Rooted In Culture, Rising In Rhythm.

Rooted in Rhythm began with a conversation between two Caribbean-rooted women building lives and creative communities in New Orleans. What started as a shared vision grew into a platform for cultural exchange, artistic development, and collective healing across the African diaspora.

Nikki Fernandes

Co-founder Nikki Fernandes was raised on the island of St. Thomas, where the rhythms of community, resilience, and cultural heritage shaped her understanding of healing. Growing up in a small island territory facing environmental and economic challenges sparked her lifelong commitment to systems that support community resilience and equity. Nikki earned her B.A. in Medical Anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her Master of Public Health in International Health and Development from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Her work bridges public health, culture, and systems change, grounded in a belief that grassroots communities should lead the solutions that shape their futures.

For Nikki, culture is more than expression—it is infrastructure. Music, storytelling, and artistic practice are powerful tools for healing, economic opportunity, and community resilience. Rooted in Rhythm reflects her passion for building spaces where artists of the African diaspora can create, connect, and thrive while prioritizing holistic wellness and joy.

Raquel Haupt

Co-founder, Raquel Haupt, creatively known as Rocky Raine, is a Jamaican-American artist and Founder of a New Orleans-based creative agency, Breaks In The Simulation, dedicated to the sustainable development of emerging creatives and the ecosystems around them. With a B.S. in Psychology, an upbringing in performance arts, and a deep commitment to mental health and holistic wellness, Raquel brings years of experience as an international cultural curator and producer. She has aided in creating cultural exchange festivals and platforms for artists around the world—from South Africa to London, Paris, Atlanta, and New Orleans—through global initiatives including Milk + Cookies Music Week and Black Everywhere. With a multidisciplinary approach to creativity, connection, and education, Raquel has dedicated her career to breaking the pattern and building the artist.

The two connected through their shared Caribbean heritage, their love for New Orleans, and a shared understanding that artists need more than stage: they need support systems.

Rooted in Rhythm was created to build that infrastructure.

We envision a thriving creative economy where the cultural legacy of the African diaspora fuels social impact, equitable tourism, and climate resilience. By connecting New Orleans with the Caribbean and beyond, we support artists in preserving heritage, prioritizing wellness, and leading culture-driven transformation.

Because when artists are supported, culture thrives.
And when culture thrives, communities heal.