The Debut is a live showcase built around one belief: emerging artists deserve more than a slot and a mic. If you're serious about your craft and you're ready to perform like the artists you look up to, this is a room built to help you get there.
It's hosted by yours truly, Chris Mayers — a performer first, which is exactly why The Debut is run the way it is. Everything here is designed around making you sound great, look great, and reach more people than you could on your own.
This isn't a gimmick, and it won't magically turn you into a star. What it will do is put you in front of a real audience with real production behind you, and prepare you for the live performance industry while getting your music in front of new listeners. That's the whole point.
Let's be direct about this, because it matters. The Debut is a paid performance — every selected artist is compensated for their set. Amounts are confirmed in writing during booking and scale with the show: the more momentum we build around the night, the more there is to share, and you earn more for being part of driving it.
And you're not doing that part alone. Promoting your own performance is one of the most valuable skills you can build as an artist, so I work alongside you on it — you bring the hustle, I bring the experience, and we both win when the room is full. It's a real part of the preparation The Debut is built to give you.
There's one flat $100 registration fee — no tiers, no upsells, no surprises. It's separate from your performance pay, and here's what it actually covers: the professional assets you keep and own.
For what those assets cost individually, this is well below market — which is the point. The fee keeps the production professional; it isn't how The Debut makes its money off you.
Artists who take their craft seriously and want to grow inside it. If that's you, we'd love to have you on the stage.
We review every application based on quality of music, stage readiness, and genre fit for the upcoming show. We aim to curate a diverse lineup that keeps the audience engaged from start to finish.
We provide a full PA system, professional sound engineering, stage monitors, and a DJ setup for backing tracks. Just bring your instrument if you play one — we handle the rest.
Yes! Artists are welcome to bring merch to sell at the venue. We can help coordinate table space — just let us know when you apply.
The Debut takes place each October, and applications for this year close on Friday, July 17th, 2026. Lineups are finalized after the deadline, so apply early — earlier applications get priority consideration.
Be the first to hear new tracks, show announcements, and behind-the-scenes stories from the studio.
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