Sloane Simon is a 13-year-old vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist. She began playing guitar when she was eight years old, after her mother was diagnosed with aggressive spinal cancer. Until that point, she had been studying piano but wanted an instrument that would allow her to always be by her mother's side. She wrote and recorded her first song when she was nine, about being brave when you are scared. Her mother is healthy now and Sloane continues to use her guitar to narrate her journey through life's challenges and celebrations.

Mavis Staples
Performing Art Legendary R&B / soul singer and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame