Host

lys scott

A proud LGTBQIA+ and first-generation Thai American with big dreams and even bigger personality, lys scott coped with their shadows by writing the explosive debut album squashed dreams & broken wings. Described by WYEP as “what would happen if No Doubt and TLC had a baby with Missy Elliott,” it’s no surprise that lys stepped into Pittsburgh’s music scene with a bang. Energizing crowds all over the city with in-your-face bangers like “big shot” and cozy crowd favorites like “flowerchild,” lys scott quickly earned a name for herself, eventually signing to Pittsburgh label Crafted Sounds.

National Performer

Ahya Simone

Ahya Simone is an eclectically elusive siren and multidisciplinary artist from Detroit. As a harpist, composer, and filmmaker, she traverses the world of sound, moving image, and performance. Drawing inspiration from her favorite contemporary artists, she integrates R&B, soul, jazz, and experimental elements into her works and performances.

Ahya’s practice also caught the eye of acclaimed filmmaker, dream hampton, composing music for Treasure: From Tragedy To Trans Justice, Mapping A Detroit Story (2015) that sparked her interest in film. With the support of Detroit Narrative Agency in 2018, Ahya directed Femme Queen Chronicles (co-created with Paige Wood and Bré Rivera), which was lauded at film festivals across the globe. Inspired by the absurdity of life and her own share of surreal experiences, Ahya aims to share stories of epically eccentric and comedic proportions.

Local Performers

Mani Bahia

Mani Bahia (Mah-Knee Bye-Eee-Yuh) is an American artist, musician, DJ, producer, singer-songwriter, and performer from Pittsburgh. In late 2018, Mani dropped her first project, Solstice, featuring a collection of original acoustic tracks recorded in outdoors with raw vocals describing her thoughts, reflections, and feelings of the times surrounding her. Bahia performed a spoken word piece for Academy Award winner Denzel Washington, nestled under his arm outside of August Wilson’s childhood home in Pittsburgh’s Hill District the same year. This opportunity ignited the multidisciplinary artist into a new perspective of her craft as a writer and vocalist. So she began the journey into perfecting her penmanship and performance style.

In 2020, “Mani Bahia & The Mob” was founded, and the band debuted at “Pittsburgh’s Very Own,” a top-rated concert series at Mr. Smalls Theatre. The Mob’s performance garnered the attention of fellow peers and musicians within the music community. Days later, The Mob uploaded a “Tiny Desk Concert Submission,” and their performance featured on the “Best 2020 Tiny Desk Contest Entries We Saw This Week: Volume 6”. Jon Lewis, an American writer based in New York, described the performance as “a house party” and recommended viewers have “space to two-step before you hit play.”

Most recently, Mani Bahia & The Mob performed at the Cultural Arts Fest June 2022, Swissvale Pride Fest June 2023, and the Hill District Arts Festival July 2023. Mani Bahia’s second project titled Inferno was released in early October of 2022. Inferno is majority produced, arranged, and written by Mani Bahia, but holds a few surprise production credits. You can find Bilal Abbey’s co-produced track “FRIZZ,” and on “LINK,” you can hear the bass of Benji. from Spillage Village. Bahia’s Inferno will give the listener a taste of varied genres such as alt R&B, hip-hop, funk, house, and soul. The genre-bending Inferno is a full-bodied artistic work that expresses the grit, vulnerability, and devoted integrity Bahia has to her craft, but also the journey to finding her footing in a world where music and art are her anchor.

GLO-TREE

GLO-TREE is an improvised ambient duo featuring GNM (guitar) and Trē (flutes). Their sound is calm, unique, and elevates the mood of an event. They are performance staples in Pittsburgh’s improvised music scene and frequent venues like The Space Upstairs, Bantha Tea Bar, and The Government Center. They are currently working on their debut EP, set to be released in 2024. It features expansive soundscapes, expertly crafted by Pittsburgh legend Herman Pearl, with melodic and exploratory playing from both Trē and GNM.

HUNY XO

HUNY XO (she/they) is a DJ, event curator, and king of all trades soundtracking and producing events via the Mostbeautifullest collective.

Bred in New York, NY and currently residing in Pittsburgh (named Person of the Year in Music 2021 by Pittsburgh City Paper), huny’s work in music and the visual arts is rooted in exalting Black women & QTBIPOC communities. As a co-founder and the Experience Lead of Honcho’s Queer Fam Fund, as well as consulting on diversity outreach for other festivals, her mission to expand visibility and access in nightlife culture is a through-line in everything she tackles.

HUNY XO sets are genre-defying: ballroom beats, house, techno, dancehall, hip-hop…anything with a nasty beat and embedded in Blackness can get it.

Joey Young

Joey Young is Pittsburgh’s Drag Pop Star, a nationally acclaimed performing drag queen musician from the Pittsburgh area. Joey has performed at Pride events across the country in places like Miami Beach, California, and Hollywood, Florida. Joey has also been making huge waves in Pittsburgh, being the former Mr. PTown Pride 2023, co-hosting the pride celebration “Too Hot For July,” as well as singing the national anthem for the 2024 Pittsburgh Pirates Pride Night.