Lineup
Top Soul Musicians from Columbus & Beyond
Now a two-day festival, CBUS Soul® Fest has an amazing lineup for each day! Join us this summer to see these talented musicians perform!
2026 Lineup
-
Performing
- Friday, September 4
- 4:00 PM
Stage
- Main Stage
About
Cherimondis J is a Columbus-based, Dayton-born Singer-songwriter, musician, composer and producer. She is a graduate of The Ohio State University with her bachelors degree in classical concert piano performance. Her accomplishments include having a televised performance boasted by WOSU TV, performing a backstage live at the Lincoln Theatre and being nominated for songwriter of the year for the 2025 Soul Dope Music Awards. She’s had various press releases on Columbus Alive magazine, Tuned up Magazine and 614 Columbus with her music being described as “incomparable”, “soulful” and “breathtaking.” Her Noir Neo-soul sound is accompanied by a philosophy that everyone deserves to have a voice and by sharing the ever flowing changes in the human dilemma, she can help breathe life into others and be a central powerhouse for all.
-
DJ BLCKUNICORN
Performing
- Friday, September 4
- 5:15 PM
Stage
- Main Stage
About
DJ BLCKUNICORN has been DJing since 2017. She is one of the founders and DJ’s of Damn Girl. A disco-funk dance party that started in 2013. She also co-host ‘Drip” an open format event held on the last Saturday of every month at Parable. In addition to her dance parties, BLCKUNICORN has worked with many professional artists such as; Chromeo, Cupcakke, Thot Squad and RJD2. In 2024 she became the first DJ for the professional volleyball team, The Columbus Fury. Her favorite genres are Funk and House. When it’s time to dance she loves to keep a party going with Hip-Hop, Disco, and EDM too. BLCKUNICORN loves to go to concerts and feel the energy of live music. Her goal of DJing is to bring life and energy to all her events.
-
Performing
- Friday, September 4
- 6:00 PM
Stage
- Main Stage
About
N’shai Iman is a contemporary R&B and neo-soul artist whose sound blends emotional vulnerability with smooth, soulful production. Born in Detroit and based in Columbus, Ohio, she creates introspective music rooted in honest storytelling and rich vocal delivery.
-
DJ BLCKUNICORN
Performing
- Friday, September 4
- 7:15 PM
Stage
- Main Stage
About
DJ BLCKUNICORN has been DJing since 2017. She is one of the founders and DJ’s of Damn Girl. A disco-funk dance party that started in 2013. She also co-host ‘Drip” an open format event held on the last Saturday of every month at Parable. In addition to her dance parties, BLCKUNICORN has worked with many professional artists such as; Chromeo, Cupcakke, Thot Squad and RJD2. In 2024 she became the first DJ for the professional volleyball team, The Columbus Fury. Her favorite genres are Funk and House. When it’s time to dance she loves to keep a party going with Hip-Hop, Disco, and EDM too. BLCKUNICORN loves to go to concerts and feel the energy of live music. Her goal of DJing is to bring life and energy to all her events.
-
Performing
- Friday, September 4
- 8:00 PM
Stage
- Main Stage
About
The GRAMMY-nominated vocalist, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist is known best as the lead singer and drummer for legendary R&B group Mint Condition. As such, he has crisscrossed the globe, touring with luminaries like Prince, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, and Alicia Keys. The world knows Stokley’s enduring collaborations. His 2011 effort with Kelly Price, “Not My Daddy,” earned a GRAMMY nomination. The TV performances alongside Jimmy Fallon and Conan O’Brien and awards shows such as BET Honors and the AMAs. His film scores and catalogue of studio work, a veritable who’s who: Mariah Carey, Usher, Mary J. Blige, and Jill Scott.
-
Performing
- Saturday, September 5
- 4:00 PM
Stage
- Main Stage
About
Gabrielle Solange is a Billboard-charting singer, songwriter, and producer whose last two concerts have sold out, and is currently preparing to be the opening act for Toni Braxton, New Edition, and Boyz II Men’s Columbus 2026 tour stop. She also currently has original music playing in Netflix’s top series, Love is Blind, and recently voiced an animated character for Mattel’s American Girl Doll.
-
Performing
- Saturday, September 5
- 5:15 PM
Stage
- Main Stage
About
DJ IQ is a Native DJ of Columbus OH! He has been DJn over 15 years all over America! Through his turntable skills and ability to rock a microphone he put smiles on faces at every event he does!
-
Performing
- Saturday, September 5
- 6:00 PM
Stage
- Main Stage
About
Ria Blaq is a rising Neo-Soul, R&B, and Jazz artist from Columbus who began her professional career as a backing vocalist for Angie Stone, performing on notable stages including Wolf Creek Amphitheater and Brooklyn Jazz Festival. Rooted in Gospel and Neo-Soul, she blends Jazz and R&B with heartfelt storytelling and powerful, soul-stirring vocals shaped by a lifetime of performing since the age of four. Her 2023 debut project, Real Life Convo’s, showcases her authentic sound and relatable lyricism, solidifying her as a dynamic and unforgettable live performer.
-
Performing
- Saturday, September 5
- 7:15 PM
Stage
- Main Stage
About
DJ IQ is a Native DJ of Columbus OH! He has been DJn over 15 years all over America! Through his turntable skills and ability to rock a microphone he put smiles on faces at every event he does!
-
Performing
- Saturday, September 5
- 8:00 PM
Stage
- Main Stage
About
A five-time Grammy award winner and daughter of soul icon Donny Hathaway, Lalah Hathaway belongs to US music royalty. Since announcing herself on the R&B scene in 1990 with her self-titled debut album, Hathaway has produced chart-topping singles and critically acclaimed albums, collaborated and performed with stars such as Mary J. Blige, Stevie Wonder, Prince and Kendrick Lamar, and gained renown for her spectacular live shows.
Throughout her career as a singer, instrumentalist, writer and producer, Hathaway has enjoyed regular successes in the Billboard 200 and R&B charts, including a No. 1 on the Hot Adult R&B Airplay chart in 2004 for her cover version of Luther Vandross’s ‘Forever, for Always, for Love’. In 2015, Lalah Hathaway Live placed at No. 2 on the R&B Albums chart and went on to win the Grammy for Best R&B Album in 2016, making history as the first ever concert recording to win the prize. Her effortlessly rich and powerful vocals, tinged with a knowing vulnerability, continue to win her the admiration of fans and critics alike.
Hathaway is also a champion of worthy causes, having raised funds and awareness for the African-American breast cancer organization Circle of Promise, as well as mentoring students on behalf of the Elevate Hope Foundation, which supports abused and abandoned children through music and art therapy. In 2019, Hathaway was the subject of a New York Times feature article and spoke of the inspiring though complicated influence of her late, great father. That year saw Hathaway open the summer season of the Lincoln Center’s prestigious Out of Doors festival, in which she performed an entire concert of Donny Hathaway’s music for the first time.
No artists match that stage.