LGBTQAI+ rapper Kidd Kenn quickly rose to popularity on social media and garnered local success in his hometown of Chicago after dropping viral freestyle videos.
We sat down with rising singer/songwriter chae to get the scoop on her upcoming debut EP, ‘Letters I’ll Never Write.”
On Monday May 16th I attended the sold out show of Stephen Sánchez at the Moroccan Lounge in Los Angeles.
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On Tuesday, May 10th, I had the pleasure of attending new breakout artist, Willow Kayne’s, first ever concert in New York.
Willow Kayne is a British sensation who is taking over the pop/punk/hip hop world by storm.
Location: The Sultan Room, Bushwick Brooklyn
It was 10pm and the anticipation of her arrival was worth the wait. The crowd of influencers, musicians, and new fans were eager to be surrounded by her magical sound. Kayne began by introducing herself and started singing her first song. The sound waves filled the room as the colorful background changed with each note she sang. I was quite impressed with her stage presence and impact.-
Willow Kayne is 20 years old and to have this much experience so young is very inspiring. She likes to live young, wild and free, unapologetically being herself and doesn’t give a damn what anyone thinks about her. I was very intrigued with her song “copycat” which was about people who let jealousy get the best of them. Kayne is very uplifting and sheds light on her experiences being in her teens as well as entering her 20’s. Everyone was dancing along to her being so flawless on stage. Willow Kanye’s style was what I was also so interested in as well. Kayne rocked an oversized vintage Dennis Rodman T-shirt, Bermuda baggy jeans, and layers of jewelry, and a spice girls hairstyle that completed her punk rock aesthetic. She is a star and I love the crossover impact she has being from the UK. Im looking forward to what else she brings to the music scene.
To have such an impact and voice at such a young age, can only show that her career will take her very far in life. Her concert lasted only about an hour, but within that time span, I felt like I was brought back to being carefree and dancing in my room as a teen with the music on full blast. I appreciate when artists give you the feeling of being “alive”. I’m so happy that she building a fan base, curating her personal sound and style, being positive, and living life to the fullest, I wish her the very best and hope to attend another one of her concerts soon.
Sonos unloaded a bounty of good news for audio-lovers this week, including the announcement of a partnership with award-winning recording artist Lorde, who has provided commentary and music selections for a new, blissed-out radio station, SOLARSYSTYM, available now on Sonos radio and Mixcloud. Lorde also collaborated with eco-conscious designer Everybody.World to design a carrying case for Sono’s celebrated Roam portable speaker.
Sonos Roam in Olive. Image: Sonos
The ultra-portable, waterproof Bluetooth speaker also got an update in the form of new three new organically-inspired colors: Olive, a muted green, the saturated orange of Sunset, and the icy cool blue of Wave. Roam automatically connects to your WiFi network at home and pairs with your device when you’re away, taking away any fumbling for switching connections. Roam is priced at $179 and available in the new colors now.
Perhaps the most eagerly anticipated news was the confirmation that Sonos is expanding its lineup to offer a less expensive but no less powerful soundbar called Ray. Priced at $279 and ideally scaled for smaller setups, Sonos Ray will be able to integrate into an existing household Sonos network or serve as the main listening device.
Sonos Ray in Black. Image: Sonos
The Sonos Ray is still compatible with other Sonos speakers, allowing you to connect rear speakers and a subwoofer wirelessly. But it’s designed to stand on its own, including four Class-D digital amplifiers have been fine-tuned to the soundbar’s unique acoustic architecture, two powerful tweeters for clear highs, plus split waveguides that project sound from wall to wall.
The Sonos Ray also features two centered high-efficiency midwoofers to ensure faithful playback of mid-range frequencies and solid bass. Complex systems support a dynamic bass output, that is full and even. Two of the most interesting features are the speech Enhancement setting that boosts voice frequencies and clarifies dialogues. The Night Sound setting reduces the intensity of loud sounds and increases the level of quieter sounds. Sonos Ray connects to the TV via optical cable, but you can actually control it with your existing TV remote or the excellent Sonos app, where you can also modify the equalizer settings.
Sonos celebrated the Sonos Ray and the new colors of the Roam with a multi-world bash in NYC, immersing guests in a myriad of experiences, from a lush garden inspired by Roam’s new Olive color to a celestial living room featuring sounds from Lorde’s SOLARSYSTYM radio coming from the new Ray soundbar.
Guests at the Sonos Ray launch event in New York City. Image: Fritz Bacon
The Sonos app is one of the best combinations of radio and system control functionality, with hundreds of built-in listening sources. You can stream music, podcasts, radio, and audiobooks from hundreds of popular services, including Apple Music, Amazon Music, Audible, Pandora, Spotify, TIDAL, and more. If none of those satisfies, the Sonos Ray also supports Apple AirPlay 2 for music listening.
Finally, new across the Sonos lineup is Sonos Voice Control, launching at the beginning of June. Integrated into a software update, the new voice experience will offer fast, accurate hands-free control of your music and your Sonos system with no compromise to your privacy. The feature will not record user audio commands or relay them to the cloud for processing, which is unique for the system.
Sonos Ray is available for preorder today and is expected to ship before June 7th, 2022. Learn more about the Sonos line up and shop here.
The Knockturnal got the chance to talk to some of the writers behind your favorite songs. Have you ever wondered what it takes to make it in the music industry, or why some people choose to stay more “behind the scenes” when it comes to music? Well, The Knockturnal has some of the answers for you after attending the BMI Pop Music Awards on May 10, 2022 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills California.
First we talked to BMI’s 2022 Songwriter of the Year Michael Pollack who gave us some advice on what it takes to be a great songwriter!
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Next we got to chat with Tia Tia who is the songwriter behind “My Head & My Heart” last night at the 2022 BMI Pop Awards!
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After that we also got to interview Jessica Agombar who is the songwriter behind BTS’s “Dynamite” and she talked to us about what it was like writing a song that has touched so many around the world during a difficult time.
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BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 10: (L-R) Omer Fedi, winner of multiple awards such as Song of the Year for ‘Mood’ and Songwriter of the Year, and Addison Rae attend the 70th Annual BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on May 10, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for BMI)
We also got to interview Brandon “SlimXX” Allen who is the producer behind Machine Gun Kelly’s “my ex’s bestfriend” last night and during the interview we also got an appearance by BMI 2022 songwriter of the year Omer Fedi.
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We had a great time chatting with Oliver “Junior” Frid and Tayla Parx who are both behind Ariana Grande’s “POV” and told us about what it is like working together especially in such a collaborative industry.
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Afterwards we also got to talk to the amazing Nija Charles who won two BMI Awards last night for being the songwriter behind Ariana Grande’s “positions” and Maroon 5’s “Nobody’s Love”.
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Celebrating over 80 years of service to songwriters, composers, music publishers and businesses, Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®) is a global leader in music rights management, serving as an advocate for the value of music. BMI represents the public performance rights in over 18.7 million musical works created and owned by more than 1.2 million songwriters, composers, and music publishers. The Company negotiates music license agreements and distributes the fees it generates as royalties to its affiliated writers and publishers when their songs are performed in public. In 1939, BMI created a groundbreaking open-door policy becoming the only performing rights organization to welcome and represent the creators of blues, jazz, country, and American roots music. Today, the musical compositions in BMI’s repertoire, from chart toppers to perennial favorites, span all genres of music and are consistently among the most-performed hits of the year.
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 10: (L-R) Songwriter of the Year award co-winner Michael Pollack, President and Chief Executive Officer of BMI Michael O’Neill, and Songwriter of the Year award co-winner Omer Fedi attend the 70th Annual BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on May 10, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for BMI)
We got to interview Sarah “Solly”Solovay who is the songwriter behind Jason Derulo’s @jasonderulo “Take You Dancing” who talked to us about what winning an award like this means to her.
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Not only did we get to interview Stephen Kirk about what it was like working on BTS’s “Butter”, but we also got an inside look to some of the future projects he is working on.
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When talking Oak Felder, who is a music creative behind Demi Lovato’s “I Love Me”, he told us a little bit about how amazing it was to be at an event like this with all his friends again especially after being mostly work from home due to COVID-19.
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We also got to interview Andrew Goldstein who is the songwriter behind Maroon 5 and Meg the Stallion’s “Beautiful Mistakes”, All Time Low and blackbear’s “Monsters”, and Machine Gun Kelly and blackbear’s “my ex’s bestfriend”.
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The event was an absolute dream featuring an amazing dinner, full bar, and tons of amazing performances that really set the tone for the night. Thanks to the BMI’s so many celebrated and accomplished music creatives that would typically be more behind the scenes were highlighted at this amazing even and got to join an amazing lineage of celebrated songwriters and producers. When we got to talk to some of these songwriters and producers they were all in agreement that thanks to BMI they also get to shine under the spotlight and be appreciated for all the work they do.
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 10: Michael Pollack attends the 70th Annual BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on May 10, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images for BMI)
Check out our interviews with some of the award winning songwriters being celebrated that night as well as our behind the scenes TikTok!
R&B vocalist Sevyn Streeter was enlisted by Mary J. Blige to perform at The Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit in Atlanta this past weekend. The show took place at The Tabernacle on Friday night, where she performed alongside Kiana Lede, Rubi Rose, Emotional Oranges and more.
In 2021, Sevyn released second album Drunken Wordz, Sober Thoughtz. On this project, she exercises a great amount of transparency and gives some insight on where she’s been these past few years. It has its introspective moments on songs like “Fall Back” where she speaks directly to the other half of a toxic relationship that is coming to an end. Then, there’s songs like “Wet Dreamz” featuring singer Jeremih and “Change My Mind” where Sevyn shows off her naughty side while delivering addictive harmonies.
The album is the perfect balance between sweet and sour and perfectly encapsulates how the singer has grown musically and personally.
The catchy melodies and flawless vocals are what draws people in to the world of Sevyn, but it’s her duality that hooks you. And at the end of the day, Sevyn is just like us. She, too, has her fair share of problems and emotions to sort through. The only difference is that she used those emotions to create one of the best projects of the year.
We spoke with Sevyn to discuss the inspiration behind the album, touring and what it’s like working in the studio with music industry vet Jermaine Dupri.
The Knockturnal: How have you been?
Sevyn: I’ve been amazing and in a good space, just creating new music.
The Knockturnal: I saw you linked up with Jermaine Dupri, so were you guys working on something?
Sevyn: We are working on my new project. We just started but we’re having a great time. He’s the G.O.A.T. and such a legend and it’s such a honor to work with him. He’s super cool and so talented. To sit there and watch him make a beat last night, I was just staring like “yo, you really that n***a.”
The Knockturnal: How are you enjoying Atlanta?
Sevyn: I love Atlanta. I’m a Florida girl, I’m a country girl. So, Atlanta feels very close to home for me.
The Knockturnal: I have been a fan since your first project Call Me Crazy, But… You’ve came a long way since then and you’ll only get bet bigger. But, I have been waiting to ask you this: you released your EP Shoulda Been There Pt. 1 seven years ago… your fans have been been begging for a part two since then. Will we be getting a part two?
Sevyn: Listen, Twitter is gonna love you for this cause they be on my head about that! I mean, Shoulda Been There was a little moment. I don’t know if I’ll ever do a part two, I’ll be honest. I feel so bad because I was gone for four years and left you guys but I’m not gonna do that anymore. I promise to give an abundance of music. That’s where my head is, just to give you guys more music and more visuals.
The Knockturnal: You released your album Drunken Wordz, Sober Thoughtz last year. What inspired the title of that album.
Sevyn: When you hear drunken words and sober thoughts you think, “Okay, Sis had one too many drinks and is telling all of her business.” And it’s a little bit of that because I definitely had a couple of drinks and told some of my business. But, when I really think about it in my mind when I was creating it, I felt like you can be under the influence of a million emotions. Anger, heartbreak, jealousy, love, so many different things. I wanted to write from all of those different spaces. I just like that at any given moment, no matter what you’re going through, you can pick one of those songs off the album and if you’re under the influence of a certain emotion then you can play that record.
I started a lot of [the album] before quarantine and I finished it during quarantine. We were all under the influence of different emotions during that time. Some days, I was sad. Some days, I was angry. Some days, I was so at peace and happy to be home. I just allowed myself to not be afraid of those emotions and just dive right in to them, then write from that space. That’s really where the title came from.
The Knockturnal: You hit 5 different cities during your tour for this album and it was very intimate but will we be getting a bigger tour from you soon?
Sevyn: We’re in talks of doing a bigger tour. It was a little warm up for me and I hadn’t seen [the fans] in so long. So, I wanted to be able to be so close that I could touch them. To be able to yell at them and they could yell at me back, it was very close and intimate and I love that. But, we are going to do a bigger tour and have more fun. I love live shows and going tour because my Street Team is crazy. They be yelling at me, telling me what songs I should sing. I live for it, though.
The Knockturnal: If you could open up for any artist who would it be? And don’t say Beyonce because everyone says that.
Sevyn: Actually, my old girl group RichGirl opened up for Beyonce’s I Am Sasha Fierce Tour back in 2009. That was fun. But that’s a great question. I would have to say Rihanna. I would love to open up for Rih, I think that would be so much fun. Once she has the little baby, if she gives us this album that we’re dying for then I would love to open up for Rih.
The Knockturnal: As a woman, where do you find your strength from and what is your greatest strength?
Sevyn: I find my strength from a number of different things. The older that I get, I find that I get a lot of strength from what I call my trinity: my mother, my aunt and my grandma. The three of them keep me together. I will call that four in the morning if I need to cry or vent or talk or just get some knowledge on things. We’re talking about three different women who have obviously lived different lives but they have so much wisdom to offer from their experiences, the good, the bad the ugly. They won’t lie to me and that’s what I love the most. Even when the conversations are not so great, they always end up in a positive light. There’s always something to be learned.
Mahalia Jackson, the prominent gospel singer, has revolutionized society’s relationship with gospel music.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 07: Method Man and Mary J. Blige perform onstage during the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit State Farm Arena Concert at State Farm Arena on May 07, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 08: Singer Le'Andria Johnson performs onstage during the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit Gospel Brunch at City Winery Ponce City Market on May 08, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 08: Kierra Sheard performs onstage during the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit Gospel Brunch at City Winery Ponce City Market on May 08, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 08: Kierra Sheard, Mary J. Blige, and Le'Andria Johnson attend Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit Gospel Brunch at City Winery Ponce City Market on May 08, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 06: Ms. Pat, Erica Duchess, Wanda, and Just Nesh attends Strength of a Woman's Comedy Night in Partnership with Mary J. Blige, Pepsi, and Live Nation Urban at Buckhead Theater on May 6, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 06: Wanda attends Strength of a Woman's Comedy Night in Partnership with Mary J. Blige, Pepsi, and Live Nation Urban at Buckhead Theater on May 6, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 06: Erica Duchess attends Strength of a Woman's Comedy Night in Partnership with Mary J. Blige, Pepsi, and Live Nation Urban at Buckhead Theater on May 6, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 06: Recording artist Kiana Lede performs onstage during night 1 of the Strength of A Woman Festival & Summit Gen Z concert at the Tabernacle on May 06, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 06: Rapper Omeretta the Great performs onstage during night 1 of the Strength of A Woman Festival & Summit Gen Z concert at the Tabernacle on May 06, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 06: Recording artist Inayah performs onstage during night 1 of the Strength of A Woman Festival & Summit Gen Z concert at the Tabernacle on May 06, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 06: Recording artist MK XYZ performs onstage during night 1 of the Strength of A Woman Festival & Summit Gen Z concert at the Tabernacle on May 06, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 06: Recording artist Kiana Lede performs onstage during night one of the Strength of A Woman Festival & Summit Gen Z concert at the Tabernacle on May 06, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 06: Rapper Omeretta the Great performs onstage during night one of the Strength of A Woman Festival & Summit Gen Z concert at the Tabernacle on May 06, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 06: Rapper Rubi Rose performs onstage during night one of the Strength of A Woman Festival & Summit Gen Z concert at the Tabernacle on May 06, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 06: Vali and Azad Right of Emotional Oranges perform onstage during night one of the Strength of A Woman Festival & Summit Gen Z concert at the Tabernacle on May 06, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 06: Singer Vali of Emotional Oranges performs onstage during night one of the Strength of A Woman Festival & Summit Gen Z concert at the Tabernacle on May 06, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 06: Singer Sevyn Streeter performs onstage during night one of the Strength of A Woman Festival & Summit Gen Z concert at the Tabernacle on May 06, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 06: Mary J. Blige speaks on stage during the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit – Day 1 – Comedy Night, at Buckhead Theatre on May 06, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 07: (L-R) Carla Hall, Rasheeda Frost, Pinky Cole and Tye Young speak at the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit on May 07, 2022 at The Gathering Spot in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 07: Guests attend the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit on May 07, 2022 at The Gathering Spot in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 07: Signage on display the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit on May 07, 2022 at The Gathering Spot in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 07: General atmosphere at the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit on May 07, 2022 at The Gathering Spot in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 07: (L-R) Tasha Smith, Tamron Hall, Mary J. Blige, Angie Martinez, and Supacent attend the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit on May 07, 2022 at The Gathering Spot in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 07:NFT on display at the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit on May 07, 2022 at The Gathering Spot in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 07: Kandi Burruss attends the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit on May 07, 2022 at The Gathering Spot in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 07: Supacent and Angie Maritnez attend the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit on May 07, 2022 at The Gathering Spot in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 07: Mary J. Blige performs onstage during the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit State Farm Arena Concert at State Farm Arena on May 07, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 07: Summer Walker performs onstage during the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit State Farm Arena Concert at State Farm Arena on May 07, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 07: Mary J. Blige and Jermaine Dupri perform onstage during the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit State Farm Arena Concert at State Farm Arena on May 07, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 07: JT of City Girls performs onstage during the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit State Farm Arena Concert at State Farm Arena on May 07, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 07: Usher and Mary J. Blige perform during the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit State Farm Arena Concert at State Farm Arena on May 07, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 07: Ella Mai performs onstage during the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit State Farm Arena Concert at State Farm Arena on May 07, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 07: JT of City Girls performs onstage during the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit State Farm Arena Concert at State Farm Arena on May 07, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 07: Queen Naija performs onstage during the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit State Farm Arena Concert at State Farm Arena on May 07, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 07: (L-R) Kandi Burress, Tamika Scott, Tameka "Tiny" Harris and LaTocha Scott of Xscape perform during the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit State Farm Arena Concert at State Farm Arena on May 07, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 07: Chaka Khan performs during the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit State Farm Arena Concert at State Farm Arena on May 07, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 07: Yung Miami of City Girls performs onstage during the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit State Farm Arena Concert at State Farm Arena on May 07, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 07: Baby Tate performs during the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit State Farm Arena Concert at State Farm Arena on May 07, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 07: Kelly Rowland, Kandi Burress and Tasha Smith attend the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit State Farm Arena Concert at State Farm Arena on May 07, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 07: Mary J. Blige and Method Man performs onstage during the Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit State Farm Arena Concert at State Farm Arena on May 07, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit)
This past weekend, Mary J Blige, with the help of Live Nation Urban and Pepsi, kicked off her inaugural Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit in Atlanta.
The 3-day fest was jam-packed with a comedy show, 2 concerts with an all-women lineup, and a Mother’s Day Gospel Brunch.
The Friday night comedy show included comedians Ms. Pat, Erica Duchess, and Taneshia “Just Nesh” Rice. Following the comedy show was a concert at The Tabernacle in Downtown Atlanta with performances by Kiana Ledè, Emotional Oranges, Rubi Rose, Sevyn Streeter, Inayah, MK XYZ and Omerettá the Great. It was the ideal ladies night.
Pink and purple seemed to be the official colors of the weekend, as the fluorescent colors lit up every room we walked in. There were interactive Strength of a Woman photobooths on display all around the venue for fans to enjoy, along with refreshments courtesy of Pepsi and Strength of a Woman merch booths scattered around. And, of course, a hot wing booth selling some of the best assorted chicken wings we’ve ever ate because when in Rome, right?
Fans watched on as their favorite artists put on a hell of a show. ATL natives and rappers Rubi Rose and Omerettá commanded the stage while performing their most popular songs. Rubi even added a twerk competition mid song as she rapped the sexy yet playful lyrics to her single “Hit Yo Dance” featuring Yella Beezy and NLE Choppa.
The energy of the night became calmer once the R&B songstresses took the stage. Sevyn Streeter recently finished her intimate 5-city tour promoting her latest project Drunken Wordz, Sober Thoughtz but she made sure to bring some of that tour energy to the stage and performed songs like “Taboo”, “Before I Do” and “Nasty Girl”.
Kiana Lede closed out the night and did not disappoint. The singer-songwriter floated around the stage in a sultry, black skirt and bra set while serenading the audience as she sung her songs “Chocolate” and “Attention” from her debut album KIKI.
The festivities picked back up on Saturday with the Strength of a Woman Summit hosted by actress Taraji P. Henson. Guests enjoyed educational workshops and panels geared toward cultivating a community to empower and uplift women.
Trailblazing black women in various industries ranging from music and entertainment to hair care and culinary arts shared their individual stories about overcoming adversities, love, friendship and success. Mary J. Blige, Angie Martinez, Supa Cent, Tasha K. Smith, LaLa Anthony, Coco Jones, Naturi Naughton, Kandi Burruss and more were able to speak about their experiences with attendees.
Black-owned food trucks, a Strength of a Woman curated NFT gallery and music led by DJ Traci Steele are just a few of the fun things provided for everyone to enjoy and the entire experience was live-streamed globally on Amazon’s Twitch.
Carrying on into the night, a sold-out concert at State Farm Arena headlined by Mary J Blige was nothing short of magical. R&B group Xscape, Chaka Khan, City Girls, Yung Baby Tate and Queen Naija performed and kept the crowd hype but it was the grand finale that truly brought the night together.
Mary J Blige made the stage her own in an orange and magenta jumpsuit, along with her signature blond tresses and knee-high boots. The R&B legend gave the audience a lengthy but well deserved 2-hour set running through her extensive list of hits. “My Life,” “Real Love” and “Mary Jane (All Night Long)” are among the many songs that she performed.
She even brought longtime friend, and co-star on STARZ Power Book II, Method Man along to perform their 1995 hit “All I Need” while fans and special guests like LaLa Anthony, Kelly Rowland and Missy Elliot sang along. But the surprises didn’t stop there.
As the concert began to wind down, Usher, Summer Walker and Ella Mai joined Mary on stage to perform a few of their songs for the crowd. It was a perfect finale and an even more perfect night as Mary reminded us why she has and will always be the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul.
Dax recently released his single called Dear Alcohol which is available on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, YouTube Music, and more.