Stephanie Mayers Talks Grammys, Motherhood, and Diversity in Children’s Music

Stephanie Mayers started her music career as an unapologetic Deadhead — but these days, you’re more likely to find her jamming out to kid-friendly songs about magical treehouses than “Uncle John’s Band.”  

The children’s music publicist — the secret force behind six Grammy winners’ hardware — gets her serotonin kicks from songs made with little listeners in mind, particularly those who are underrepresented. 

“When I first started in kids music, it was very not diverse … early 2000s was very, very white,” says Mayers, who credits one of the first artists she ever worked with —Dan Zanes — for “opening my eyes” to the lack of diversity in the genre. 

“Diversity was a massive priority for him,” she explains. “Everyone in his band was from a different race or culture, so that every child in the audience would see themselves represented when they came to a Dan Zanes concert, which was amazing.” 

We recently caught up with Mayers, who has two artists up for a Grammy in 2026, to learn more about her journey — and the wisdom she’s gleaned from two decades in the music industry. 

Rockmommy: Hi, Stephanie! When did that spark kind of come into play for you getting into the music business?

Stephanie Mayers: Well, I’m from the suburbs of Philadelphia and then went on to University of Pittsburgh for college, completely undeclared and undecided, with no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I was not the most studious person in high school, I was more interested in hanging out and having fun listening to the Grateful Dead.

So in my sophomore year they’re like, okay, ‘you have to pick a major now.’ It was this conversation about, well, what are you really passionate about? What do you love doing? I came to the topic of music and I wound up getting an internship through my college at a local radio station. It was really fun. I got to hang out with all the DJs, go to special events, give out tickets to people calling in. Then, I went to London for semester and got an internship there, actually working for music promotions house. That was what showed me how ‘this is a real job’ and ‘this is something you can do.’ 

Rockmommy: I know that 2004 you that was a big moment in your career when you started working on the Peanut Butter and Jam series. 

Stephanie Mayers: Yes! My first real industry job I was working at World Café Live in Philadelphia. I was so lucky to get my foot in the door working in a brand-new venue.  They were open seven days a week, so they were trying to figure out how to get butts and seats and bodies in the door. We decided to start doing family music series on the weekends. It kind of started off with local people playing guitar at the libraries, but I began researching and finding all these family music acts that happened to be bubbling up at the time. It was a really amazing time in kids’ music. Before I knew it, Saturdays were my favorite day of the week, and it was so fun. That really kind of set me on my very niche direction during that series. 

Rockmommy: What was it about family music that kind of like, you’re like, you know what this is? This is really rad. I’m going to stick with this.

Stephanie Mayers: Yeah, it was, and I didn’t even have kids yet. It was pure and real. I was in my 20s. I got married really young, so I’m working at the music venue these late nights, and there’s all this “grown up” stuff going on which didn’t feel super great. But then I’d go on Saturdays, and it was just pure happiness, pure through all the music, watching the little ones bop, and the discovery of how children’s was just this umbrella genre. There was every possible genre under the sun within children’s music to be found. 

I absolutely fell in love with the music that I was booking, and that was like Dan Zanes, Gustafer Yellowgold, Brady Rymer, Ernie and Neil, Audra Roxs, The Dirty Sock Funtime Band, all of these bands that were making really well produced, high quality, thoughtful, entertaining music for families. It was just kind of this amazing discovery. 

[SEE RELATED: Dan + Claudia Zanes Celebrate Embrace American, Haitian Folk Traditions with Latest Album]

Rockmommy: What did you learn about promotion and publicity and why it’s so important in elevating artists that may have a hard time otherwise?

Stephanie Mayers: Well, I got lucky. I worked there, and then I worked at Putumayo World Music, which was a large record label at the time that had a whole kids imprint, and then I ran Dan Zanes’ label for five years. So really got to learn a lot in those positions about how these professionals were doing it and what was expected. 

The fact is that there are not a lot of places for kids artists to be discovered. They can record their album and they can get it all right, make it sounding great. But once they’re done, they’re done, and they kind of have to hand it off to somebody to try to get it out there. 

Rockmommy: Did you decide to strike out on your own after helping to produce a couple of events? What was the next step in your career?

Stephanie Mayers: I had been working with Dan Zanes for five years when I had my second daughter. I live in New Jersey, our office was in Brooklyn and they were generous at the time. I think I was maybe working from home two days a week and going in the office three days a week. But it was really hard, having young kids and batting back and forth across two rivers every day. My husband was also working kind of far away at the time, so we felt really pulled. After I had my second daughter I was like, ‘I can’t go to Brooklyn anymore.’ So I worked from home for a while, and I think it hit some point where they were like, ‘we don’t know if this is working for us’ and I was like, ‘well, I definitely can’t go back to that.’ It was kind of this moment where I thought ‘what if I finally go off on my own? I could do your PR, and you can be one of my first clients?’ That was pretty cool to say, one of my first clients was Dan Zanes. I had always wanted to go off on my own. I was always doing little projects.

Rockmommy: How do you forge a relationship with an artist? 

Stephanie Mayers: Well, there’s not a lot of people like me out there, not a lot of people that do what I do. A lot of projects come to me, through word of mouth, discovery, whatever. Occasionally, there’s something I hear about, and I’m like, ‘Man, I want to be a part of that!’ Like, after the fact, I found out Tori Amos had put out a kid’s album with a children’s book. And I was like, ‘What the heck? How come I didn’t get to work on that?’

[SEE RELATED: John Legend Talks to Us About Love, Family, And His First Grammy Nomination for ‘Best Children’s Music Album’]

Rockmommy: So one of the things that that really, I think sets you apart is that you actively seek a diverse client base. Was that a calling? 

Stephanie Mayers: Yes, it is a conscious effort. When I first started in kids music, it was very not diverse. Early 2000s was very, very white. I have to go back to Dan Zanes again, because he was really the one that kind of opened my eyes. Diversity was a massive priority for him. 

Everyone in his band was from a different race or culture, so that every child in the audience would see themselves represented when they came to a Dan Zanes concert, which was amazing. He was very outspoken about it and had couple discussions when we had Kindiefest (a children’s music conference). He was on a panel and spoke very boldly about it, I remember it was quite the stir. But once you see something, you can’t unsee something, so then it becomes, ‘how can I find some more diverse voices?’ 

Rockmommy: You helped six artists win Grammys that doesn’t even include, the nominations of artists you supported. What was your first, the first Grammy that you helped usher in?

Stephanie Mayers: Right after I started, I worked with Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, and he won the Grammy in 2017. It was before I was actively, really involved, like going and walking down the red carpet. I just had worked on his campaign, and he won, and that was really exciting.

Rockmommy: So it’s a campaign process?

Stephanie Mayers : Yes, I kind of put together the whole messaging of the project. When a client sends me an album, I listen to it and I take in what I take in from it. But I very often ask the artist for their take on it. Why this album? Why now? What inspired it? What stands out to you about it? Is it the messaging? Is it the musicianship? What brought this to fruition? 

I’ll very often have them song by song and break it down for me in the sentence or two, like a little bit of homework, because I don’t want to come in with just my opinions. 

It’s tough out there, so I really have to think creatively, because it’s not the traditional way that I even used to do it. When I say yes to something, I have to mean it, and I have to be ready to live and breathe that project and say that client’s name and their album title hundreds of times in trying to get it out there. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.

Rockmommy: When you get to that level, you have to say “no” more, and that’s disappointing to some, but you have to feel passionate enough that you can authentically promote, or sell, something.

Stephanie Mayers: You can’t sell something you don’t believe in it. Ultimately we’re salespeople, and you can’t sell something you’re not passionate about. I, especially early on, I took projects that maybe I didn’t feel that way about, just because I was getting started, and I pushed myself to see past that. It just never works if I don’t love it, and that’s a hard thing. It’s tough, and people don’t like that. But, I’m one person. I have nobody else. So if I’m saying no, it’s for a good reason.

Rockmommy: As you know, I have to say no to some interviews. It takes a lot of energy to be present for your children.

Stephanie Mayers: I really feel very needed and very pulled in with [my daughters] right now. I’m spending much my time on my kid’s stuff and being with them, with the shuffling them around and signing them up for this and that. I think around ages 6-8 was a little bit more of a smooth process than right now with my daughters ages 10 & 16, it feels really involved and very hands on. The older one is already starting SAT prep, and thinking about college visits and what does she want her future to be. 

Rockmommy: How good is it when you get a really high-tier artist like John Legend. Is that intimidating? 

Stephanie Mayers: Everyone has different rules and regulations. It is incredibly stressful, but it’s incredibly exciting. John was lovely. The name came up before I heard the album, and I was like, ‘I still have to hear the album.’ I can’t just say, ‘of course’ because it’s John Legend. Luckily, it was stunning. As I was listening to it, I was like, ‘what is this magic I’m hearing?’ And it was so exciting. He’s such a family man. It was so natural for him to do that project with the kids. So, yeah, it’s definitely intimidating, but thrilling that your name is getting passed around out there, and people think you’re good enough.

Rockmommy: How do you manage artists’ expectations? 

Stephanie Mayers: I’m really upfront. I’m very honest from the start about where my strengths are, what the landscape looks like, what I think might be possible, but that I can’t guarantee anything at all. I might think, ‘this song is so perfect for radio’ and then they might not [go for it]. Or I’ve had things that I thought were going to be total hits that just went flat, and it’s embarrassing. I will lose sleep over it. It’s a little bit of a gamble, which is part of my whole decision-making process. I really have to think super honestly with myself when I’m listening to something- is this going to break through? And sometimes there are albums that are beautiful with an amazing story, and nobody cares.

Rockmommmy: I know this has been a hard year for you personally, with your mom passing away. 

Stephanie Mayers: I’ve lost both of my parents. My dad passed in 2018 and then my mom passed this just in March. They were huge supporters. They were on board for whatever it was that I said I wanted to do. I wanted to travel to Israel when I was in high school and do a semester there and they let me go … this is the kid who, like, wouldn’t sleep over other people’s houses. They were really really were huge supporters. 

Right after my dad died, I started getting to go to the Grammys a lot more, and things were really kind of picking up in my business. My mom always said to me, ‘Daddy always said you were going to be successful. Daddy always said you were going to make it. He was so proud of you then, and he would be so proud of you now.’ 

When I couldn’t afford to go out to the Grammys for the first time, my mom paid for my hotel and flights so I would not miss out on the experience. She really just believed in me, and I know that. That’s probably one of the hardest parts now, is not being able to share all the things as you get older.

Rockmommy: For your clients that are parents and that are that are in this space, you know, like, do you find yourself imparting kind of parental wisdom to them?

Stephanie Mayers: I feel like, in general, I’m like part publicist, part therapist. I always think if I had to take a new career, I would definitely be a therapist, because I feel like that’s a huge part of what I do for my clients, talking them through so much.