Tucson R&B/dance singer-songwriter Tora Woloshin is bringing together a diverse lineup of Tucson musicians, female impersonators, rappers, acrobatics and dancers on Thursday, June 8, for “Culture Shock,” which she hopes will showcase our diversity in hopes of uniting us through art.
“I hope to send a message of peace and unity to Arizona and turn this showcase into a movement, throwing a show of different performers every month,” said Woloshin, 27, reached via email last week as she was in Los Angeles finishing up her latest album “xxvii.”
The idea behind “Culture Shock” came early this year after she invited fans to participate in a video shoot for her latest single “Off the Chain.” It was shot on location at downtown’s H2O night club. One of the fans invited to participate dropped out after learning that the shoot would be at the dance club.
“He said he he wouldn’t come because gay people went there,” Woloshin recalled. “I was disgusted and I deleted him from my messages and in return he publicly posted hateful things about me. So I thought, there needs to be more love and unity in this community! And the perfect way to do that is through music.”
Woloshin’s last big Tucson show was in 2014 when she was part of rapper B.o.B’s national tour, which stopped at the Rialto Theatre. Woloshin, who has been singing since she was 6, made it to the third round of the inaugural 2011 season of “The X Factor,” Simon Cowell’s short-lived talent show. In the years since, she has carved out an independent recording career that has included performing around the country.
Woloshin said she will open Thursday’s show in H2O’s upstairs followed by an intermission downstairs that will feature more performers from “some amazing female impersonators and local rappers,” a dance improv set. The night will close with Woloshin doing a set of covers and originals.
