This story originally appeared in our September 16-29, 2026 print edition. Check out the edition online here and find where you can get a print edition near you here.

When Kick Lee launched his lemonade company two years ago, it wasn’t just about adding another entrepreneurial venture to his (long) resume. For Lee, a music producer, DJ, founder of the Cincinnati Music Accelerator and much more, it was about legacy. After years of working in nonprofit music education and building his brand, Lee realized he wanted something of his own to pass down to his kids.

“I just realized I don’t really have anything I can really use, so to speak,” said Lee. “So it was just like, well, what could I do?”

The story of LemiLee starts and ends with family, with Lee getting the original idea for the business from his cousin. “My cousin just said, ‘Hey, you always talk about lemonade. Maybe try that out as a business and see where that goes.’”

This gave him the push he needed, not only because he can pass the business on to his children, but because lemonade also has a deeper meaning tied to his own childhood. “I grew up in foster care my whole life,” he said. “Unbeknownst to me, lemonade was my go-to comfort beverage. It was subconscious for the longest.” And just two years in, LemiLee has found its way into coffee shops, delis and even businesses far beyond Cincinnati, offering a multitude of flavors and ways to enjoy the beverage.

LemiLee has eight flavors, from a classic and half-and-half to pineapple, mango, peach, watermelon, lavender and strawberry. Its list of local partners is growing, including Deeper Roots Coffee, which was one of the first to carry the brand. The coffee shop even features it on its menu, with a seasonal Summer Breeze drink that combines LemiLee’s watermelon lemonade with Rishi matcha available through the summer. LemiLee was also featured this summer in Cream + Sugar Coffee House’s six-year anniversary latte flight with a Beez Kneez shaken lemonade that used LemiLee’s classic lemonade, honey, lavender and butterfly pea flower. In addition to these shops, the lemonade can also be found at Carl’s Deli, The Pickled Pig in Walnut Hills, all ETC Produce & Provisions locations and at 513 Coffee in Covington, as well as Columbus’ David & Mary’s and Cora’s All Day Café, the new Fidelity Hotel’s coffee shop.

While Lee said that his cousin was behind the initial push to get LemiLee in motion, he adds community is what keeps the business moving forward. “Again, the success of the lemonade is due to the people around me. People recommend these things,” he said. “We all say we can do it on our own. And to some extent, you can. But when you get to the big side of things, you can’t do it all by yourself. And I don’t want to.”

Lee’s approach to LemiLee is rooted in the same community-focused mindset that led him to launch the Cincinnati Music Accelerator. “Everything I do, like I tell people, take a deep dive and realize everything I do does not differ from what I do. It’s all music-focused, even in lemonade, it’s not necessarily music-focused (but) it’s brand-focused. I’m a brand person. I have a marketing degree. It’s not far from what I’m already in.”

This thought process has helped expand the LemiLee company, which has already grown into Dayton, Columbus and even Wisconsin and North Carolina. Packaging has also been upgraded to industry-standard labels after some trial and error. The expansion even extends all the way to buying a lemon orchard and land in Florida. Lee hopes that one day the lemons he’s growing will independently provide the juice for all of the lemonade that they’re manufacturing. For now, they have six lemon trees, being closely watched by friends, as Lee learns more about citrus farming.

Beyond the business, Lee is focused on giving back, fundraising and partnering with local groups for lemonade stands and events. “I want to help others too. And I’m all about alignment. For example, say you have a goal that meets something we do. How can we help you further that goal?”

Overall, Lee is hoping to bring his community along with him on this journey. His goal? To ‘win’ Ohio and become the official lemonade of the state. But of course, Cincinnati is first in line.

“I love Cincinnati. It’s my home; I want to make sure Cincinnati is highlighted in the work that we do. Right now we’re working to be able to meet the demand because it’s growing. It’s all organic. It’s all steady growth.”

The post Music, lemons and legacy: Inside Kick Lee’s latest act appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

This story originally appeared in our July 22 – Aug. 4 print edition. Check out the edition online here and find where you can get a print edition near you here.

Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones. 21 Savage and Metro Boomin. Timbaland and Missy Elliot. Sometimes when two artists find each other, things just click.

At least, that’s how it was for Cincinnati rapper Khari and producer Montana, whose partnership feels like it was just meant to be. The duo has been working together for around two years now, Montana said, almost surprised it hasn’t been longer.

“We met at a beat battle,” Khari said. “I was there just listening and trying to catch some waves, and he was there cooking.” 

From that first encounter, they fell into an easy chemistry, one that extends outside of the studio.

“When people ask us that, it’d be like, ‘Damn, it feels like I’ve known this dude longer though,’” Khari said. “That’s how we knew our chemistry was instant outside of the music, you know what I’m saying?”

It’s a familiar story, the way local music scenes pull people together, but the bond these two have built in those two years feels deep. 

“Outside of just making songs together, the chemistry, just as a Black man, as a brother to brother, was there immediately,” Khari said. “I feel like I’ve known him for 10 years plus.” 

Both Khari and Montana grew up with music as a constant presence. 

“I don’t know a life without hip hop,” Khari said. “I feel like I just was born into it and just been around it my whole life. I always wrote. I always went to the studio with my dad and my uncles and write songs and record songs. But I really started taking it serious about four or five years ago. Putting out music, forming my digital footprint, marketing myself.”

Montana’s story mirrors Khari’s. 

“It’s kind of been around me all my life,” Montana said. “Not kind of. It’s been around me all my life. But I really started taking matters into my own hands, really trying to dive into it two years ago.” 

Family musical backgrounds run deep for both: Montana’s grandfather sang in the Cincinnati group The Ditalians, his mother and grandmother sang, and his father is Cincinnati-born rapper and producer Hi-Tek, who has worked with artists like 50 Cent, Nas, Talib Kweli and many more.

“As much as we tried to not identify as musicians, we couldn’t escape it because it was just always part of our plans,” Montana said. 

And while not every artist finds support at home, both Khari and Montana credit their families with providing the right kind of environment. 

“My parents never wanted me to shy away from my creativity,” Khari said. “When I told them I wanted to take music seriously, they was all behind it. They support everything I do.”

Outside of family, their influences span both music and unexpected corners of culture. 

“My biggest inspirations were [Tupac], Allen Iverson, Ryan Coogler,” Khari said. “Allen Iverson really — just his revolutionary spirit, being outspoken, not being afraid to speak your mind. And Ryan Coogler, the way he paints pictures, tells stories. He was an athlete and switched lanes to the arts. I did a similar thing, moving from basketball into rap.”

For Montana, it’s the sound that catches him. 

“The first time I heard Slum Village, I was stuck there,” Montana said. “Dr. Dre for sure. That whole ‘Aftermath’ sound was always catchy to me. And Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson.”

While Montana is driven by the textures and rhythms that shape a song, Khari’s approach to rap is rooted in tradition. 

“Hip hop was built on, you know, being in the parks, somebody making a beat on the wall, the table, whatever, and rapping freestyle. You talk about what you see,” he said. “I think it’s a great practice tool for artists. It should definitely be something we hold near and dear, especially fans of hip hop and being a part of the culture. Can’t let that die at all.”

When it comes to creating together, Khari and Montana have found a rhythm that’s both organic and efficient. 

“My creative direction when I’m by myself, I never really think about what no one else likes until I catch my groove,” Montana said. “I just try to let it come to me and vibe out.” 

Digging through vinyl, following the day’s tempo — his process is all about keeping it natural.

Khari’s inspiration often comes on the move. 

“I got to be outside, in motion or driving. I got undiagnosed ADHD, so I need to be doing something to get it going,” he said, laughing. “But when we get in the studio, it’s efficient. We’re not playing around.”

The duo is currently working toward their debut album, “Ghetto Nerd,” and in the process, they’re crafting something bigger than just a set of songs. They’re creating a universe.

“University is like the universe around the album,” Khari said. “We’re building something that people can attach themselves to — bigger than just putting out an album. We wanted people to feel like they’re a part of something, a community-based effort.”

You might ask, what does it mean to be a ‘ghetto nerd’?

“The main thing behind it was like coming from a place and not being of that place — seeing beyond that, being able to dream within a dark environment,” Khari said. “It’s being yourself within it. I think a lot of times, as Black people, we get boxed in. They say you got to be a gangster, you got to be this or that. But I know a lot of people in the hood that never sold drugs, never went to jail, never fit those stereotypes. It’s really the idea of Black people not being a monolith, but being able to see beyond your environment, rise above it and be yourself.”

Montana added: “It made it easy for me to just be myself. Eventually, I just started to truly commit to it. The journey in life of choosing you and not falling into the trap of the masses, or the path that’s traveled by your peers. It’s okay to be positive and not be a street dude. It’s okay to like music and read books.”

For anyone wanting to join the world of Ghetto Nerd, there’s even a number to text: 513-796-4807 with the word “enroll.”

“They get updates, exclusive things, access to different things,” Khari said. “We really want to go direct to the people with it.”

It wouldn’t be a Cincinnati story without talking about the city’s legacy and the artists who’ve taken it further. Cincinnati’s creative lineage is impossible to ignore for Khari and Montana. In a freestyle, Khari mentions that they would like to purchase the now-defunct Cincinnati record label.

“I mean, it’s manifestation right now. Like that’s definitely something we would love to do,” Khari said, reflecting on the legendary local landmark. “James Brown, Bootsy Collins — everybody coming through, the rich musical history in our city. That building was a forerunner of that.”

But their vision isn’t just about honoring the past — they’re also building connections with the next wave, collaborating with popular Cincinnati-born R&B singer Arin Ray. 

For Khari and Montana, Cincinnati artistry means respecting the city’s deep musical roots while collaborating with peers who are shaping its future.

It’s a mindset that shapes not only their music but also the way they bring it to an audience.

Khari’s live show philosophy has been shaped by experience. 

“When I first started, I was rapping over my lyrics. But you can’t really give a good show that way. What I learned from Jay-Z is you don’t want to give people the same show every time,” he said. “Now, it’s about committing to it, being practiced. If you say you want to do the splits and do a backflip, you better do it with full confidence.”

Practice brings confidence. 

“Before we did Jadakiss (they opened for the hip hop artist), we practiced two weeks straight, just going, going, going. Practice makes greatness.” Khari said. 

And the rewards? 

“Opening up for Freddie Gibbs was dope for me,” Khari said. “That was the first time I saw a crowd that was already screaming. Being able to perform overseas — I’ve toured in Spain two years in a row. By the time I get to the second hook, they’re repeating it to me. That was a high. That’s what I could see myself doing forever.”

As for the album, there’s no rush. 

“We’re just building up the buzz around it because we believe in the music that much,”  Khari said. “Come into the world, see what it’s about, and be invested into it first. We want to show people: this is Khari and Montana. This is our duo, our tandem. Really bring it back to hip hop — a rapper and a producer, branded as that. I feel like that’s missing in hip hop right now, and we got exactly what’s missing right now.”

The post Ghetto Nerd: Khari and Montana’s new album helps shape the next era of Cincinnati hip hop appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

CityBeat photographer Kennedy Dudley captured Cincinnati Pride in photos on Saturday — from the parade to the celebration afterward, Cincinnati came out in droves to show their pride!

Click through the gallery below to see Dudley’s photographs.

The post Photos: Cincinnati Pride 2026 appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

This story originally appeared in our June 10-23 print edition. Check out the edition online here and find where you can get a print edition near you here.

For the past nine years, Fruit LoOops has been pushing the boundaries of live music with post-pop performance art, turning every gig into a one-night-only spectacle. The trio consists of vocalist and creative director Jackie Switzer, drummer Patrick Apfelbeck and Kevin Hall on synths and soundscapes.

“Watching music itself is boring,” Hall said. “Or it can be boring. So we try to make it more than just a show. It’s an experience.”

In fact, they want you to be unsure of what you are experiencing.

“We’re just after things that make you kind of stop and be like, ‘Wait, what am I looking at here?’” Switzer said. “It’s not really about shock value. It’s about undercutting expectations, but in a way that isn’t overwhelming. Just enough to keep everyone on their toes.”

Fruit LoOops’ origin story is probably not like anything you’ve ever heard.

“Switzer had a dream where she was put on the spot at an open mic night, using contact mics on fruit and chopping them up,” Apfelbeck said.

Switzer posted about it in a Facebook group called the Dream Journal Collective.

“A bunch of our friends, including me, saw her post and were like, ‘This is actually a cool idea,’” Apfelbeck said. “‘Let’s try it in real life.’”

Their sets are often a compilation of whatever they can find or make — there’s a very DIY attitude about it. 

“It’s just dealing with making what you can, with what you have, for costumes and physical props,” Switzer said. “I’ve known Apfelbeck for about nine years now, and Hall joined a few months after that. We all came together through other music projects. Fourth Wife, a post-punk group, was one of the bands where Apfelbeck and I first met Hall.”

What came from that was the band’s first performance.

“We tried the fruit thing, and it kind of worked,” Apfelbeck said, laughing. “Then we took it as a starting point and made electronic music with Switzer doing poetry over it.”

The band’s performances are more than just a concert; they are immersive theater, and always unpredictable.

“One of the really early sets, we had my roommate dress identically to me,” Switzer said. “I started the set, then ran to the back of the bar while my roommate, dressed the same, took my place on stage. We just like messing with the audience, amping up an expectation and then really undercutting that.”

The band aims to be interesting both audibly and visually. 

“We’re definitely kind of extreme, sonically, so it made sense to be extreme visually, too,” Apfelbeck said. 

The band is known for its wild themes. Anything you can think of, they’ve probably done it: checkerboard costumes, pizza mafia storylines, even a goat sacrifice.

“We had 50 red robes from the Cincinnati Boy Choir and gave them out to the audience,” Switzer said. “Then we made this effigy, and at a certain point, told everyone to rip it apart. People want an opening to interact, to feel a part of something when they go see live music.”

That sense of community is essential.

“The interactions with the audience are always personal,” Hall said. “We want people to feel included. If there’s speaking, it’s always about the world we’ve built for that set. It’s never just, ‘How are you tonight?’ It’s about inviting people into the story.”

Hall, who handles synths and studio overdubs, points out that the band’s eccentric style is also a way to bridge the gap for listeners who might be new to their abrasive, left-field sound.

“We’ve always been extremely loud, mildly to very dissonant at times,” Hall said. “We use a lot of micro-tuning. The songs can be pretty breakneck pace. Switzer’s vocal effects can be pretty abrasive. So there’s definitely a lot of elements that, if you’re not into extreme music, can push you away. The performance art gives people something to latch onto. But I wouldn’t say that’s why we do it. It’s just a nice thing that’s there. It helps give us a branch to people who wouldn’t normally be listening to this kind of music.”

Fruit LoOops has played around 200 shows, changing the theatrical set concepts for each show.

“The general rule is, we don’t play the same kind of theatrical set in the same city twice,” Switzer said. “If we’re on tour, we’ll repeat sets, but never at home.”

Where do the set ideas come from? 

“It’s usually something that makes us laugh,” Switzer said. “Like, our next set is kind of about the Muppets, but really it’s about the peanut gallery — the two old men in the balcony, making fun of us. We just try to see how far we can take a simple idea with a $50 budget.”

A bit of improv plays its part, too.

“The theatrical part is kind of like a Christopher Guest or “Curb Your Enthusiasm” style,” Apfelbeck said. “We have point A and point B, but how we get there is up for grabs. The music, though, is pretty composed by the time we bring it on stage.” 

Over time, their process has evolved.

“In the beginning, there wasn’t really a flow to it,” Switzer said. “Now, it’s like a play; an intro, a rise, a climax and a fall. We set out the variables, but it depends on who’s available and who wants to be there.”

The band has adapted to changes, like the departure of their original creative director, Sam, who moved to San Francisco.

“Now, sometimes we have comedians or friends step in, or we rely more on costumes and samples,” Switzer said. 

Collaboration is key to how Fruit LoOops navigates so many creative voices.

“We’re all pretty opinionated,” Apfelbeck said. “But if someone has a strong idea, we’re good at rolling with it. Veto power is respected — if someone’s not into it, we don’t force it. We just follow the enthusiasm.”

“We’re all friends, so if someone’s serious about not wanting to do something, that’s it,” Switzer agreed. “We just want to be on the same page.”

Despite the challenge of living in different cities, the band still manages to perform as often as possible.

“We perform as much as we can because that’s the way to practice together, to evolve anything,” Switzer said. “It’s fun, and it reinforces the trajectory we’re trying to go forward with.”

Playing live is also their playground.

“I like to road test our new songs,” Apfelbeck said. “I’m not trying to write for the crowd, but it’s helpful to see what works. You can feel the energy in the room and iterate in the studio afterward.”

While the band has many favorite places to perform, they do have some that stand above the rest.

“Motor’s up there,” Apfelbeck said. “Northside Tavern can be cool too. But special shout out to Design Collective. They’ve been super supportive from the get-go, always an open invitation to play there. And they just get it. You can go to them with a wild idea and they’ll help make it happen.”

Now all we can ask is: what’s next?

“Finishing the album,” Switzer said. “We’ve been in the midst of a sound shift. It used to be more trap-influenced, frenetic, stop-and-start, but now it’s moving toward four-on-the-floor, still aggressive and dissonant, but with a danceable beat underneath.”

Switzer is also evolving as a performer, she said. 

“I do a lot of vocal processing through pedals, but lately I’ve been dialing back the distortion, trying to get cleaner, maybe a little influenced by hyperpop, but still living in an abstract world.”

Hall echoes the excitement, saying he is really happy with the direction the group is moving in. 

“There’s a lot of music right now where you can tell it’s a noise-rock musician who’s now basically making outsider techno, but as an individual artist rather than a live band,” Hall said. “I think we’ve hit on something that’s really unique for a multi-instrument, live band setting.”

With a new album brewing and a summer of shows ahead, Fruit LoOops is ready for whatever comes next.

“We have over 100 set concepts, and we’re always trying to push it further,” Switzer said. “We’re just following the laughs and seeing how far we can take it.”

For more information about Fruit LoOops, including upcoming show time and album releases, follow the band on Instagram at @fruitnloops 

The post Fruit LoOops breaks up Cincinnati music scene with theatrical experiences  appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

This story originally appeared in our May 13-26 print edition. Check out the edition online here and find where you can get a print edition near you here.

A Frontier flight pass, a bottle of whiskey and sketches of blue — this is the origin story of Wax.

The Cincinnati-based band formed in 2023. Members include lead vocalist and guitarist Joey Barreau, drummer Owen Dingle, guitarist Jack Tyszkiewics, keyboardist Jon Vicarel, and bassist/vocalist Matt Weiglein.

Dingle, Vicarel and Weiglein, formerly of local band Queen’s Ransom, began making music with Tyszkiewics. Needing another vocalist, Tyszkiewics suggested his college friend Barreau from Miami.

“I was living across the country, and they wrote a crop of songs they wanted to record,” said Barreau. “I flew in from Miami. I met everyone for the first time, besides Jack, and the next day, we were in a recording studio. We started practicing immediately, finished the songs in the studio, and that was that. I flew back to Miami, they mixed the record by themselves, and it got put out under a different name.”

A different name that they were somewhat reluctant to share.

“We’re not going to talk about it because that name sucks,” said Barreau. “I’m not going to mention that name.”

“I’ll mention it,” Dingle chimed in. “Sketches of Blue,” to which they all recoiled.

They described their early EP and name as not very good, but having potential. They realized that they were talented musicians with good ideas, who worked well together but had been held back by time constraints. “Literally, one of the songs, it was time to record it, and we’re like, there’s no lyrics,” Barreau said. “And I sat on the couch, I wrote the lyrics, then I went in there. It took a bottle of whiskey to have the confidence to do it. I was like, this is ridiculous.”

“We drank a ton during that first recording,” adds in Tyszkiewics. “They got me hammered and gave me a pen and said, ‘Get in there, sport.’ And I was like, all right, here we go,” Barreau continues. “I’ve just met these guys for the first time the day before. But we made it happen. And again, what we really took from that was there’s a lot of potential here. There’s good musical ideas here, and everybody just really liked each other. It’s some of the best memories I’ve ever had in my life. The hardest I’ve ever laughed was just that span of four days of meeting everyone for the first time.”

“I think we really wanted to write together too,” said Vicarel. “It was coming off of the Queen’s Ransom thing, and we wanted to try, you know, different music in a way as well.”

After a rather successful first meeting, the group decided to fully commit to the band. Barreau bought a Frontier Airlines flight pass, a six-month flight membership, to travel back and forth from Miami to Cincinnati to work on songwriting and crafting their sound. Eventually, moving back to the Queen City in summer 2024. Then, they began performing live at venues around the city. This seriously prompted them to revisit their band name.

“No one talks about how hard it is to come up with a band name,” said Barreau. “We were nameless for like a year.”

“We wanted something timeless,” Dingle adds.

“We wanted it like a wall art flash tattoo,” said Tyszkiewics. “Not something that seemed cool in the moment, and then in ten years you’re like, fuck.”

After countless brainstorming sessions, they landed on the name Wax. Simultaneously, they worked on their debut album, “Virtual Fever,” and as they wrote their first single, they knew they had something special.

“The first song we wrote on the record we just did, “Worry Worry,” was one (that) basically just came together in the studio,” said Tyszkiewics. “I would say it was all of a sudden, like, ‘Okay, this is our new sound, we’re going for it.’”

“We’re going disco-esque,” said Dingle.

With influences like LCD Soundsystem, The Strokes, Tame Impala and Nile Rodgers, Wax tends to find themselves in the realm of funk while transcending genres.

“If you listen to our album all the way through, it’s almost like three different bands,” said Barreau. “There’s the funky kind of disco-ish synthesizer type of wave. There’s a bit more
straightforward rock and roll, early 2000s New York-influenced rock ‘n’ roll, then there’s more bluesy stuff on it as well. But I think to build out a band, you’ve got to have a clear understanding of your identity, your sound and just how you’re going to be perceived by people.

It’s a delicate balance we are trying to strike between music that can serve two purposes. It’s headphone music and speaker music. Music you can listen to in your headphones, and you really hone in on it and take something from it. Then you can also throw it on a speaker at a party, and it’s going to hit, and it’s not going to clear out the room.”

Virtual Fever was finished in late 2024 and released in October 2025. An album, they say, could not have come together if it weren’t for their producer, Isaac Karns, who operates the studio Marble Garden.

“(He) was just genuinely one of the most creative people I’ve ever met in my life,” said Barreau. “Just has the best energy about him in the world. We went from strangers to fast friends so quickly.”

“He’s part of the family,” adds Dingle.

“The community is better for having him,” Tyszkiewics said.

They described Karns as a pillar of the Cincinnati music community — someone who saw their project from a fresh perspective and offered innovative ways to flesh out their album.

Though they have found their groove, they are constantly evolving and exploring their chemistry as a group. One thing that stands out is the admiration every member of the band shares for one another.

“I think a lot of the reason our music is structured the way it is is because we’re fortunate enough to have our best guy on bass,” Barreau says when discussing bassist/vocalist Weiglin.

“Which is something a lot of bands don’t have, a lot of bands are hiding their bass player behind guitars and behind a root note. Whereas in Wax, Matt is typically carrying the melody. Jack and Jon are very percussive and harmonic, so they’re adding chords in, typically, a very syncopated and harmonic manner.”

“It’s very much like reggae music in a way because everybody in reggae is playing rhythm
except for the bass player,” adds Vicarel. “They’re the melody.”

Even with so many voices in the room, Wax tends to work together as a unit, never letting ego get in the way of doing what’s best for the group.

“One of the really special things about this group is that it’s a safe space for horrible ideas,” said Barreau. “Jack and Jon always have ideas turning; they always have something to bring to the group. So a lot of things start with someone in a bedroom, but nothing comes to life until we’ve really hashed it out together and we all feel good about it. Everyone’s credited on every song as a songwriter because there’s contributions from everybody on all of it.”

While most modern songwriting happens on a computer, Wax prefers an analog approach, avoiding gimmicks or AI in the process. They constantly road-test their material as a group, playing in front of live crowds and letting the audience show them what sticks.

Recently, Wax had a residency at MOTR Pub every Wednesday through the end of March. Then they started a two-month break to work on new music in anticipation of their June 6 kick-off at Madison Live. A ticketed event with a line-up of local bands like Fat Sal and Space Chaise Lounge, which they are referring to as the Wax summer jamboree.

Above all, Wax wants to create music that people can connect to and stay authentic to
themselves while making it. They agreed that if they were to have a mission statement as a
band, it would be:

“Make the best music in the world, and surround yourself with musicians that inspire you and push you. And if you do those two things, you’ll be alright.”

The post On the Record: How Wax is progressing Cincinnati’s music scene appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

In the summer of 2012, the London Olympics had just begun, and Simone Biles was taking the world by storm, inspiring girls of all ages around the world to follow their dreams. 

One of those girls was Sophie Mattimore, waking up every morning in her Pleasant Ridge home to do cartwheels around her room — hoping one day to soar as high as her idol.

But, as we know, childhood aspirations change, and one big change would come for Joy when she discovered singer Grace VanderWaal. 

“I wanted to be her, I wanted the bob, I wanted everything,” said Mattimore, who now goes by the name Sophie Joy. “I loved how raw she was in her songs, and how even though she was only 11 or 12, she was very vulnerable. I really wanted to get into that vulnerability at such a young age [as well].”

Writing her own songs inspired by VanderWaal, Joy picked up a ukulele and began teaching herself to play. A few years later, she transitioned to guitar, starting with the Britney Spears song “Toxic.” She isn’t sure why she chose that particular song, but learning it marked the beginning of a musical journey she continues today—still using the same guitar she first picked up all those years ago.

“There’s only so many things that you can play on the ukulele,” she said. “I knew deep down that I wanted to expand my sound more. I’m always trying to expand my sound.”

Now majoring in visual arts with a focus on painting and drawing at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, Joy has continued to develop her music alongside her studies. She released her first original single, “Ceiling,” in April 2025.

“The first song I ever released was a cover of ‘Do I Wanna Know,’ and I don’t know why I decided to release that,” Joy said. “I was really proud of the production and the harmonies, so I just kind of did it blindly. Then I was looking through all my songs — I have over 300 songs that I want to release — and I found ‘ceiling’. That was one of the first songs that I ever wrote, where I was like, ‘Wow, this is really good. I could do this for a living.”

She recorded and mixed the song on her phone in her dorm room and released it soon after. The experience made her realize that sharing her music didn’t require perfect conditions or an elaborate setup.

This sparked an artistic impulse in Joy.

“I realized I might as well [release] it now, what am I waiting for?” Joy said. “That was really weird, though, because the night that was released, I was on the phone with my mom, and on DistroKid, they show you all the places where your song is streaming, and it said over 200 countries.” 

Joy was astounded, thinking this was going to be a local thing. 

“It’s a fan favorite,” Joy said. “People really love that song, and I’m glad they do because that was a song that I barely played because it was so sad, but now it’s my favorite thing to play at shows.That kind of pushed me into this releasing spree that I had throughout the beginning of summer. By the time I knew it, I had a fully formed album.”

With over 300 songs waiting to be released and more ideas manifesting, she kept creating, even as finals approached. With a newfound energy for creating and the resources available to her, she dove deeper into her creative process.

Joy describes her sound as the sadness of a 13-year-old girl, with the sadness of a 20-year-old, and tons of sapphic yearning.

Her ideas for songs come from everyday life. Ceiling, for example, came to be because a friend of Joy’s had told her about an ex-partner who used to hang things from their ceiling, and then he felt like he couldn’t do that now because it would be copying. 

“And I was like, ‘that’s a good song idea, let me write that down,’” Joy said. “My friends know that whenever they’re around me, if I hear a really poetic line, I’ll be like, ‘Let me write that down.’” 

Sometimes one of those ideas will spark a song, and sometimes it’ll just be one word. 

“With my song ‘Apricot’, I just wanted to write a song titled ‘apricot,’” Joy said. “I’ll sit down, in a span from 30 minutes to a few weeks, for how long it takes me to write a song, and if I like it enough to where I can hear what it sounds like in my head, full production, I will [produce] it all myself.”

Joy released three more singles in summer 2025: ‘American dream,’ ‘Situation, Baby,’ and ‘Rite of passage,’ before releasing her debut album, taped confessions, in August. The culmination of nearly a decade in songwriting.

“It warmed my childhood heart,” says Joy. “The oldest song that I wrote on that album was ‘linger’ or ‘ceiling’ and as a kid, I had envisioned what it would sound like on a fully finished album. Now I have that, and it was so surreal to be like ‘I have an album, guys.’” 

Joy said she thinks it’s unbelievable that people can hear what she’s saying and thinking on Spotify. 

“Even if I’m not a big artist, it’s still such a crazy step to take,” Joy said. “My music teacher told me in high school that more people are going to be inspired by the art of me doing it rather than the lyrics themselves, and I feel that.”

After sharing her album, Joy has had the chance to perform some of its songs most recently at Strange Records, a shop in Morrow, Ohio. She has more performances coming up, most notably on March 25th at Little Art Theatre in Yellow Springs, Ohio, for their Women’s History Month showcase celebrating four generations of songwriters.

And as for what’s next for Sophie Joy? In short, a lot. 

“I’m sitting on a lot of music right now,” she says. “At my Strange Records gig, I actually played a new song that I would like to release soon. I would also like to experiment with making my songs sound really goofy because I have a lot of sad songs, and I think it would be fun to make a really sad song sound not serious at all.”

The post Cincinnati artist Sophie Joy channels vulnerability and queer storytelling in music appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Forget what you thought you knew about Leon Thomas. The former Nickelodeon actor, known for his role as Andre Harris on Victorious, has carved out a new lane for himself as a funk-influenced R&B star.

Thomas began his career on Broadway as a child, performing in musicals such as The Lion King and The Color Purple, as well as in films like August Rush. He met his future Victorious co-star and longtime collaborator Ariana Grande on Broadway. After Victorious ended in 2013, he began co-producing songs for Grande’s debut album as a part of the production duo The Rascals, alongside Khristopher Riddick-Tynes.

Thomas has produced for several artists, including Drake, Kehlani, Post Malone, Cincinnati native Arin Ray and many others. In 2024, Thomas received his first Grammy Award as a producer for Best R&B Song on SZA’s “Snooze.“ That same year, he would release his album, MUTT, featuring the popular single “MUTT,” which gave him his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at 10 after a 38-week climb, becoming the third-longest climb in the chart’s 67-year history.

“I’m just putting my neck out there and daring to be different,” Thomas said in an interview with the Recording Academy of the United States. “I’m not doing basic concepts or attacking basic instrumentals. I feel like I’m doing my best to push the genre by taking chances and experimenting. I’m just hoping that it’s received because I genuinely love the R&B genre. I want to see it grow and evolve, and I want to be a part of that process.”

He released his most recent EP, PHOLKS, on Oct. 23. He began his “MUTTS DON’T HEEL” tour on Oct. 30. 

Leon Thomas plays Bogart’s on Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. More info: bogarts.com.

This story is featured in CityBeat’s Nov. 12 print edition.

The post Sound Advice: Leon Thomas Brings His Genre-Bending R&B to Bogart’s appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Fifth Third Arena was filled with screaming Bearcats, Bengals and Taylor Swift fans on April 11 as Jason and Travis Kelce made their grand return to the University of Cincinnati to bring their New Heights podcast to life. 

The first of its kind, New Heights Live did not disappoint. When I arrived almost an hour before the show’s start time, the arena was packed and the energy was high.

On the arena floor, the Cincinnati Bearcats mascot and a man wearing a shirt that said “TikTok Famous” on the front and “The Dancing Trucker” on the back danced with fans to get everyone hyped. I wasn’t sure what we were in for, but as the clock struck 7 p.m., Jason and Travis ran through fire and smoke onto the arena floor and the crowd went wild. 

The brothers expressed a lot of gratitude for UC and the city of Cincinnati in their opening, followed by Jason asking if there were any Swifties in the house which expectedly got a huge reaction from the audience. They announced that the show would begin with the first-ever Great Lombaby Games. 

The boys explained that the games would be Team Athletic, consisting of student-athletes at UC, versus Team Academic, consisting of non-athlete students. Both teams ran out to the floor through smoke to begin the first game which was one student from each team being spun in a swing, running to pick up a UC football helmet, then throwing that helmet through a cutout of Jason and Travis. Jason spun the Team Academic student a bit too much – making the first game a clean sweep for Team Athletic. The score was now Team Athletic one, Team Academic none. 

The second game was a bit messier, with one student from each team having to dig through an inflatable pool of Skyline chili to find Jason’s 2017 Super Bowl ring. This game led to chili being thrown back and forth between contestants before Team Academic won. The third game was a trivia bull riding contest, and a student from each team would have two minutes to answer as many New Heights trivia questions as possible while on the mechanical bull — the only catch being that they could not answer any questions while off the bull. This game ended in a tie with the tie-breaking question being what color is grass and Team Athletic taking back the lead. The next couple of games were a real back-and-forth with Team Academic winning the coney-eating contest, and Team Athletic winning the spelling bee with one of the words being Freiermuth, the name of a tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers which naturally caused the Cincinnati crowd to boo. Team Academic won Name that Tune and Team Athletic won the ducking and jumping toxic waste game, tying up the game. 

The last game was a winner-takes-all relay that included riding a tricycle, throwing a football through a hula hoop, digging through a pile of pants for Jason’s jeans, blindfolded pin the mustache on Andy Reid and more, all while holding a football. Though Team Athletic got a huge lead at the beginning of the relay, their struggle with finding Jason’s jeans hurt their chances as Team Academic was able to find their footing to become the champions of the first-ever Great Lombaby Games. Team Academic’s prize was a 100-pound golden Lombaby trophy. 

The crowd was still reeling from the games as the arena floor cleared. The air was thick with anticipation in the arena as we waited for the podcast portion of the show. There were some big names like Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Orlando Brown Jr. and quarterback Joe Burrow scheduled to make an appearance. 

When the lights finally dimmed and the fire and smoke were queued up again, Jason and Travis were back out in the arena, now taking center stage. The show started with the duo shooting New Heights Live t-shirts wrapped in Subway sandwich wrappers into the crowd with the help of the cheer squad. 

After the shirt-launching shenanigans, the first guest brought out to join the show was former Cincinnati Bearcats starting quarterback and current Arizona Cardinals quarterback, Desmond Ridder. Jason, Travis and Ridder shared stories of their days at UC, telling the eager crowd how they all had to endure the punishment of running the Nippert Stadium stairs when late for practice. During their time with Ridder, they decided to do their no-dumb-questions segment, the question chosen was – of course – which famous chili chain Ridder prefers, Skyline or Gold Star. Ridder chose Skyline, which prompted the crowd to cheer.

The next guest was Bengals left tackle and former right tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs Orlando Brown Jr. Travis and Brown spoke at length about their time in Kansas City together and their first impressions of each other. Brown explained how he loves the city and playing for the Bengals with Joe Burrow as quarterback. This was almost like a signal for the man himself. 

The crowd was electric. That was the loudest the arena had been the whole night as Burrow took the stage. Travis mentioned the growing Chiefs-Bengals rivalry and told Burrow that he loves it when the teams get to play each other because of how talented they both are. This prompts Jason to ask why Burrow believes the Bengals fair so well against the Chiefs. Burrow says that the Bengals are built to beat the Chiefs and the crowd shouted in agreement. The show went over taunting, the spiciest white boy in the NFL debates and Burrow’s ‘Show me the aliens’ post, which Burrow explained by saying, “Well, where are they?” Toward the end, Jason and Burrow share a touching moment about when Jason was trying to recruit him to UC as he transferred from Ohio State University. As Burrow and Brown left the stage, I figured this was the end of New Heights Live.

However, just as everyone thought the show was over, the president of the University of Cincinnati, Neville G. Pinto, came out in graduation regalia. Despite Jason and Travis graduating from UC, neither participated in their respective ceremonies. Jason and Travis got to wear their gowns, and Travis got to deliver a graduation speech that he ended by downing a beer. The show is then closed out with red and black confetti falling everywhere as it would at a regular UC graduation. 

Travis and Jason brought an energy to Fifth Third Arena that hadn’t been felt since they left UC over a decade ago. To me, the show was everything I’d hoped it would be. It was entertaining, funny and even heartwarming at moments. I wasn’t the only one who felt this way. 

“We loved it. We were freaking out the whole time,” said UC freshmen Elizabeth Butzin and Layla Pelan. 

The roommates originally bonded over their love for the New Heights podcast. “We were on the phone with each other when we ordered the tickets,” said Pelan. “We needed to make sure that we got tickets.”

“We were not taking chances on the student lottery, so we were like, ‘We will buy that ticket. We don’t care about the price,’” said Butzin. 

On what stood out to them the most about the show, Butzin and Pelan said just being able to experience the show in real life and seeing Jason and Travis in the flesh. Butzin and Pelan also agreed that seeing the live show has given them a deeper appreciation for the podcast.

The post ‘New Heights Live’ Review: Jason and Travis Kelce Know How to Party appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

This story is featured in CityBeat’s Feb. 21 print edition.

While Destin Conrad is making waves in the R&B scene now, the Tampa-born singer originally gained his following on Vine where he amassed over a million followers. Conrad was raised by his single mother who emigrated from Jamaica and got his start singing in the church.

He is known for collaborating with his longtime friend and fellow R&B singer Kehlani, including on her album It Was Good Until It Wasn’t. The album debuted at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart in 2020.

The following year, Conrad released his debut album, COLORWAY, which includes hits like “IN THE AIR” and “EXCITED!” That same year, he would go on tour as an opener with artists Kehlani and Syd. After his second album, SATIN, came out, Conrad would headline his first tour in Europe and the U.K. Since then, Conrad released his third album, SUBMISSIVE, which will be followed by his “SUBMISSIVE Tour,” where he will be able to bring his smooth and romantic style to fans across the U.S.

Destin Conrad plays Bogart’s on March 4 at 7 p.m. Info: livenation.com.

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The post Sound Advice: R&B Singer Destin Conrad and His Smooth Romantic Style are Coming to Bogart’s appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

This story is featured in CityBeat’s Jan. 10 print edition.

What comes to mind when you think about boutique fitness? While some people may not know what that phrase means, others have used it to build community and lifelong habits.

Boutique fitness studios are small gyms that typically specialize in one or two fitness areas for instructor-led group and one-on-one exercises. Though boutique fitness studios have been around for decades, the market is booming now more than ever.

According to Yahoo Finance, in 2021 the global boutique fitness studio market was valued at $49.3 billion and is expected to reach $66.2 billion by 2026. Cincinnati has seen an increase within its own wellness and boutique fitness studio scene with studios popping up all over the city.

Here’s a look into Cincinnati’s fitness studio market, and the people behind it. 

Pilates Center of Cincinnati

Kelli Green became interested in Pilates after giving up running. “As I got older and had three kids, I was a little bit more injury prone, and I kept noticing different women and their physiques,” Green said. “I kept saying, ‘They’re older than me, and how do they look so toned?’ Most of them would say Pilates.”

After a nine-month training program, Green became a Pilates instructor.

Pilates Center of Cincinnati follows the traditional Pilates teachings of inventor, Joseph Pilates. “The main focus on any kind of Pilates is reformer,” said Green. “Pilates today is getting a little watered down, we are a back-to-the-basics Pilates studio where everything is quiet; it’s about perfection of detail, your form, so we (have) a different approach.”

“Pilates is good for your flexibility,” Green said. “You work from the inside out, so you work the finer muscles outward, you incorporate breathing and maintain this core that is practiced. It’s a wonderful way to move. You can do it forever.”

Green believes that Pilates has gained so much popularity because it is community-driven. “You get to know people next to you on your machine, you become friends and I think that was something that people were missing after the pandemic,” Green said. “You have a support system, people kind of count on you and if you’re not in your class, they actually notice. Especially in niche boutique-type studios like these. We’re a family so the teachers are a family and we really treat our clients as a family. I think that’s what’s kept me in business.”

NYXX Cycle

Nick Melnyk discovered his passion for cycling in a search for connection. “I went to University of Cincinnati, and I started school at the College-Conservatory of Music for theater, and it was a really small program,” Melnyk said. “I left the program after my first year, and it was hard for me to adjust from being at that super small program that was kind of its own school on UC’s campus to then being in the large university. I had a hard time making friends and meeting people. I had a friend who was going to the rec and she said, ‘You should come take this spin class with me,’ and I was like, ‘Okay, I don’t know what that is.’ I fell in love, worked up the courage to audition, then taught in college. From there (I) had a love and passion for it.” 

Melnyk found that music made cycling more enjoyable for him and uses this to make cycling fun for others at NYXX Cycle. “What I wanted to open here was much more rhythm-based and less about stats and metrics. For us, when we first opened, (it was about) determining how we introduced that to people who have not ridden like that before and getting them to like it. We were shocked at how quickly people started to adapt and have fun.”

Melnyk runs NYXX Cycle as a no-pressure environment. Welcoming new and old riders alike, he wants riders to feel comfortable no matter where they are in their cycling journey.

“Any class you take here, you see different types of people from physical abilities, age, gender, race, sexuality, everything in this room,” Melnyk said. “That was a huge thing for me, so seeing that growth has been cool. I think a lot of us expected to see people we always taught over the years at other gyms, and it’s been so cool to see all these new faces.”

Melnyk thinks that boutique fitness has always had a special role in fitness because of the larger nationally known boutique studios, but Peloton and the pandemic were the real push for the boom in group fitness.

“COVID happened and Peloton blew up, that was the thing. When that happened, people realized, ‘Oh wait, I miss working out with people,’ and it’s just not the same. It’s not just cycling I think, it’s any group fitness atmosphere. I go and take tons of group fitness classes, for me I need someone to tell me what to do, I need that accountability and I just love the energy of other people around me. I think there’s something really special about it.”

Define Oakley

Jill Fishburn and her husband have owned Define Oakley since November 2022. Fishburn found her passion for fitness through Define, which was a factor in purchasing the studio. Define offers cycling, barre and bounce (HIIT done on a trampoline) classes. 

“The former owner posted that she was looking to sell the studio,” Fishburn said. “My first reaction was, ‘This is my happy place, I can’t let that go.’ My husband and I are very entrepreneurial, we’ve always known we were gonna do something, the plan was to always work for ourselves and we reached out. It happened really fast, we met with her in early September and we took over Nov. 1. I didn’t want to change anything about it, I changed little things but the base of what Define has always been for nearly a decade is exactly the same. The previous owner felt the same way, she didn’t want to pass it off to anybody that was going to massively change it. She still teaches for us, we have 12 active instructors and more than half of them have been with the studio since the beginning which is really unique.”

After graduating from UC, Fishburn realized that despite being active throughout high school, she had not been active at all in college. She tried to get active again by going to the gym with her husband but realized that she needed motivation outside of herself.

“[Define] had a sale, seven classes for $77, for whatever reason that one stuck. I was like I can spend $77 and do anything seven times, I got hooked on bounce. It’s so fun, it’s a killer workout and I finally looked forward to what I was doing in terms of exercising. It became easy to show up and easy to motivate myself to come, eventually just addicting. It got to the point where if I didn’t start my day here, my day was off.”

Fishburn says that outside motivation is a big reason people find boutique fitness so appealing. “I think my story is definitely a common one, it’s so hard to motivate yourself, especially in a post-COVID world where we weren’t able to go places. Everybody got out of routines and everybody was looking to get back with people. Now that people are allowed to do that again, showing up and someone knows your name when you walk in the door or they’re shooting you a text that they miss you when you didn’t show up — that accountability is a piece that I think sets group fitness apart.”

Contrast Studios

Contrast Studios offers an alternative path to fitness for Cincinnati as the first sauna and cold plunge club in the city. Contrast therapy combines hot and cold temperatures for physical performance and mental wellness, with a recommended 57 minutes a week in the sauna and 11 minutes a week in the cold plunge. Contrast therapy offers benefits like increased metabolism, accelerated muscle recovery, improved cardiovascular health, boosted immune system, accelerated injury healing and more.

Co-founder Patrick Coyne’s experience with contrast therapy is what motivated him to bring a studio to Cincinnati. “This was formulated in January, signed the lease at the end of April, then we opened up Oct. 5,” Coyne said. “For me, it was very personal. I’ve always dealt with mental health issues, and I was sick and tired of medicine. I didn’t want to feel numb anymore, and I had done it for about six months by myself, without telling people or even thinking about a business plan because it helped me. After the last one at my buddy’s house, I came outside, and I was tired of using his place, so I Googled cold plunge in Cincinnati — nothing. Cold plunge in Ohio — nothing. Cold plunge in the U.S.? There’s very few businesses, and when there’s that big of a lack of product and a huge demand, that’s when I decided to come up with a business plan.”

Coyne uses his businesses to add value to people’s lives through wellness. “I really wanted to affect the masses’ mental health-wise because not everyone can work out. We just surpassed 200 members in less than four weeks, we’re at 250 members right now.” 

Though contrast therapy is trendy, Coyne believes that the science behind it is the reason for its popularity. “Everyone likes new, exciting things that can better themselves without having to put themselves through rigorous workouts.”

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