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Doors at 5:30pm | Show begins at 6:00pm
Tickets: $25 advance | $30 at the door
A show with some surprises and new music! Keia will take you through her catalogue and let you hear some new music before it’s available to the masses. This is a mature show, as Keia will be more transparent than she ever has, ages 21 and up strongly suggested. As she is transitioning into some other roles, you don’t want to miss what may be one of her last live performances in Memphis. This will be an experience you won’t soon forget!
Keia Johnson
Keia was born in San Antonio, TX but grew up all over the world in a military family. Keia listened to a wide range of artists. But it was the move to Memphis that helped her establish her sound and performance style. She has performed with some of the best talent Memphis has to offer, while also building relationships with notable national names like The Bar-Kays and David Porter of Stax Records.
In college, Keia was able to use her gift to secure scholarships and it was one competition in particular that began to shape her life. In 2003, Keia made history by being crowned only the third African-American Miss ASU (Arkansas State University). The same university that Miss America 1990 Debbye Turner attended and was crowned the first African-American Miss ASU. Keia went on to the Miss Arkansas Pageant where she was crowned Miss Congeniality, a name that stuck with her for years to come. She graduated with a degree in Communications emphasis Radio/Television Broadcasting and a minor in Political Science. But the arts kept calling her name.
Years later, It was American Idol that served as the true catalyst for Keia to recognize who she was as an Artist and what she wanted to do with her career. The talent competition led her to Hollywood where “Miss Congeniality” wowed the judges for two seasons. Her audition performance of Celine Dion’s vocally rigorous “My Heart Will Go On” prompted guest judge and musical role model Mary J. Blige to declare: “She can sing!” Keia later went on to compete on Season 4 of “The Voice” as well, but wasn’t chosen for a team. Her journey hasn’t been without its disappointments and derailments. But she can’t stop singing.
So sing she has — for everyone from former President Bill Clinton and former Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton to Writer/ProducerTyler Perry, Singer Denise Williams and Author Eric Jerome Dickey. After jumping into the Independent film arena where her music was used on the soundtrack for the film “Lesson Before Love” (available on Hulu and at RedBox) Keia felt it was time to get back to the music. In June of 2011, Keia released her first solo effort, an EP; T.I.M.E. and followed up with several music videos. In early 2013 Keia received an Emmy for her PSA for the Memphis Music Foundation featuring her original song “Movin’ On” motivating her to release a full album which she did in April of 2014 called “Facets”.
In 2013, Keia decided to do something she hadn’t done since high school; Act. Since then, she has been cast locally in “The Color Purple” (ensemble 2013), Once On this Island (TiMoune 2014), “Hoodoo Love” (Toulou 2015) and “Simply Simone” (Nina 2015). She was nominated for an Ostrander Award for best Lead Actress in a Musical for “Simply Simone”. In 2016, the world seemed to open up for Keia as she was selected for the legendary BB King Allstar band that travelled the world on Holland America Cruise lines singing Blues, Rock and Roll, Jazz, Classic R&B and Soul. Back at home in Memphis, she was awarded Actress of the Year award (2016) from the “Diversity on Stage & Film” committee as well as being featured in a new independent film “Verge” that showcases local indie Artists from Memphis, TN.
