VEVO GOES WITH "GIRL" POWER

The online-video giant's new series, You Play Like a Girl, debuts today; each of its five webisodes follows veteran drummer Samantha Maloney (Hole, Motley Crue, Peaches) as she meets five young female rock musicians, offering them opportunities and advice.

The players, selected from around the country, face a range of obstacles, from familial poverty to a speech impediment. But their musical aspirations keep them focused.

“You Play Like A Girl showcases true girl power and shines light on five teens with big rock-star dreams," says VEVO SVP Music Programming, Talent & Operations Doug McVehil. VEVO has long been a supporter of emerging artists but with this series, we wanted to go a step deeper and showcase young, unknowns who blew our minds with their talent.”

In each installment (none longer than 10 minutes), we meet one of these teen rockers as she tells her story and receives counsel (and gifts) from Maloney. “Each of these girls has amazing dedication to their chosen instrument and are very focused on making their passions become reality," McVehil notes. "Their excitement is contagious.”

See for yourself: Here's the episode featuring 16-year-old drummer Misia Vessio from Queens, who engages in a spirited drum duel with Maloney.

"Misia uses her drums to express herself in a way that she sometimes verbally can’t because she struggles with a speech impediment," explains McVehil. "She doesn’t let anything stop her literally. The world’s fastest drummer hits 1,200 beats per minute Misia can hit 1,000!”

Each webisode can be shared, linked, embedded or otherwise disseminated online; no doubt its circulation will inspire many more teen girls to turn up the volume.

You Play Like a Girl carries forward VEVO's commitment to provide visibility for unknown, bubbling-under and soon-to-be-huge acts, a commitment exemplified by its LIFT program, which has previously turned a spotlight on such artists as One Direction, Kendrick Lamar, Paloma Faith, Tinie Tempah, Rita Ora, Bridgit Mendler, Walk the Moon and many others. Kacey Musgraves is the LIFT artist as of this writing.

In a related story, do these pigtails make me look less like a middle-aged guy? I'm-a get discovered, dagnabbit.