BLACK BUTTAFLY / Carney's Other Room / Saturday, May 16, 5:30 & 8:00 PM
The Story
Kayla Childs, aka Black Buttafly, is a star rising in Philadelphia. The keyboardist, songwriter, beatmaker and bandleader has put in years of work with R&B, hip hop and jazz artists all over the region – Orion Sun, Ivy Sole, keiyaA, Ryan Gilfillian, Omar’s Hat, RES and more.
Childs grew up in a deeply-committed musical family in New Brunswick, New Jersey. From an early age, she learned about keyboards, especially the Hammond B-3 organ, while her godmother directed music at Ebenezer Baptist Church around the corner from her home. She also studied acting and voice at the local George Street Playhouse, and she earned a scholarship to Rutgers University-Camden before landing her first professional performing gigs and moving to Philly at age twenty-four. Since then, she’s been busy at work in studios, jam sessions and touring bands with the most dedicated players in Philly, Jersey and New York.
The Sound
The 28-year-old Philly-based singer-songwriter and pianist proudly carries on the soul and R&B roots laid generations before her. She’s a little bit Stevie, a little bit Herbie, a little bit Erykah, and a whole, whole lot herself, with a little gospel thrown in for good measure.
