{"id":188674,"date":"2026-03-12T13:38:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T13:38:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/188674\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T13:38:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T13:38:07","slug":"jacksonvilles-nikayla-and-the-phunk-brings-retro-afro-futuristic-funk-to-the-big-culture-and-arts-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/188674\/","title":{"rendered":"Jacksonville’s Nikayla and the phuNk brings retro afro-futuristic funk to the Big: Culture and Arts Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article expresses the views of its author(s), separate from those of this publication. Readers are encouraged to comment or submit a Letter to the Editor to share their opinions. To submit a Letter to the Editor, follow the instructions here.<\/p>\n

Nikayla and the phuNk is a music artist from Jacksonville. Nikayla\u2019s music can be classified as retro Afro-futuristic, funk, soul, R&B, and electronic, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Growing up in Jacksonville<\/p>\n

Nikayla has always had a passion for music. \u201cI\u2019ve been doing it all my life,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

By the third grade, Nikayla was learning how to play the violin. That experience struck a fascination with instruments as a whole, she said. Nikayla knows how to play the cello, bass, guitar, synthesizers, and many other instruments.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Growing up, Nikayla watched a lot of Soul Train. The show was heavily influential, and she knew from watching that she wanted to be a musical performer, said Nikayla. She said that the show is the main reason she is who she is.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nikayla created an artist name during the time spent at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. The spelling of Nikayla and the phuNk is intentional. The two N\u2019s are capitalized to stand for their first name, she said. The name Nikayla and the phuNk is a representation of who Nikayla is as both an artist and beyond.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNikayla is me, and the phuNk is everything else,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As mentioned previously, Nikayla is a Jacksonville native. After graduating from Berklee College of Music, she had to move back to the area.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jacksonville venues<\/p>\n

Initially, Nikayla was unsure of how their talents would be put to use in a place like Jacksonville, she said. It was soon discovered that Jacksonville was full of creatives and various events\/places dedicated to building a community of artists.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so many opportunities here to meet creatives,\u201d said Nikayla.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One of those places includes The Walrus<\/a>, a venue known for hosting a variety of events. Nikayla would often get booked there to perform, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nikayla and the phuNk has an upcoming performance at the Big: Culture and Arts<\/a> festival. When asked about it, she said that she was looking forward to the festival. \u201cI\u2019m truly excited,\u201d said Nikayla.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This would be the first time Nikayla has performed at a festival. Nikayla said that she is inspired by many of the artists who are also going to be in attendance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nikayla said she is extremely grateful for the opportunity to perform alongside their favorite artists. \u201cI just feel so honored to be asked to play a festival with these amazing artists,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nikayla has a love for afro-futurism from the 70\u2019s, 80\u2019s, and 90\u2019s. There are many different retro components that Nikayla incorporates in both their personal style and music. For example, on Nikayla and the phuNk\u2019s most recent album, \u201cDEBUT,\u201d she said that she wanted to recreate the classic analog sound.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nikayla\u2019s music
\n\"BlackNikayla and the phuNk album cover.<\/p>\n

The entirety of \u201cDEBUT\u201d is inspired by 80\u2019s and early 90s late-night TV, Nikayla said. There were themes of space and bright neon signs at the time, and Nikayla based both the album\u2019s look and sound on that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Added to this, Nikayla mentioned many different artists that impacted their sound. Some of whom include Michael Jackson, James Brown, Smokey Robinson, Chaka Kahn, Prince, and Bootsy Collins.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nikayla discussed the making of the song, \u201cCOME CLOSE.\u201d The song is about an unrequited love experience, she said. Nikayla was experiencing a lot at the time and had begun journaling, which is where the lyrics derived from.<\/p>\n

\u201cCOME CLOSE is my most emotional song,\u201d said Nikayla.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The song is one of the slower tracks on the album. It features synth, R&B, funk, and electronic elements, according to Nikayla.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Aside from the personal experiences that \u201cCOME CLOSE\u201d is based on, Nikayla did not specify the gender of the person she sings about. It allows audiences to fill in the blanks however they wish.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted something that everyone could relate to,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Overall, Nikayla describes their music as \u201cfun, smooth, flashy, eclectic, and very groovy.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

When asked what new elements she would like to experiment with, Nikayla said that there are many new things she\u2019d like to try.\u00a0\u201cI would want to experiment more with jazz,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nikayla said she\u2019s also interested in incorporating reggae, jazz swing, and the cello into new music.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nikayla does not have any new music ready to release, but she has projects in the works, she said. Nikayla said she is focused on letting things come in due time and does not want to rush anything.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact\u00a0[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This article expresses the views of its author(s), separate from those of this publication. Readers are encouraged to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":188675,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-188674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=188674"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188674\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/188675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=188674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=188674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=188674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}