What to know about Stark Pride Fest headliner MkX: 'Fun, high energy, explosive'

Michael Kouroubacalis was 3 years old when he first went shopping for CDs with his mother at a record store.

"I was kind of a hyper-mature child when it came to pop culture," recalled Kouroubacalis, the musical artist known as MkX. "My mom was really amazing. She saw how much I gravitated to (music)."

The future musician recorded what he affectionately considers to be his first EP at age 3 on a Fisher-Price tape recorder while using a toy beatmaker. Wearing plugs custom fitted to his small ears, he attended an Avril Lavigne concert with his parents when he was only 4 years old.

"My family jokes that I came out of the womb loving music, and I've always wanted to create music and write songs ever since I was a little kid before I could even read and write," he said.

More: MkX to headline Stark Pride Festival

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MkX's passion for music will be on full display when he headlines the Stark Pride Festival at 9 p.m. Saturday at Centennial Plaza in downtown Canton. Singing and performing a hip-hop influenced style of dance pop and electronica, the 25-year-old Los Angeles resident said his show will be a spectacle featuring choreographed dancing and video screen imagery.

"It's going to be a very high energy set," said MkX, who recently released the new single "Bright Side." "There's going to be visuals that I made on my computer and high energy choreography. I'm going to be doing a bunch of songs that I put out and produced, and I'm going to be doing some new songs, and we'll put some covers in there; it's going to be a really fun, high energy, explosive show."

Stark Pride Festival is 2 to 10 p.m. and features drag performers, food vendors, speakers, community groups and activities for children.

Musical entertainment on the Centennial Plaza stage also includes Mellow Villains (a band from Alliance playing '80s, '90s and 2000s rock) at 3 p.m.; The Scenic Route (pop rock) at 4:30 p.m.; Ethan Soza (rap and hip-hop) at 6 p.m.; and The Vindys (indie rock with jazz and pop) at 7:30 p.m.

Stark Pride opens with a ceremony at 2 p.m. at Centennial Plaza, featuring the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps, the Cleveland Transgender Choir and community leaders.

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Performing since age 7, Kouroubacalis formed a teen pop duo with his sister named Michael and Marisa. The siblings opened for Cody Simpson, Christina Perri and Ariana Grande. In 2017, he debuted as a solo artist with the song "The Look" under the name MkX.

During a lively phone interview on Wednesday, MkX elaborated on his own musical story, why he enjoys performing at Pride festivals, his love for '90s and 2000s pop, and what he has planned for his Canton concert.

1. Why he performs at Pride Festivals

MkX recently performed at Pittsburgh Pride 2023. Past shows also have included a Pride event in Los Angeles.

"I feel like performing at Pride shows is a real representation of how I am as an artist because I'm really forward about self expression, and I want to inspire people to express themselves and find that thing that makes them unique and use it as their super power.

"Pride in general is all about being yourself and being loud and expressive and really showing who you are on your sleeve, and that's what I try to do with my artistry in general, so Pride is the perfect time and place to do that, and I'm so excited about the performance − it's going to be a lot of fun."

2. MkX uses visuals, technology, dancers in stage show

Technology will be incorporated into MkX's performance with the use of the video screen at Centennial Plaza. Four dancers also will be joining him on stage while he sings to recorded tracks.

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"I'm about combining music with fashion and visuals and technology all as one presentation. I'm really excited to be able to do that at Stark Pride, and I'm excited that they have a screen. I'm also excited that it's at night ... because I have some technology that looks better in the dark."

3. MkX on Pride: Show the community who you are.

"I think that Pride is super important. I think it's really important for everyone that's part of the LGBTQ community to proudly show the community who they are and not be afraid to be who they are.

"Of course I'm excited about the progress that even I've seen in the last 10 to 15 years. (But) I get disappointed when I see things like anti LGBTQ laws and legislation like that going on. All we can do is keep pushing forward. I feel like Pride is the best thing to express who we are."

4. MkX is a big fan of '90s and 2000s pop

In middle school and high school, MkX was a fan of Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC and other artists of the era.

"Being like a pop music head was not the easiest thing for classmates to digest," said the Boston, Massachusetts area native. "Now I'm super proud that I did, and I like Lady Gaga and Britney Spears, and it's really fun to connect with different kids and adults who really admire this art form that people can sometimes consider to be ... shallow, but it's like a really intricate art form. It's not only about the music, it's about the visuals and the fashion (and) really putting together a package that's artistic expression on a silver platter."

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5. What does the name MkX represent?

"I go by MkX because my initials are MK, but the X represents kind of that super power in me, that uniqueness," he said. "... And I really embrace the things that make me different, and I really love for people to find their X per se and find that thing that really makes them special ... and really put it out there instead of hiding it and being ashamed of it."

Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com

On Twitter @ebalintREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark Pride Festival to feature live music, drag performers, food, fun