Walking the Walk
Ki5
This Values in Action spotlight tells the story of Kyler Wilkins, who has made it his mission to shed light on the ever-expanding scope of Michigan BIPOC artists. Besides being a musician, Wilkins's career is highlighted by his work at The Ark, which is primarily known for its emphasis on the folk genre. Through his series called Voices, Wilkins has created a space where multiple genres can grace the venue with artists such as Gwenyth Hayes, a Black multi-talented R&B instrumentalist, or Lorianne Janine, the multi-genre Detroit-based singer, both of which have headlined Voices since he began the platform in 2023.
Voices are crafted concerts prioritizing representation, allowing more than a dozen Black artists to perform at The Ark since 2024, including working with trans people such as singer-songwriter and instrumentalist London Beck and educators like Joe Reilly. Its impactful purpose also comes from Wilkins’ sit-down interview portion of the show, where the artists chronicle their musical journeys and expose audiences to musical worlds they have not encountered prior.
Musically, Wilkins, AKA Ki5, is an artist who has reached near-iconic status across the Ann Arbor area. Wilkins is recognized as a live-looping artist specializing in vocals and beatboxing to create musical universes measured by his layering, soft creation, and transformative R&B, pop, and folk fusion of music. Pursuing music since childhood, Wilkins is highly regarded for his versatility, gracing stages worldwide, including festivals like The Ann Arbor Summer Festival and Sonic Lunch. As an artist, he has released two EPs, "Body" (2023) and "Spirit" (2022).
For this Walking the Walk spotlight, we had the opportunity to interview Wilkins to discuss his musical platform, how the Voices series came to be, and his impact around the Ann Arbor area. If you would like more Wilkins content, you can find more information about the Voices series here. You can also check out more of Wilkins artistry under Ki5 on all streaming platforms or on his website at Ki5loops.com.
Listen to the interview on Spotify, or view a summarized transcription of our interview with Kyler below:
Do you name your Looper that you use?
Ki5 - I've never been someone to name instruments. I just let them be the instruments. And I will say that for a long time and probably still. Now, when I think of Ki5, it doesn't make sense to me without the loop station. We share a name. When the loop station and I come together. We are Ki5.
Let's talk about the Voices series that you've created and curated. How did that begin?
Ki5 - My first Voices artist was a joint concert with me and Jordan Hamilton, a talented cellist, singer, and looper. I realized that the power of doing a show with two Black musicians could inspire people to step out and dare to be doing something different and not letting what felt like restrictions of yesterday hold you back from doing that. We came up with the name that night, The Voices series, because it feels like an opportunity to speak and to offer more perspective, opinions, life experiences that get poured into our music, and how we show up as artists.
How did the journalism aspect of The Voices series come about?
Ki5 - It gives intentional time to let someone be known. I like doing the interview portions and including that within every Voices show because I want to give the artists a chance to be known how they would like to. I think it's another aspect of expanding.
What is the evolution of the Voices series?
Ki5 - I want more people of all ages to be involved and influenced by the series. Keeping an all-ages mindset and a generational community. That is part of the evolution for me, and letting the series get a life of its own will hopefully make it grow in ways that I couldn't have really imagined or predicted.
Is there anything else that you want to put out there into the world?
Ki5 - Yes, a project I started working on is still in its infancy. What is getting is becoming more and more special to me. It's called KyleX_stories. It's a project for my love of acappella and singing generally. That's something to follow on Instagram if you want to follow me at @Ki5loops or @Kylex_stories. Those will be the main places where I push updates. I'm also @KylerWilkinsMusic. I want to encourage people to create because we need it. We need each other.
Learn more about Ki5 at ki5loops.com.