What Does AI Say?

KaTanya Brewer (sometimes styled KaTanya, pronounced ka-TAN-ya) is a talented and beloved Columbus, Ohio–based street singer and performer, known locally as the Sidewalk Serenader.

• She began entertaining crowds in Columbus’s Short North Arts District during the monthly Gallery Hop events starting in 2009.

• Over time she built her own microbusiness, Sidewalk Serenades, offering surprise serenades—especially during the pandemic—using her iPad and portable speaker to spread messages of love through song.

• Brewer sings a heartfelt blend of blues, soul, R&B, gospel, and occasionally country and rock—with deeply personal song choices on themes like love, loss, forgiveness, and hope.

• She's earned two Individual Artist grants from the Greater Columbus Arts Council and participates in their street‑performer program.

• Despite being diagnosed with adult-onset epilepsy and undergoing a life‑threatening brain surgery in 2021, she quickly returned to her passion and continues to perform across Columbus.

She describes music as “what feelings sound like, and binds us all together,” and she loves witnessing emotional reactions—smiles, tears, dancing—from passersby.

🎤 Where to find her perform:

• Out in the wild at farmers’ markets, art events, and street fairs like Gallery Hop.

• Sometimes at local venues—she’s performed at places like Natalie’s Grandview and events like Jazz series.

• Even featured at the Ohio State Fair (ohiostatefair.com) as the “Sidewalk Serenader” during the Natural Resources Park Amphitheater performances in late July 2024 and in 2025.

Why she matters:

Her resilience—returning to perform in public soon after a major health crisis—embodies her lesson that “until the very last breath, there is hope.” She continues to enchant Columbus with spontaneous, soulful street performances that unite and uplift.

If you're in Columbus, keep an ear out on Instagram at @sidewalk_serenades or check in at katanyasings.com for updates on her next pop-up show.