Can’t Stop the Beat with Tkay Maidza
Article and Photo By Betty Kifle
The wind was mighty that night, but the anticipation of Tkay Maidza at the Lincoln Hall kept my friends and I warm. This was a first time experience going to a concert for a friend of mine, that came along with no idea of what concert culture was or what genre of music to expect, however the show set the expectations high for my friend that night.
The opener for Tkay, Gayun Cannon, brought a friendly and warm energy into the room immediately as she performed, curating such a melancholy atmosphere. Her electric guitarist, Dante Swan, gave an attractive and suave performance, alongside Antonio Romello, her drummer, was vibing out and expertly transitioned from the drums to the drum pad.
After the opening set, DJ Pia B took the stage and did such an excellent job getting the fans hyped for Tkay while also getting us warmed up with eccentric beats combined with crowd favorites such as “Water” by Tyla and “Best I Ever Had” by Drake that had the crowd moving their heads and hips. Dj Pia B did an excellent job introducing Tkay to enter performing her 2020 EP Grasshopper that had the fans jumping like one.
Tkay entered the stage in a beautiful violet two piece skirt, the wardrobe and makeup made Tkay resemble a look of a medieval soft gothic fairy. As Tkay Maidza performed with such electric and vibrant energy that gets the crowd on their feet moving their hips, she had such a grand smile singing with the fans. Tkay transitioned into songs from her latest released album Sweet Justice that she talked about on stage being an unconventional breakup album, emphasizing rebirth and new beginnings. She gets the crowd on her frequency with futuristic sounds and nostalgic beats with tracks such as "Love and Other Drugs" and "Won One." She uplifts the frequency with elevating house beats such as my personal favorites "24K" and "What Ya Know" that had the crowd swaying together in tempo with Tkay.
The fans also added on to the amazing energy in the room, especially those on the left side of the stage that kept winning the crowd hype checks that DJ Pia B conducted. Tkay fans are not ones to mess with when it comes to Tkay and a dance floor.
Tkay Maidza set high expectations for my friend that night. I can say that Tkay knows how to make a stage feel like her own. Creating a space spewing vibrant and infectious energy, bringing the crowd together as a community through levitating house beats and electric futuristic pop, Tkay blurs the lines between genres experimenting with synthpop, rap, and experimental and electronic production. Tkay will be continuing her Sweet Justice North American tour until the beginning of March, and hopefully will be making another visit to Chicago soon.