Cierra Lemott 
True Star hosted its first From The ‘Go Fest Open Mic, which was a huge success!
Dozens of artists from across the city gathered at True Star’s headquarters in Bronzeville to showcase their talent with a crowd to cheer them on.
From letters to poems, dancing and singing to rapping, this night was filled with youth talent that exceeded expectations.
“We just wanted to give young people a safe space to showcase their talents but also to identify talent for our annual festival,” said DeAnna Sherman, co-founder and executive director at True Star.
True Star’s annual From The ‘Go Fest was created for youth by youth. The festival’s goal is to give a platform to up-and-coming Chicago youth with various talents and give them exposure. This talent show was created to take the guesswork out of finding talented teens and young adults to perform while allowing them to have real, live feedback on their art.
“I like supporting True Star,” said Marshall Callery, the 23-year-old creator of the youth talk show Youth Talkz. “Myself, I have a youth-led talk show and it coincides with True Star and their vision.”
Callery attended the open mic to observe talent. He also encouraged the artist he manages, Zion Ali, to attend and perform as well.
“I always love doing stuff for the youth and I just love performing so that’s why I popped out,” said Ali. “I loved seeing new artists express themselves.”
The 21-year-old performed his song “Break Downs,” available on all streaming platforms, which he wrote and produced.
Sherman said the outcome of the event was “more than [she] ever thought.”
“The love, the amount of artists that came out, the energy. It was just so on point and we’re going to be more on point next time. The love is just amazing,” said Sherman.
If you missed this open mic, don’t even worry about it. True Star’s Open Mic night will occur on the last Saturday of each month from 6 pm to 8 pm leading up to the festival.
Know someone with talent or have some of your own? Slide to our next From The ‘Go Fest Open Mic night next month! Can’t wait to see you there!
By Cierra Lemott, Columbia College Chicago Alumni
Instagram: @cece.kodak / @kodakscamera
X: @LemottCierra
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