KXCI continues its celebration of Black History Month in partnership with Black Renaissance and the Takeover Lounge Podcast. Each Saturday in February the Takeover Lounge Podcast will interview an Arizona artist from the KXCI Congress Street Studio. Interviews will focus on captivating conversations with Black musicians and LGBTQ+ artists throughout the month. Featuring Nessa, Nico Jordan, Suomo, and Tommy Will. You can also tune in to 91.3 FM throughout February for artists’ featurettes or hear full interviews on the Takeover Lounge Podcast available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. More Black Renaissance events are happening throughout Black History Month.

Black Renaissance Interviews from the KXCI Congress Street Studios:

Saturday 2/5: Nessa is her name and crafting is her game. Nessa is a fiber artist and student at the Eller College of Management studying Management Information Systems and Operation Supply Chain Management. Check out the full interview with Nessa here!

Saturday 2/12: Nico Jordan his latest independent album release A Beautiful Nightmare is out now. Find more of Nico’s work here.

Saturday 2/19: Suomo, a 32-year-old queer, self-taught Gabonese-American artist living on unceded O’odham and Yaqui Land, otherwise known as Tucson, Arizona. Coming from a line of powerful healers and other badass women, Suomo proudly recognizes her art as a continuation of her deep-rooted medicinal and spiritual inheritance. Suomo began painting during the pandemic as a way of healing, having previously focused on pencil and charcoal as her preferred medium. Suomo considers herself a multimedia artist and creator who deeply wishes to honor Black stories and the depth of emotions behind them.

Saturday 2/26: Tommy Will is one half of It’s the Shift find more of Tommy Will’s work here.