Kennedy Pugh Kennedy Pugh is founder of Music for the Cause, a mission‑driven music collective that began as a grassroots effort to spotlight suicide prevention and has since evolved into a powerful amplifier for health equity and social‑justice issues affecting communities of color. Blending soulful performance, personal storytelling, and collaborative…
Phat Man Dee A pan-spiritual, Jewish, bisexual artist and working-class creator, Phat Man Dee is deeply committed to uplifting marginalized communities, including BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ individuals. She co-founded Social Justice Disco, a collaboration with Liz Berlin (formerly of Rusted Root) that merges music and activism. She also sings alto with…
DeShaun Gordon-King Known for his soulful tone and mesmerizing phrasing, Trevor James Alto Flute Artist Díjí Kay (née DeShaun Gordon-King) has given performances as a soloist and principal flute in Europe, Asia, and throughout the United States. Díjí Kay grew up surrounded by griot traditions, jazz and gospel music. Inspired…
Stephanie Mckay Stephanie has toured over 35 countries playing her original music at major festivals, appearing on TV and major radio stations in five continents. Her music fuses soul, folk and is inspired by legends such as Tracy Chapman, Odetta, and Mavis Staples. She is a member of the Inaugural…
JennyRebecca Opera singer and Berlin-based singer-songwriter JennyRebecca Ronning has earned praise from institutions such as the New York Times, where critic Anne Midgette wrote that “JennyRebecca showed a lovely, smooth voice that matched her poise.” An artist of uncommon range and depth, she moves fluidly between classical performance, contemporary songwriting,…
Yuni Wa Princeton Coleman (born April 27, 1997), known by his stage name Yuni Wa, is a music producer and DJ from Little Rock, Arkansas. He has released over 30 albums, EPs, and singles, which rapidly gained traction across the internet’s underground music scene throughout the 2010s. Yuni Wa is…
Al "Papa Rap" Lopez Al Papa Rap Lopez is originally from Puerto Rico and has lived in NWA since 1994. Al is a self-taught musician who has composed and arranged hundreds of songs that he uses in his live performances. He performs solo or he can also bring his 8-piece…
Shakeenah Fentis Shakeenah is a grandmother and long-time NW Arkansas resident. She grew up in NY, singing from age four and attending extensive creative arts classes, including musicals, dance and drama with The Harlem Children’s Theatre Co. and The Henry Street Settlement House. After high school and a year of…
Vidya Ramachandhiramani Vidya Ramachandhiramani is a software engineer and Carnatic singer from the South of India. She has been an instructor and practitioner of Carnatic music for many years and the founder of Sadhana Fine Arts—a music school dedicated in promoting and teaching South Indian classical music—Carnatic Vocal and Veena—in…
Anjelica Lindsey ANJELICA LINDSEY is a classical composer, violinist, and recording artist based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Her work is concerned with language revitalization, cultural reclamation, and the sonic expression of identity through immersive and emotionally resonant composition. She has premiered original works…
