Tampa’s long-running Welcome to KNXVLL R&B day party returns to The Orpheum on Sunday, with a set from rising R&B singer MaKenzie, the Kentucky-born vocalist who rose to national attention as a semifinalist on NBC’s The Voice. Doors open at 5 p.m., and the evening will feature a DJ lineup alongside her performance at the North Tampa venue.
The event, as reported by Creative Loafing Tampa, is presented by Tampa promoter and DJ James Knox alongside Longface and WRLD Entertainment, and it doubles as Knox’s annual birthday celebration, according to AllEvents. Knox founded the Welcome to KNXVLL party about a decade ago, and it quickly became a popular destination in the Tampa Bay day-party scene, per the Creative Loafing Tampa report. This year’s lineup brings DJ Qeys, Big Willie, DJ Donnie Luv and Knox himself to the decks alongside MaKenzie’s special set, with tickets starting at $20.97 and still available as of publication.
Who Is MaKenzie
MaKenzie gained national prominence in 2018 as a contestant on Season 15 of The Voice, where she joined Jennifer Hudson’s team and advanced to the semifinals after failing to earn a chair turn during her initial audition on Season 14, according to BET. Born in Wallingford, Kentucky, she began singing at age three in a local church and later developed her vocal style performing with a Black gospel ensemble while studying at Morehead State University, the outlet notes.
Before signing to a major label, MaKenzie built a substantial digital following through viral R&B and gospel covers, including a rendition of The Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love” that surpassed 6 million streams on Spotify by early 2021, according to Hits Daily Double. In March 2024, she signed with Warner Records and Atrium Recordings, later releasing A Pretty Fucking Cool EP, which featured new-wave-influenced R&B singles including “Lips,” “Maybe,” and “Velvet,” the outlet reports.
A New Home for a Familiar Party
The Orpheum where the party unfolds isn’t in its old Ybor City home. The venue moved to 14802 North Nebraska Avenue in North Tampa near the University of South Florida in 2022, ending a two-decade run in the historic Ybor entertainment district. The current location operates as a general-admission, standing-room hall with a capacity of roughly 720 guests and a 26-by-16-foot main stage, per Ticket Fairy.
The Orpheum’s departure from Ybor City was cited in local public hearings alongside closures of other spaces like New World Brewery and Crowbar, reflecting broader commercial pressure on Tampa’s historic arts districts, according to the City of Tampa. Creative Loafing Tampa’s report also notes that St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, who made history in November 2021 as the city’s first Black mayor, follows MaKenzie’s work — a small but notable sign of the buzz building around her Tampa Bay appearance.
For local fans of R&B and gospel-rooted soul, Sunday’s lineup offers a chance to catch a major-label artist in an intimate general-admission setting, backed by DJs who have helped define Tampa’s day-party culture for a decade. The show is part of Creative Loafing Tampa’s August 20–26 print issue coverage, written by Ray Roa.
