The Lincoln Theater will be hosting the acoustic duo Starlit Ways Friday at 7 p.m. Credit: Courtesy of Rolanda Copley
From old-time jazz to classic French music, the acoustic duo Starlit Ways is well acquainted with a wide variety of musical genres.
Starlit Ways, made up of Rose Nkechi Onyeneho and Chris Glover, will perform at the Lincoln Theatre Friday at 7 p.m., with an opening performance by Antonio Lamar, according to its website. Onyeneho said she and Glover first met while singing in their church’s praise and worship team when they were younger and started performing together in 2014.
Onyeneho, who is originally from West Africa and has lived in both Gabon and Nigeria, said she moved to the U.S. in November 2010. Despite the shock in cultural differences, she said moving here was an enriching experience. Glover, a Columbus native, said it is refreshing to be able to perform in the city again, especially after having to be virtual during the pandemic.
“It’s been a tough couple of years for a lot of musicians and venues, so us being able to have our craft out in the public again, where people are physically there with us, is a breath of fresh air,” Glover said.
The duo said the music they perform often ranges in style, genre and language.
“We’re pretty eclectic for the most part, and that really caters to what we play as well,” Glover said. “It can go from old-time jazz to pop to some chiptune stuff.”
Glover said he and Onyeneho do not want to be boxed into playing just one genre of music, and they enjoy having the freedom to simply play what they like.
“Our rule of thumb is that whatever we like, we will play, and it doesn’t matter what genre it fits in,” Glover said. “If it sounds good to us, we’ll enjoy it, and we may play it.”
Starlit Ways has performed all over central Ohio, including at events and venues such as the Columbus Arts Festival, the Westerville Music & Arts Festival, Java Central Café and Roaster and Weasel Boy Brewing Co., according to its website.
Scott Woods, founder and director of Streetlight Guild, a performing arts organization that hosts performers and artists from Columbus, said Starlit Ways was one of the guild’s most requested acts.
“They get a lot of love in my venue, and they were one of the first acts that I had booked coming out of the pandemic, until we had to lock it back down again,” Woods said.
Onyeneho said performing virtually due to the pandemic allowed her to gain an introspective understanding of her foundation and goals as a singer.
“When I sing a song, I love to relate to it somehow,” Onyeneho said. “I would refuse to sing a song if I can’t express it, if I can’t express what the story is.”
Glover said the pandemic gave the duo time to get back to the root of why they decided to play music together as Starlit Ways in the first place.
“It made us realize that we do this because we truly enjoy it, and that if it helps at least one person throughout their day, we’ve done our job,” Glover said.
Tickets to Starlit Ways’ performance at the Lincoln Theatre start at $22.50 and can be purchased through the CBUSArts website.
