anaiis, Elliott Skinner
Alexandra Waespi
A close-up of anaiis.
anaiis
The music of singer-songwriter anaiis presents a wide-ranging perspective and doesn’t sit neatly in one stylistic category. Growing from a neo-soul base, her gorgeous, atmospheric songs wander into personal territory, exploring motherhood, identity, grief, healing and the complicated business of figuring out who you are. Her most recent album is the acclaimed 2025 collection Devotion & The Black Divine. This stop on her first North American headlining tour launches another season of the Wisconsin Union Theater’s Black Box Sessions series. With Elliott Skinner.
media release: The Wisconsin Union Theater (WUT) has announced its 2026–27 Black Box Sessions lineup, an intimate concert series featuring R&B and neo-soul performances in the Play Circle Theater at Memorial Union.
The series will feature three contemporary R&B and neo-soul artists: anaiis on Sept. 18, bLAck pARty on Oct. 15, and Isaia Huron on Feb. 19, 2027. All performances will begin at 8 p.m.
Designed to give audience members an up-close experience with the artists, the Black Box Sessions series presents performances in a space that creates an immersive club or lounge atmosphere. Sets range from 60 to 90 minutes and often include regional openers.
French-Senegalese singer-songwriter anaiis blends soul, R&B and other musical traditions to create a sound all her own. She sings about grief, identity and healing, aiming to be open and be part of bringing light to things that she says need to be challenged. She wants her music to be part of conversations about topics she says are important, such as mental health.
She released her debut album “darkness at play” in 2019 followed by the albums “this is no longer a dream” in 2021, “anaiis & Grupo Cosmo” in 2024 and “Devotion & the Black Divine” in 2025.
Patrons will hear multiple genres in Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer bLAck pARty’s music, such as funk, R&B, reggae, soul and country.
Also known as Malik Flint, bLAck pARty says he loves all forms of music. Rather than writing within a specific genre, he says he writes based on sounds and lyrics.
Among his accomplishments, he contributed to Childish Gambino’s album “Awaken, My Love!,” soundtracked episodes of HBO original series “Insecure,” and created original compositions for the TV show “Atlanta.”
Washington, D.C.-based singer-songwriter Isaia Huron, whom Billboard recognized as its up-and-coming R&B artist of the month in April 2026, brings a blend of R&B, soul and pop to his Black Box Sessions performance.
His self-produced music features melodic and emotionally driven choruses. He released his latest project “Mr. Lovebomb” with RCA Records on April 10. The album is narrative-driven and described as being about lust, heartbreak and ego-death.
In addition to performing, each Black Box Sessions artist will participate in a free 60-minute educational, interactive event called the Interdisciplinary Arts Community Sessions, which offers insight into artists’ creative processes and careers.
“The Black Box Sessions are designed to provide a singular experience between artist and patron,” said outgoing Wisconsin Union Directorate Performing Arts Committee Director Jordan Waters. “The carefully curated series is a product of thoughtful intentionality exercised to foster a new sense of belonging both on campus and within the Madison community, as it is designed to adapt to the culture in real time.”
Tickets are available online, by phone at (608) 265-2787, or in person at the Memorial Union Box Office. Discounts are available through WUT's build-your-own subscription packages, which are available for purchase now. Single tickets will be available for purchase on June 1.
Patrons can visit union.wisc.edu/visit/wisconsin-union-theater/seasonevents/black-box-sessions to learn more about the WUT Black Box Sessions lineup.
“Her powerful voice soothes with words of affirmation over a soft, skipping neo-soul bassline… It’s an intimate dialogue, a palm pressed against the mirror towards her own reflection.” - CRACK MAGAZINE
“A live-sounding organism that sits on the edge of modern soul, ‘Devotion & The Black Divine’ provides thoughtful, deromanticised discourse on love as a primordial foundation, motherhood, femininity, mythology, and the life-force that comes with our tether to the natural world.” - CLASH MAGAZINE
“It’s clear that anaiis creates entire worlds with her music—anytime you put on one of her songs, you’re transported into a comforting, easy-listening space where her lyrics resonate deeply and feel personal.” - EARMILK
“Shaped profoundly by new motherhood, the album captures anaiis at her most open and human, embracing unpredictability with grace and creative freedom. It moves through a wide emotional spectrum while remaining beautifully still at its core, a soulful conversation between the artist, her inner world, and the collective human experience.” - WORDPLAY MAGAZINE
“Music that soothes and unsettles in equal measure, filled with moments that affirm self love and others that stretch her voice into new territory.” - NEW WAVE MAGAZINE
Elliot Skinner kicks off his fall tour this week, and heads to Wisconsin Union Theater in Madison on Sept 18, supporting anaiis.
The Texas-raised musician was based in NYC for almost a decade and has worked with the likes of Chaka Khan, Leon Bridges and Jon Batiste, among others. He will release his debut solo EP, How Far We’ve Come on September 18 via Ninja Tune.
Rolling Stone has already named Skinner’s lead single “DON’T BE A RUNNER” a “Song You Need To Know” and recent single “THAT KID” ft. Jensen McRae was recently featured by Earmilk.
