Star Tribune
Video (06:36) Click above to see Lady Midnight's special performance for the Star Tribune State Fair.

It's hard to think of a rising Twin Cities singer who has consistently captivated new audiences in recent years more than Lady Midnight.

Her look and style are eye-popping, and her songwriting and music are instantly evocative. But as you'll see in her Mini-Grandstand performance today at startribune.com, those charms quickly take a backseat to her voice, a soothing yet riveting tool that's part Eartha Kitt, Solange and Jeff Buckley.

After cutting her teeth with the rootsy Afro-Cuban band Malamanya and guesting for rappers P.O.S. and Brother Ali, the real-life Adriana Rimple cut her own uncharted path on last year's debut solo record, "Death Before Mourning." The album — which weaves hypnotically between Afrofutursitic R&B, cosmic slow-funk and electro-pop — just made City Pages' Best Of issue. It's available at l8dmnt.com or her Bandcamp.com page.

While sidelined from performances in 2020, Ms. Midnight helped start a GoFundMe campaign for Auntie's, a safe-haven music venue for women and LGBTQ performers. She's finally returning to the stage again with a Sept. 21 gig scheduled at Icehouse in south Minneapolis.

Chris Riemenschneider has been covering the Twin Cities music scene since 2001, long enough for Prince to shout him out during "Play That Funky Music (White Boy)." The St. Paul native authored the book "First Avenue: Minnesota's Mainroom" and previously worked as a music critic at the Austin American-Statesman in Texas.

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