In partnership with MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles), Grand Performances presents the genre bending songstress Madison McFerrin, bringing her self-harmonizing blend of R&B, pop, soul and jazz to the stage.
Madison McFerrin
Born in San Francisco as the youngest sibling and only girl of three, Madison grew up and lived across the US throughout her adolescence and into early adulthood. As a young child, her earliest and fondest memories were singing and performing at impromptu home concerts and climbing trees, finding a sense of home and safety as she moved physical homes. Madison’s lineage is also strongly rooted in music and performance. Her earliest influences in her home were her father, Bobby McFerrin, a ten-time Grammy winning world renowned vocalist and classical conductor. Madison’s older brother, producer, Taylor McFerrin, was also a musical influence drawing her attention to the nuances of Timbaland’s production and exposing her to a wide range of sounds from Brazil to Brooklyn. All of these influences grow from her grandparents’ rich musical legacy, which includes her grandfather’s historic contract with the Metropolitan Opera and grandmother’s sought after guidance as an award winning vocal coach. From this, music and performance became a home of its own for Madison.
The liberty of expression became a grounding mechanism and a means to understand herself and the changing landscapes around her. Music is also an entrypoint for Madison to have global conversations and to reach listeners and artists with the language of music and tradition. The language of soul, jazz, dance, and more are all ways of connecting intergenerationally, internationally, and across the diaspora. Madison's process is concerned with this act of translation; translating her own experiences and her own emotions outward. Madison brings herself into the story and invites the listener to do the same.
Madison completed her BA in professional music from Berklee College of Music in Boston and began her independent career shortly thereafter in Brooklyn. Her first solo show sold out to a warm crowd of peers, fans, and friends and she continued to perform in and around New York with sustained support. She has performed at venues such as Lincoln Center, Central Park SummerStage and BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn, as well as at festivals including SXSW and the Pitchfork Midwinter Fest at the Art Institute of Chicago. It was at her 2018 SXSW debut show that legendary KCRW DJ Anne Litt remarked about Madison’s show, “there’s some sort of joy and beauty in the way that she performs that really drew me in all that much more.” While performing, she has shared the stage with other established artists such as Nai Palm from Haitus Kaiyote, Alice Smith, Aretha Franklin, De La Soul, Gallant and The Roots. Madison’s work has gained her recognition across several music platforms as she was named one of Pitchfork’s Rising Artists as well as a finalist in the NPR tiny desk concert series in 2017. Her work has traveled far and wide online as well, where her performance of her inspiring single “TRY” for the youtube performance series, COLORS has garnered nearly two million views. Off the stage, Madison’s music has been featured in episodes of Comedy Central’s Broad City and HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness.
In addition to her own performance practice, Madison’s community building and curatorial practice has taken shape in various ways. Notably, in 2019, she initiated the Sissieretta Series at C'mon Everybody in Brooklyn, New York. This series is named after Madame Sissieretta Jones who was an extremely successful opera singer who created her own shows that allowed Black performers to exercise their craft outside of the humiliation of minstrelsy. Drawing inspiration from this legacy, Madison created a showcase of all women of color performers of varying genres, from comedy to poetry to music. As co-curator of the BRIC jazz festival in 2021, Madison presented artists ranging from modern avant garde experimentalist L’Rain to the legendary Sun Ra Arkestra to showcase the expansive notion of Black performance rooted in jazz. Lastly, in the summer of 2022, Madison took her communal work to new heights with the Summer Friday series presented in collaboration with the Brooklyn Bridge Conservancy and her MAD LOVE initiative. Jump started by her viral response to the landmark verdict in the George Floyd case, proceeds from her improvised house track “GUILTY” go to the MAD LOVE fund that aims to bring joy and justice to communities impacted by police brutality. The three installments of the Summer Fridays series focused on the themes of RELEASE, RESTORE & REJOICE with DJs, comedians and musicians providing some much needed space for healing from the collective trauma and grief of the pandemic.
Milan Ring
Fiercely independent and uniquely driven, Milan Ring is an accomplished musician, songwriter, producer, engineer and musical director. Touted as a figurehead in Australia’s “R&B renaissance” by the Sydney Morning Herald & "Australia's R&B Princess" by Apple Music. This masterful combination has seen her release music with DRAM, The Social Experiment, Intellexual, Che Lingo, Jean Deaux, BARKAA, Winston Surfshirt, BLESSED, Ta-Ku, B Wise, Sampa The Great and more.
She released a series of singles and EPs on her label, MXMAY - including Say To Me which was nominated for Most Performed R&B / Soul Work at the 2021 APRA Awards - before signing to her current home of Astral People Recordings to release her debut album, I’m Feeling Hopeful, written, recorded, executive produced and mixed in its entirety by Milan. The record scored triple j’s album of the week, FBi radio’s album of the week and a 9/10 from Line Of Best Fit.
Milan is renowned for her powerful one-woman show, where she creates live loops, dropping beats, triggering samples all whilst effortlessly leading with the guitar and drawing us into her world with her honest & unique vocals.
Kita
Kita is a Los Angeles based DJ most reputable for her energetic sets and dynamic taste and technique in open format style DJing, earning her a notable repertoire of career highlights and growing popular demand in the world of music. She is known for her collaboration in throwing an eclectic party called Hood Rave. She has toured both nationally and internationally with recording artists such as Ar’mon and Trey, Destiny Rogers, and Dizzy Fae. She has also DJ’d for brands and establishments such as Nike, T-Mobile, Vans, Warner Bro’s Music, Undefeated, HUF, The California African American Museum, The Underground Museum, Black on the Block, and Camp Flognaw.
Established in 1979, MOCA is the only artist-founded museum in Los Angeles. It is dedicated to collecting and exhibiting contemporary art. MOCA houses one of the most compelling collections of contemporary art in the world, comprising of nearly 8,000 objects, with a diverse history of ground-breaking, historically-significant exhibitions.
The Cultural Treasures of South LA Market presented by community partners LA Commons, will be popping up at our vendor village during the Madison McFerrin show. Come shop local vendors from the South LA community and support small businesses.
About Cultural Treasures Market
The Cultural Treasures Market is one way in which LA Commons aims to center South LA’s Cultural Treasures by offering them a platform to perform, share their story, market their small businesses, and engage with the larger Los Angeles community. Each market is activated through a mix of live performances, art-making, local vendors, and more!
Cultural Treasures of South LA is a community-based cultural asset mapping and activation initiative of the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) in the South Los Angeles Promise Zone co-created and implemented in partnership with LA Commons, the South Los Angeles Transit Empowerment Zone (SLATE-Z), Community Coalition, and the University of Southern California (USC)’s Neighborhood Data for Social Change (NDSC) Initiative. This project gives South LA community members a participatory platform to spotlight local Cultural Treasures that they deem significant, illuminating the rich cultural tapestry that makes this community thrive. For more information or to view the cultural treasures database, interactive map and video storybank, visit southlaculture.org.
LA Commons engages communities in artistic and cultural expression that tells their unique stories and serves as a basis for dialogue, interaction and a shared understanding of Los Angeles. Through community-based arts programs, centered on youth leadership development, we help diverse, generally low-income neighborhoods create dynamic works of public art that build community connection and empowerment. We uplift local narratives, enhancing the sense of belonging felt by a broad range of stakeholders. (https://www.lacommons.org/)
LA vs Hate is a community-centered system designed to support all residents and communities targeted for hate acts of all kinds in Los Angeles County. Led by the LA County Commission on Human Relations, LA vs Hate partners with community partners from all five County districts, representing a diverse coalition of voices committed to prevent and respond to hate.
Report hate by calling 211 or visit LAvsHate.org
This PERFORMANCE is supported, in part, by the Green Foundation, the Norris Foundation, a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture through the following programs: as part of Creative Recovery LA, an initiative funded by the American Rescue Plan, and the Organizational Grant, a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Supervisor Hilda Solis, and Artiste Wine, and Ahmad Tea.
