The H-Town music scene, Third Coast hotbed of hip-hop and longtime outpost of outlaw country cool, is increasingly influential and, like the city itself, diverse. Meet the rising stars of the most fascinating tune town in America today.
Editors’ Note: CityBook’s fourth annual musicians portfolio hits next week! This is how the tradition began, at White Oak Music Hall, back in 2017.
▲
▲
▲
▲
▲
▲
Born and raised in Angola, singer VIVALDA DULA, along with her classical guitarist husband Marcelo Robert, relocated from Luanda to Houston in 2012. In Houston, Dula recorded two albums of her percussion-heavy, Africa-inspired music, 2013’s Insanidade Mental and 2015’s Africa. A dynamic live act, with a griot’s gift for storytelling, Dula often sings her socially conscious lyrics in Kimbundu, a language banned from her country’s schools before the Angolan Civil War. Fittingly, Dula — who boasts an effervescent personality and impossibly glowing skin — just performed at the Global Issues Summit in Sugar Land. The new mom to an eight-month-old girl is currently recording an album with Grammy-winning producer Emilio D. Miller. ▲
H-Town rap artist and producer Timothy Russell, aka GUILLA, may have only released Children of the Sun — a sci-fi-inspired album that includes a collaborative track with HGO soprano Alicia Gianni — last spring, but the 28-year-old, quick-witted rap artist already has a followup dropping this month. His fourth full-length album, Crunchy Roll & Chill, features 14 tracks that are more biographical in nature — there’s a track about his love for girls who cosplay — than his previous, highly esoteric work. It’s also less heavy in tone. “I feel like we’re in a time of extreme darkness right now and everybody is kind of pissed off,” says Russell, who plans on touring Texas this summer, “so Crunchy Roll & Chill is full of upbeat music. I want to put smiles on people’s faces again.” ▲
▲
Even after a busy few months, The Suffers frontwoman KAM FRANKLIN, 29, says the famous Houston soul act is not slowing down anytime soon. The 10-piece band, which releaes a new album this fall, returned from their first European tour this spring only to quickly repack their bags and head to Australia for a series of shows at the Byron Bay Blues Festival. “It was very exhausting,” says Franklin of their time in Europe, “but at the same time, it was the time of my life. All of the crowds were super responsive.” The Suffers’ new album is, appropriately, about what its many members have learned during the transitions from corporate jobs to the life of full-time, touring musicians. “It’s a lot about living your life off the clock,” she says, “and just living your life the way you want to live it.” ▲
A New Zealand native who moved to the U.S. in 2007 to study music, violinist NATALIE LIN, 28, found Houston to be unique. Not only thanks to its welcoming nature, but also because something was lacking: Houston was one of the only major cities without a conductorless — meaning collaborative — orchestra. Lin, who’s finishing up her doctorate at Rice, founded Kinetic in 2015 to bridge the gap between traditional chamber music, like a string quartet, and a full orchestra. Her 16-member group is notably without an artistic director who calls the shots. “We make sure everyone has their voice heard and is comfortable speaking up and trying different ideas,” she says. Kinetic closes out its second season on May 6 with a performance celebrating local talent, such as composer Pierre Jalbert, called “Made in Houston” at MATCH. ▲
Shot on location at White Oak Music Hall in the Heights
Text by Evan W. Black and Daniel Renfrow, with Chris Becker
Styling Support by Molly Jodeit
Makeup by Jennifer Aronson
Women’s Hair by Travis Player and Brandy Perez for Tease Color & Style Bar
Men’s Hair by Destiny Sebreth for Estilo Salon and Spa
