keiyaA & Dawuna. Artist Talk

24.6.23, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

English

Free admission

For this edition of TUNE, Haus der Kunst presents keiyaA and Dawuna, two artists at the forefront of New York R&B and whose work creates worlds of touching intimacy and introspection.

keiyaA is a singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. Raised in Chicago's south side, she synthesises her jazz training on the alto saxophone, with R&B and hip-hop influences, and her powerful voice and dense lyricism about life as a Black woman. keiyaA learned to produce, and released her first EP Work in 2015 and later her debut LP, Forever, Ya Girl (2020). Her compositions and performances bring together different instrumentation, often with intermittent vocal samples from sources such as the poet Jayne Cortez, and Paul Mooney from the 2003 Chappelle's Show skit, "Ask a Black Dude". She sings about loving deeply, intergenerational pain, and empowerment.

Ian Mugerwa Byenkya, known as Dawuna, is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Raised in Kenya and Virginia, he trained in cello before experimenting with electronics, and after moving to New York recorded his first album Glass Lit Dream (2021) in his dimly-lit basement apartment, often under the moonlight. Blending R&B and neo-soul, with electronic, industrial sounds, his lyrics drift in and out, exploring ideas around desire, ego, pride and male fragility. In some tracks he interweaves samples of recordings of the Black Panthers. He cites empowering gospel music, from Aretha Franklin to Reverend James Cleveland, as a strong influence, as well as the words and teachings of Indian Hindu mystic, Sri Ramakrishna.

On the first evening at Haus der Kunst, keiyaA will present a live solo performance and Dawuna will perform with musicians Brian Davenport and Noella Mugerwa Byenkya. On the second evening, Dawuna will give a more intimate solo performance and keiyaA presents a live solo performance.

There will be an artist talk with keiyaA, Dawuna and curator Sarah Miles on Saturday 24.6.23 at 6 pm. Participation is free of charge.

This event is part of a collaboration with Bourse de Commerce. In 2023, from Paris to Munich, the Bourse de Commerce and Haus der Kunst unveil joint musical projects, confronting different generations of artistic avant-garde, and forging links between contemporary art and music.