Pass Da Aux Returns

By Alana McCarthy Light

Pass Da Aux’s live interview and performance series just premiered its latest season with an R&B night. The DMV-based organization featured a lineup of 10 artists who shared their stories in live Q&As and then serenaded U Street’s Prima Sports Bar with original music. PDA maestros Kalen Murphy and Jada White conducted the interviews while emceeing the event.  

Held on Saturday, March 16, 2025, the event reignited PDA’s unique approach to showcasing artistry. Camaraderie strengthens between audience, featured creatives, and media through the event format’s melange of conversation and live music, juxtapositioning feelings traditional shows invoke - of disconnection, hierarchy, and mystery - with promoting mutual feelings of excitement, inspiration, and resonance. PDA’s intriguing curations craft collaborative space, provide networking opportunities, and elevates artists to a new level where their music presents as brightly as their personalities.

Local R&B artists Hadiya and Kieion reflected in additional interviews post-show. Hadiya, who doubles as a classically-trained opera singer, contributed with how she world-builds her creativity. Kieion, a music professional since 2013, cited PDA as an immediate career highlight. Both performers emphasized collaboration, skillbuilding, and, of course, love. 

“I love going out in nature. I love going for hikes. I also really enjoy going to open mics and just practicing - kind of like a little workout for myself,” Hadiya shared, shouting out Chief Storyteller of Baltimore’s Alanah Nichole’s Davis’ open mic series as mentorship.

Additionally, Hadiya loves “being at home - just writing, smoking my weed, and having my wine, chilling and writing.” After performing, Hadiya maintains humility by feeling “like I’ve never done enough,” adding that her ambition helps keep her focused when she needs to stay inside to work on her music.

Hadiya, who uses she/they pronouns, enfuses queerness into her romantic lyrics by removing gender from her writing. “When I'm writing about love, I'm writing about love in a way where everyone can relate,” she explained. Hadiya will perform at Baltimore Pride this summer.

“I'm ready for my mermaid music journey to the next couple of songs, channeling aquatic life and my classical training in college,” Hadiya lauded. R&B spaces, in contrast to opera, allow Hadiya to feel like she can be herself without race nor gender constraints and can have more fun: “I can actually show up with colored hair or piercings or tattoos and no one will judge me.”

Kieion also praised how PDA’s R&B night created a distinctively comfortable atmosphere. “With the live interviews you get a little nervous, but it really shows the artists’ personalities. This is dope - I’ve never done something like this before,” he lauded.

“Collaboration is great because it breaks fan bases. Someone that never heard of you will hear you collab,” Kieion stated. His brother, John, duetted with him at PDA’s season premiere. 

Kieion equally enjoys working by himself, describing solo creation as “challenging” in a way that allows him to branch out and redirect complacency. The artist says he makes music every day and incorporates his constantly developing freestyling talents into all his work.

“Once I hear the beat, I just start freestyling. If something needs to be tweaked, I go back and I add my words…Lately, I’ve been in the R&B bag, so I talk about women a lot in my music,” Kieion detailed.

Pass Da Aux holds their next live interview and performance event at Prima Sports Bar on Saturday, April 19, 2025. This season, PDA will present more opportunities than ever to continue their dedication to uniquely boosting the careers of promising artists.