AKENYA Brings Genre-Blending Chicago Sound to Mca’s Tuesdays on the Terrace With Free Summer Concert and New Album Momentum
CHICAGO, IL — The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is turning its terrace into a summer music destination again, and this week’s installment puts AKENYA in the spotlight. The free concert series is one of the MCA’s signature warm-weather draws, pairing live performances with late museum hours and access to current exhibitions.
Admission is complimentary, though capacity is limited. Fans can get priority access through MCA membership or by securing advance tickets.
A Chicago artist with a wide-ranging musical footprint
AKENYA arrives with a résumé that stretches across jazz, hip-hop, soul, classical, pop, and experimental music. The Chicago native is an award-winning vocalist, pianist, composer, and producer whose work has moved easily between clubs, concert halls, festivals, and recording studios.
Her early start was unusually precocious: she began teaching herself Beethoven pieces by ear at 7 and had already written 100 songs by 12. At 13, she became the youngest student admitted to the Chicago Academy for the Arts.
Collaborations, acclaim, and a reputation for versatility
AKENYA has worked with a long list of major names, including Chance the Rapper, Mavis Staples, and Noname, for whom she served as musical director, background vocalist, keyboardist, and opening act on tour. She also studied at New England Conservatory’s Jazz Studies program and has performed with jazz figures such as Esperanza Spalding, Vijay Iyer, and Dave Holland.
Her range has also extended into other genres. Hayley Williams of Paramore has praised her as “one of the best singers I’ve heard in my whole life,” and her chamber-orchestral piece Fear the Lamb was featured by Palaver Strings in 2022 in tribute to Emmett Till.
What fans can expect next from Moon in the 4th
The MCA appearance also comes as AKENYA builds momentum toward Moon in the 4th, an album she says has been in progress for 11 years. Its lead single, “Hades Moon,” is already available, and the project is being positioned as a quasi-autobiographical release.
Beyond the terrace, AKENYA has continued to rack up major milestones, including a 2022 3Arts Award in Music and a main-stage set at Pitchfork Music Festival in 2024. For Chicago fans, the MCA show offers a free chance to see one of the city’s most ambitious voices up close.
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