CRYSTAL WAMALWA, FOUNDER AND CEO OF AUDACITY TOURS. (PHOTO BY J.L. MARTELLO)
Pittsburgh has no shortage of creative talent.
Crystal Wamalwa, who is originally from Baltimore, found that out when she threw an event spotlighting talent in Pittsburgh on June 22 at Prive Creative Studios in Homewood. From Mister Rice hosting, to the PGH Double Dutch Swing Squad, A Loved 1 Fashion, Orlando Watson, Abigail Potter, Morisha Moore, Bilal Re, comedian Khairy Creek and roller skater Martel Brown, Wamalwa’s idea of “wanting to have fun” turned into a place where these talented people could be celebrated and appreciated.
“…And now seeing it grow as a business and the impact be even greater is such a rewarding moment for me,” said Wamalwa, who founded audaCITY Tours. “Though we are starting from the ground up with building out our capital and funding support, it’s moments like those that remind me I am on the right path.”
KHAIRY CREEK, THE HEADLINER COMEDIAN…
Wamalwa’s audaCITY Tours’ “Family Reunion” shows have her spotlighting talent not just in Pittsburgh, but in Baltimore on Saturday, July 20, Richmond, Virginia, on Aug. 3, and in Charlotte on Aug. 17. While she’s the CEO and Founder of audaCITY Tours, she has a dedicated team which consists of members in each of the aforementioned cities, along with community partners in each city to find the talent.
Wamalwa, 31, grew up in a family that was full of creatives. Wamalwa would travel around Baltimore with her family and sing at various churches and events, while her aunts, uncles and others had their own businesses. So it’s no surprise that the grown version of Wamalwa would want to merge the two together — artistry and entrepreneurship.
Eventually, Wamalwa wants to take some creatives from Pittsburgh and have them perform in one of the other cities, like a Baltimore, and vice versa. It’s a way to expand the reach of that creative, even beyond their home city.
LINE DANCING AT THE EVENT…!
Expect audaCITY Tours to come around again in 2025, but before that, come October 2024, Wamalwa said there will be a Pittsburgh “pop-up” tour that will happen at a Black-owned business in the Pittsburgh area, where one or two artists will be featured.
She won’t have any problem finding Black-owned businesses in Pittsburgh, as Wamalwa and her husband, Moses, moved to the Steel City from Baltimore in 2020, for Moses Wamalwa’s new job. The now-North Siders just welcomed Jubi into the world. Their daughter is 1 year old.
“She keeps me humble and grounded,” Crystal Wamalwa told the New Pittsburgh Courier.
THE HOST, MISTER RICE
When Crystal Wamalwa held her June 22 event in Homewood, she realized just how “vibrant the art culture is in Pittsburgh.” She said it felt like a “welcoming party into the community” for her, and that the artistic community here is “prevalent and real and reminded me of home.”
The artistic community on that evening in Homewood might have reminded her of her hometown of Baltimore, but chances are she was the only one in the house who wasn’t a Steelers fan. She’s a hardcore Ravens fan.
Will all this Black and Gold around here convert Crystal Wamalwa into a Steelers fan?
“I’ve been asked that by so many people in Pittsburgh, and my family is always making sure I don’t convert,” Wamalwa said. “As of right now, I’ll have to say a solid ‘no.'”
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