’s business and creative acumen are the natural merger of her interests and upbringing. “I’ve always, always, always loved music,” Asrat says. “Music’s been my No. 1 passion.” As for her business savvy, she credits watching and learning from her father who started his own successful business. Assisting him in his office taught her professional mannerisms at a young age. But what about her tenacity and mental fortitude?
Playing sports exposed Asrat to handling pressure and cooperating with different personalities. She embraced it all. Volleyball was her main gig, but she also ran track and played basketball and soccer. “All of my upbringing helped me in the position I am now as a manager because you’re dealing with different types of personalities, you’re dealing with a lot of different creative people and businesspeople who have to coexist in one entity in order to get this song or video, or whatever it may be, out,” she says.
An achievement mindset
During their formative grade school years, Asrat and her sister were two of only four Black students in the school. “I was already dealing with being a minority since I was little,” Asrat recalls. “From there, it just resonated with me that I could do anything I wanted.” By the time she secured an internship at Warner Bros. Records Inc. (now Warner Records) while studying music at Loyola Marymount University, she knew how to focus on what was possible and avoid getting distracted by barriers. It’s a recurring theme that’s changed her trajectory.
For one example of her ability in action, Asrat recounts how she avoided clothing catastrophes. Or, more accurately, a lack-of-clothing catastrophe caused by an artist’s outfit being delayed in transport or outright forgotten for a key performance. Undeterred, Asrat divided her team to hit the stores and strategize at the post office. “There’s going to be so many obstacles that are pushed into your way where you’re going to feel like, ‘Oh, I’ve messed up. This is it. We’re not going to be able to do anything.’ Never ever say that something is impossible,” she says.
Asrat describes her response to tricky situations as “solution-based.” She looks for options instead of dwelling on a negative outcome. “That has saved so many shoots and video performances,” she says. “We would have lost out on a music video that changed someone’s career versus being able to maneuver and just think solution-based-wise and still get it done.”
Leading with mentorship
Throughout her career, Asrat’s mentors, Habtemariam in particular, have been a beacon of what is possible. Asrat experienced firsthand how advice, encouragement, strategy and even friendship from a seasoned industry leader can influence a career arc. Today, she is that leader. For the last three years, Asrat has been part of a formal mentorship program called Next Gem Femme, through the organization Femme It Forward, where she mentors a student or woman who is either already in the entertainment industry or wants to be. “One of my mentees is someone I still talk to,” Asrat says. “Having a direct line to someone who can help you while you’re maneuvering… we just had the conversation about being solution-oriented because she had a dilemma within one of her spaces, and she’s a team leader.”
Advice for success
Asrat shares six more gems that can help someone develop their personal brand and grow their business.
- Ask questions: It’s better to ask all the questions you need to do the job correctly the first time instead of winging it and asking for permission later. “Don’t be shy,” Asrat advises. “People aren’t going to look down on you for making sure that you do the job right.”
- Frame questions professionally: Instead of asking, “How do we do this?” Consider, “To get this right, I want to confirm that this is the way we follow these steps.”
- Be flexible in your role: Being willing to tackle new tasks is an opportunity to gain cross experience. Asrat exclaims, “No job was too big or too little for me!”
- Become a student of your craft: Establish a list of individuals who have accomplished your goals. Look at what they did to get to their position and those who helped them.
- Carry yourself with confidence: Confidence is about representing yourself. Be the person someone can turn to for help.
- Be authentic to yourself: This last piece of advice is, by far, the most critical. “It’s important for artists to be authentically true to themselves, and I will say it until my face goes blue,” Asrat says. “It’s what makes them different and sets them apart that really makes the trajectory of the career skyrocket.”
This article originally appeared in the May/June 2025 issue of SUCCESS® magazine. Photo courtesy of Jamal Peters.
