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She finally escaped homelessness. Then her house exploded.

Keyawna Nikole joins TK in the DARKSIDE interrogation room for Villain Origin Stories.

From growing up mixed-race in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, to chasing music in Los Angeles with $1,203, Keyawna opens up about the experiences behind her voice: gymnastics, family conflict, juvenile probation, face tattoos, and finding belonging in alternative music.

She recounts hiding her homelessness from her mother, living out of her car, and finally finding stability before a devastating house explosion. She also shares her account of an abusive relationship and being locked in a U-Haul before a pivotal recording session.

The conversation moves through the artists who inspired her, working with Rob Cavallo, the Instagram message that led to Lil Wayne, and her account of the situation involving MGK, his drummer, and private messages. At its heart is a question: who do you become when you finally get to stop surviving?

Villain Origin Stories is a long-form interview series about the experiences that shape us, the choices that follow, and the complicated line between being hurt and causing harm.

00:00 Episode Preview
01:04 Welcome to VOS & Meet Keyawna Nikole
01:28 Moral Dilemma: Give Up Music to Save Someone?
02:45 Moral Dilemma: Exposing Your Childhood Hero
04:02 Growing Up in Beaver County
05:05 Gymnastics, Pressure & Her Mom as Her Coach
09:13 Racism, Changing Schools & Not Fitting In
12:24 Growing Up Mixed-Race & Finding Belonging
14:12 Her Father's Music & Chasing Her Own Dream
16:54 Face Tattoos, Identity & Self-Love
26:28 Pierce the Veil & Meeting Her Childhood Heroes
32:04 Rock Music, Religion & Family Conflict
47:16 Her Account of Being Taken Across State Lines
52:04 College & Wanting to Help Kids in Juvenile Probation
1:00:26 Leaving for Los Angeles & Living in Her Car
1:04:48 Hiding Homelessness From Her Mother
1:09:56 Denny's Wi-Fi & Finding a Way Into Music
1:12:22 The House Explosion
1:23:51 Why Leaving an Abusive Relationship Is Complicated
1:28:15 The U-Haul & Her Rob Cavallo Session
1:33:21 How Lil Wayne Found Her
1:41:54 Representing Black Women in Alternative Music
1:43:44 Her Account of MGK, His Drummer & the Messages
1:55:08 Making Music Beyond Survival Mode
1:57:33 What She Would Tell Her Younger Self

Listen to DARKSIDE (Album) here: https://open.spotify.com/album/3f9d7aEVptwEYjwuF0wFI1?si=2vT8Es5sSR-GwwLgWM5EqQ

Subscribe for more Villain Origin Stories: https://www.youtube.com/tkthelegendx

Share YOUR Villain Origin Story Here: https://www.villainoriginstories.com

Follow Villain Origin Stories:
Instagram - https://www.Instagram.com/villainorigin.stories

Follow TK:
Instagram - https://www.Instagram.com/tkthelegend
X - https://www.x.com/tkthelegend
Website - https://www.darkside.love
Website - https://www.villainoriginstories.com
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@tkthelegend
Twitch - https://twitch.tv/tkthelegend

Follow Keyawna Nikole:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/k3yawnaa/
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@keyynikole
X - https://x.com/KeyawnaN
SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/keyawnanikole
Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/keyawna-nikole/1454973927

Credits:
Executive Produced by C.Y. Lee
Instagram - https://instagram.com/cxy
X - https://x.com/cxy

Created, Directed, Produced, And Edited By Michael "Tk" Akinlosotu
Cinematographer: Eddy Orellana
Editor: Steven Vargas
Host: TK
Guest: Keyawna Nikole
Producer: Bueli Njheri
Producer: Chantice Baker
Soundtrack And Audio Mixing: TK

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