Jaleesa Ledbetter was literally and figuratively on top of the world when everything began to shut down as a result of COVID-19. The event manager, producer and DJ, known as Hourglass, was performing at a ski resort on a Swiss mountaintop, with upcoming gigs in Berlin, London and Paris.

"I was breaking ground and thought 2020 was the year I was going to take my career to the next level," says Jaleesa. "We had plans to show Atlanta to the world."

Jaleesa, who was an accountant in a previous life, has a motto to "Think outside the clock." It's a mantra that inspired her to pursue music full time and never be complacent. "We have no idea how much time we have," she says. "The idea of an hourglass represents how I want to live my life."

Jaleesa describes herself as "unapologetically black, queer and uninterested in following the norms," and her music and audiences reflect that. Her confident self-identity and strong work ethic pumps in the form of future beats, Afrobeats, Latin, hip-hop, top 40 and everything in between, and she earned her props as the "Most Lit DJ in 2020" by Butter ATL.

But as Jaleesa will attest, even successful DJs aren't immune to the economic downturn caused by COVID-19. "I was scared because all of my income is tied to music and events," she says. "I was overwhelmed and didn't know what the future would hold and where I fit in."

A fellow DJ told Jaleesa about the creATL Relief Fund that supports Atlanta's independent creative workers affected by the pandemic and encouraged her to apply. 

"This fund helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel," says Jaleesa. It also gave her the freedom to invest in her digital presence – a space that will not only sustain her financially but also allow her to share happiness during these dark, uncertain times.

"There's so much death and sadness and tragedy," says Jaleesa. "I want to make people feel good through music."