Kiearra Williams feels lucky. As the marketing manager at Opus One Productions, she regularly puts together incredible evenings of entertainment at venues like Mr. Smalls Theatre, Stage AE, Club Cafe, PPG Paints Arena, and the Benedum Center. But as a Black woman working in the music industry where women of color aren’t adequately represented, she felt it was time to do something close to her heart.
“Personally understanding why at every stage of my life, it has been critically important to have role models that look like me and may have had similar experiences as me, I wanted to curate an event that could empower others to do the same for future generations,” says Williams. “They are, after all, every bit as likely to be the women who empower developing artists to keep going.”
Enter Sistas Of The City. The upcoming concert at Mr. Smalls on Fri., Oct. 14 features local acts Clara Kent, Sierra Sellers, Simone Davis, and Chandra Rhyme. It’s an all-Black femme lineup that Pittsburgh hasn’t seen the likes of since INEZ’s 2020 Acoustic Love Volume One show at Club Cafe or the 2019 August iteration of the Pittsburgh’s Very Own concert series.
“It’s very important for us to promote this because [Pittsburgh] is voted the most liveable city, but simultaneously it’s also voted the most difficult city for Black women to thrive and live in,” says Kent. “For our experience, it’s very perplexing and also paradoxical. Events like this break the mold and put cracks in the ceiling.”
Sistas Of The City also presents an opportunity to showcase the various sound and genres often defined as R&B. Kent, for example, makes music that fuses alt-R&B, soul, pop, and even rock, while Sellers falls into the neo-soul category, naming Jill Scott as a major inspiration. Davis, on the other hand, is a classic R&B singer in the realm of Monica and Mary J. Blige. And Rhyme creates R&B pop-leaning music in the lane of Aaliyah.
“Sistas of The City represents diversity,” says Williams. “Clara, Chandra, Sierra, and Simone all have different styles and twists in the ways they blend genres, which is what I believe sets these artists apart. On the surface, it looks like an ‘R&B’ showcase, but these artists are deeper and have a real chance of being influential to music, instead of catering to the formulas that are already in place.”
Whether Sistas of The City intrigues because of the all-Black-femme lineup, the “really dope shuffle of music,” as Kent puts it, or for the showcase of local acts, it’s certainly not one to miss.
“It is my sincere hope that the outcome of this event inspires other Black femmes, especially those that may be a bit younger than us, to go out do something big,” says Williams. “Don’t limit yourself! Make a statement. Make an impact.”
Sistas Of The City. 7 p.m. Fri., Oct. 14. Mr. Smalls Theatre. 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. $12. mrsmalls.com
Q&A with the Artists
What does it mean for you to be participating in this concert?
Chandra Rhyme: It means a lot to me to be a part of this concert because it's rare to see a bill featuring four Black talented women curated by a Black woman. So this is truly unique.
Sierra Sellers: It’s always special to be in a room with creatives, but there’s just something to be said about Black women and our art. You feel empowered and inspired. The way we carry ourselves, the way we make so much out of so little, and then have the audacity to make it look easy. I feel so blessed to be amongst these women, and I am so grateful to have yet another opportunity to shine alongside them.
Who is one musical Black femme from Pittsburgh, not on the Sistas bill, that you would recommend?
Rhyme: Diarra Imani is a Black femme from Pittsburgh who immediately comes to mind.
Sellers: I am a really big fan of Aysie. I want to see her on a big stage with all the tools and resources she needs to produce what I know she conjures in her mind. You can tell by her music and her energy that she’s built different. I look forward to seeing what she does with her gift.
