They lift your spirits, prompt you to think, make you feel grateful and inspire you to do more. They connect you to our community, shining a spotlight on what's good about our city. They're stories that are Uniquely Milwaukee.
Singing in church was Tyler Curtain's first time on stage. Now, the 22-year-old is representing his city on a larger scale.
“It was really nerve-wracking, but I was excited because whether or not it went the way I wanted it to, I still got my music out there and somebody heard it.”
That’s how Curtain summarized his debut performance at the World’s Largest Music Festival, which just so happens to take place in his backyard. It was the opening day of Summerfest, and the artist whose style is a mix of contemporary gospel and R&B with jazz undertones went on stage with his own original music, backup singers and a full band.
Curtain’s performance was part of MKE Live Groove Edition, a platform that puts a spotlight on local talent who use their art to bring some light to others.
“Music has a way of bringing people together,” Curtain said, “and it’s important for Milwaukee artists to give that form of entertainment to their community to show that it matters to uplift those who are local. Because you can really do something for more than just that person; that person can do something for the community.”
It’s a mindset that runs throughout MKE Live Groove, which seeks out independent artists in the area. Aichelle White started it as a bimonthly concert series that connects Wisconsin artists with musicians they might not otherwise have access to.
“I pair music creatives with a live band because I know that most music creatives don’t understand or haven't experienced their music being played live,” she shared. “It gives them an opportunity to have the live experience.”
Another thing White heard from many of the artists she worked with was the desire to perform at arguably the state’s biggest music event. So, for the past three years, MKE Live Groove has used its platform to give them the opportunity to play at Summerfest, right alongside globally touring musicians.
“We have the talent here,” White said of Milwaukee’s music scene. “It's cool to go and get talent from everywhere else, but you have to recognize the talent that is already here in the city. It's well diverse — from youth, all of the nationalities, all of the sexualities. It's a well-diverse group of music creatives.”
You can see it in the lineup MKE Live Groove put together for Summerfest 2026. “If you want hip-hop, you want youth, you want gospel, you want blues … we got techno on the roster this year. We got everything you could possibly want,” White said. “Whether you want slow music, fast music, we got it.”
By welcoming a range of sounds, MKE Live Groove has opened the door for its artists to collaborate and even play other stages at Summerfest. As one of those artists, Curtain’s hope is that people continue to support local talent as a way to fuel connection and foster community.
“Be sure to uplift, support and to constantly engage with your local artists,” he said, “because if anybody can do anything for your community, it's the ones that are living in it.”
