Sound Stage presented by Next Showcase Chicago

Featuring performances by Gifted Keys, T.L. Williams, & Mars

All Ages

Doors 7:00pm

Ends 9:45pm

General Admission - $10 (Choose your ticket based on the artist you are coming to support!)

Gifted Keys A fusion of smooth melodic jazz, sprinkled with a soulful element, and mixed with electric, finger snapping, foot-stomping funk, is what you get when you let Gifted Keys pour through your speakers or captivate you from the stage.

Keya “Gifted Keys” Trammell launched her career in 2016. The South Suburban Illinois native grew up singing in the church choir and writing poetry, but she never considered pursuing a music career. It wasn’t until she posted a video on Facebook of her singing the cover of Erykah Badu's “On & On” that she realized her calling. That video went viral, garnering over 1.3 million views in a week, and she received an overwhelming amount of support and admiration. Not long after the singer went viral, she released her first EP, The Unknown Agenda, which can be found on all musical platforms: Apple Music/Itunes, Spotify, Google Play, Tidal or Youtube.

What captivated viewers was her bald head. At the age of 2, Keya was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease Alopecia Totalis, a complete loss of scalp hair, occurring either all at once, or within a short time. It wasn’t just the large audience she attracted that led her to launch the career, but the message that resonated with viewers through the simple decision to wear a wig or go wigless that day. Growing up, Keya often dealt with mental and emotional abuse from other children because of her lack of hair. The one aspect of life that she believed made her feel whole was music.

Within recent time, Keya has been nominated “Best Female Vocalist” for the Chicago Music Awards. She has also constructed a team-up event with the White Sox & the National Alopecia Areata Foundation on September 27th, 2019 to bring awareness and donation to the cause and more profound research on Alopecia. She also plans to release new music by the end of 2019.

T.L. Williams Singer-songwriter and Chicago native T. L. Williams shines with his ability to seamlessly weave R&B, Hip Hop, Soul, and Jazz into mainstream pop crossover hits. T. L. is also enjoying newfound fame as a sought after producer, crafting hits for Syleena Johnson, Twista, Keyshia Cole and more. Williams hit the ground running in 2015 with the classic hit Gettin Mo Money Than You, which continues to be a red hot staple in the urban dance community. Two more albums, The New Normal (2016) and Love In The 3rd Wave (2018) followed. The CEO of Quiet Kingdom Recordings is also founder of Symphony Of Change Inc. a NFP arts organization dedicated to restoring music programs in schools. His latest LP, Kingdom, has T. L. diving further into what makes his sound unique with the hits Slow Jam Tape and Gated Community.

Mars Mars is an up and coming recording artist from Aurora, IL. Mars has been musically inclined since a child. Since then he has been working on perfecting his skills as an artist who raps, sings, and dances on occasion. In his spare time, he enjoys working with the local artist in “The Basement”. The Basement is his in home studio where he works on all of his projects. He names his latest EP The Basement to give his listeners a better feel on his day to day life. He explains that The Basement is where his vision first started. What makes Mars Kidd so special is his love for music and having the ability to write, create, live his dream and fulfill his purpose. When Mars was born, the doctors stated that he had a heart defect called Left Hypo-Plastic heart syndrome and that he wouldn’t live past the age of three. By the grace of God, Mars has lived a healthy life for over 20 years. He’s had three open heart surgeries, but you wouldn’t be able to tell because he’s strong and acts so normal. He’s a go-getter. He’s been able to perform with the Awesome Jennifer Hudson, he’s created a few mixtapes and EP's and now he’s working on his album. Mars is here to show you his life the way he sees it. In his music, he gives you the struggle, the good, the bad, and the excitement. To be great and succeed are his only options. 

“I am Mars Kidd, and 

My 

Addiction 

Requires 

Success” 

-Mars

BUY TICKETS