In just a couple weeks, Tallahassee alternative pop singer Kanise will be moving to Atlanta, a step she hopes will propel her musical career forward.
But before her departure, she bids farewell to her hometown with a show at Cascades Park. She’ll be headlining as part of the free Downtown Concert Series at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 20, organized by the Tallahassee Downtown Improvement Authority.
“I decided to tell myself, ‘go to a bigger city and put yourself out there,’ ” Kanise said in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat. “I was kind of in a bit of an oasis. Two things about Tallahassee, it’s great for fostering talent, but it can also be a bit of a bubble.”
This concert marks a significant milestone in her journey, reflecting her growth from a local talent nurtured in Tallahassee to an artist ready to take on a bigger stage. On average, the 28-year-old, born Karrie Williams, performs three shows a month.
She has graced several local stages, including Fire Betty's and Frenchtown Rising. She recalls performing in January at 926 Bar & Grill in front of a packed audience, who knew the words to her unreleased music that had only been promoted through social media.
Her reach extends to South Florida, and across state lines to Atlanta, where she's performed at Apollo Amateur night at the Apache Cafe. Her music is also streamed internationally to countries like Japan, Canada, France, New Zealand, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom.
Kanise has made her mark, establishing herself in the local music scene with successful events like the XXL-inspired, "Tally vs. The World" competition series, and "Trainwreck," a rock concert at Goldie Sound Productions.
The first two "Tally vs. The World" events, held in September 2022 at The Puff, a local smoke shop, attracted over 500 guests. The final showcase last February at Goldie Sound drew 150 attendees. "Trainwreck" last January had an audience of about 250.
Over the past year, she has garnered over 25,000 streams with nine songs across all streaming platforms, with two of them released this year. Currently, her most streamed songs are "Cabernet Sauvignon" and "Go to Work."
Finding a mentor at Tallahassee's Goldie Sound Productions
Her performance background began as a student taking drama and theater classes at Leon High School. It wasn’t long before she expressed her passion for music to her mother, Angela Lawson, who has been nothing but supportive of her career from the beginning.
At 15 years old, Kanise and her mother were introduced to the owner of Goldie Sound Productions, Adrian “AD” Dickey by a mutual friend and producer, Dominic Rollins. Since then, Dickey has provided constant support, recording her music and mentoring her in both music and life.
During their first studio session together, Dickey recalls Kanise being very shy, even questioning if she really wanted to pursue music. But over the years, she has emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the local music scene.
“I’ve seen a whole lot of growth,” Dickey said. “The confidence thing, she definitely has that now. It’s always exciting to see her perform, because of the way she commands the stage. I think she’s a great performer.”
Alexis Bondi, operation and events manager for the Tallahassee Downtown Improvement Authority, noted that Kanise was recommended for the concert series by an intern, who witnessed one of her performances while serving as the talent buyer for Club Downunder/Union (CDU) at Florida State University.
The Tallahassee Downtown Improvement Authority was created in 1971 as an act by the Florida Legislature to promote the downtown area as a central hub for community engagement and business growth. For the last 10 years, it has organized the free Downtown Concert Series, primarily booking local acts.
“This year, we’ve been able to get a couple of regional acts,” Bondi said. “We normally try to do a local opener. Because we’ve had more regional acts we’ve been super excited to plan this July 20 show, which has three local bands. We’re calling it our 'Tallahassee locals showcase', to just show off all the incredible talent we have in our community.”
Opening for Kanise will be Two Foot Level, a local band with five members, and Clever Girl, another local band that performs rock music.
Finding a niche in songwriting and performing
Kanise recognizes this headlining show as a full circle moment, since the first time she performed as a solo act live was on the same amphitheater stage at Cascades Park in 2021. This time, she’ll be accompanied by her new band, formed when bassist, Aaron McNamara, expressed interest in collaborating with her following her Valentine’s Day performance at Legacy on the Riverfront with local promotion group 96 Nation.
When Kanise began writing her own music, she wasn't concerned about confining her sound to fit any one genre. But ultimately, alternative pop is the sound she identifies with most. Other singers who fit this genre are artists like Lana Del Rey, best known for her Billboard charting hit "Summertime Sadness" featuring Cedric Gervais and Lorde, best known for her song "Royals," which charted at No. 1 in 2013.
"I just wrote and tried to make music that was authentic for me," Kanise said. "That's just what came out of it."
Although the group ‘Kanise’ has only been together for less than six months, her bandmates, McNamara and Sammy ‘Van’ Hanson, will move with her to Atlanta in August.
During her time at Goldie Sound, she networked with numerous industry professionals, including Grammy-award winners Nova Wav, a songwriting duo who has worked with artists like Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Rihanna, and Ariana Grande.
While serving as Goldie Sound's social media coordinator, she had the opportunity to work closely with the duo and interview them for the company's online platforms.
Her connection to Goldie Sound has afforded her connections to people already established in the Atlanta area, like Ess, a producer she's worked with previously on a single she released called "My Bad."
“I’ve been here my whole life,” Kanise said. “Not only is Atlanta just a very good town for music, there’s a lot of music industry professionals in Atlanta. As much as I love Tallahassee, ... it’s time for me to leave the nest.”
For more information on the Downtown Concert Series, visit https://www.tlhdowntown.com/about. Democrat Writer Mycah Brown can be reached atMJBrown@gannett.com.
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