Jailhouse rock: Charlotte’s newest recording studio is in the county lockup
On the sixth floor of Mecklenburg County’s detention center, past the visitor’s area, a new recording studio gives inmates the opportunity to express themselves through music.
The studio is equipped with a sound proof recording booth, a small keyboard and production equipment. In the studio a mural of the late Swedish DJ Avicii is painted on the white cinderblock walls.
The recording studio is a part of the jail’s rehabilitation efforts in a program called “Rhythm and Reflection: A Journey to Reformation.”
The name of the studio is Studio Wh5y?, referring to the who, what, when, where, how and why of you.
“The purpose (of the program) is to get individuals to basically go on a journey of self-reflection and understanding of self,” said Dorian Johnson, programs director for Mecklenburg County Jail.
The recording studio opened in June for inmates to test run and see what works. The full program has not begun yet, but Johnson hopes it will begin in a few weeks.
The recording studio cost less than $15,000, according to Johnson. Nearly all of the funding was covered through the Stockholm-based Tim Bergling Foundation, which was founded by the Swedish family of Bergling, the dj known as Avicii, who died by suicide in 2018.
Johnson was offered help to start the program by a fellow prison staffer who happened to have a friend who worked on Coldplay’s management team.
Johnson then met the team behind Coldplay. They showed interest in the program and introduced Johnson to Avicii’s father, who liked the idea of the program and agreed to help fund it.
After Johnson pitched the program to the foundation, and received funding he was able to begin developing it. So far, Mecklenburg County’s detention center is the only jail to receive a grant from the foundation for such a program.
About the music program in the Mecklenburg jail
The music program is voluntary; inmates in good behavior standing can sign up for it. Only six inmates can be in the program at a time.
The eight-week program will allow inmates to create their own music, and it will also introduce them to the business of music and other facets of the music industry. The music must be “purposeful,” meaning there are some restrictions on language and content of the inmates’ work.
Inmates can sing, rap, write their own music, play the keyboard and learn how to use the production equipment.
Johnson said he also wants to create a Mecklenburg Sheriff’s Office radio station that will play the music on the residents’ tablets.
Myra Stewart is one of the instructors for the program. She has over 30 years working in the music industry as an artist and manager. Her course teaches inmates the business side of the music industry.
The class covers topics such as intellectual property, copyright, licensing and monetization of songs.
Her goal is to provide an alternative to violence and provide inmates with the knowledge of how to be successful in the industry. “Not only is there a lot of talent outside these walls, there is talent inside these walls,” Stewart said.
El Lambert is another instructor with the program, and has been working in the music industry for over 20 years.
He works with inmates both in the studio and with another new program at the jail called Second Verse. This program teaches inmates skills and ways of entering the music industry outside of being an artist, such as working in production or artist management.
The class begins with incarcerated people being taught general knowledge of the industry. Then Lambert introduces experts to share their experience in the industry. After that, participants work on a capstone project of their own choice such as being an artist, own a studio or run a label.
The program will run Monday through Thursday every eight weeks, year-round.
Inmate reactions to the new program
The Charlotte Observer spoke with two of the program participants. Due to privacy reasons, the sheriff’s office did not provide the names or charges of the people in its jail participating in the music program.
One inmate sang a cover of “I Could Never Be Happy” by The Emotions. The soul song released in 1972 conveys the sense of loss that comes with unreturned love.
“Being caught up in the street life, you don’t really have an understanding of who you should be,” the inmate told the Observer. “So being in this program right here, it really made me reflect on what type of person I was,”
He expressed excitement about the program due to his lifelong love of music. And, he said, the program has inspired him to want to become a peer counselor, activist and to continue making music with a positive message.
Another inmate who raps and sings said that creating music through the program has allowed him to better understand himself and work on how he puts himself out to the world.
“With the opportunity to be in the studio, I’ve learned a lot, “ he said. “It’s not just about creating music at all. It’s how you give it out to the world for people to interpret or to even relate to it.”
Lyrics by Mecklenburg jail residents
After the Observer’s visit, the jail provided lyrics from an inmate who had been testing out the program before its formal launch:
“Cause we killing each other this ish is getting sad/ I lost a couple of my homies plus my dad
“Since when did we start to think that doing good was doing bad?
“Nobody can beat the streets”
These are lyrics from another inmate’s song:
“I’m a visionary tryna better myself, been focused lately Imma stride outta here with the ukulele
“That’s the sound I can hear I’m reflecting lately About the man in the mirror open my eyes now my vision getting closer”
And here’s another person’s song from the jail:
“Moving right in a straight line will take me farther
“Now I’m a father. My kids and all that I am is my legacy.
“I told ‘em don’t run from what you believe and you can beat defeat.
“I’d rather die on my feet than to live on my knees”
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This story was originally published August 5, 2025 at 5:55 AM.
