Dae Fenwick is the owner and creator of Kulture Karaoke, a card game set to release in Target stores across the United States on November 8, 2021. As a Detroit native, 80's baby, HBCU graduate (Clark Atlanta University and Texas Southern University), Black female attorney, and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Dae believes in making products for us, by us. Learn more about the card game creator below.
Fancy: How would you describe your swagher? What makes Dae, Dae?
Dae: I would say I am very well-rounded. I am an attorney who works on high-profile cases. But I am also just a girl from Detroit, who loves God, music, her family, and enjoying life.
Fancy: So tell us about your card game, Kulture Karaoke, and what inspired it.
Dae: Really it was my love for music that inspired it. Karaoke is one of the things my friends and I really love doing, but they always complain that they don’t know what song to sing. One night, I invited my friends and family to celebrate my birthday with me at a local karaoke lounge. To make it more fun, I created song categories on Post-It Notes and made everyone select a song based on the category. For example, “Sing a song that reminds you of high school.” They all loved it and wanted to play again, and that inspired me to create Kulture Karaoke.
Fancy: Can you describe the moment when you decided to take the steps to make it an actual business?
Dae: I was so nervous no one would want to buy it. I didn’t even tell anyone my idea initially. I came up with a name, picked the colors, set up a website, and even started an Instagram page, all before I had even created a physical product. Once I set up the Instagram page, I started following people who seemed to enjoy music and karaoke. The next day, I learned someone had come across my Instagram page, went to my website, and placed an order. I was shocked! But that also meant I had to actually make the product. From there, Kulture Karaoke was officially launched.
Fancy: Did you ever think you would be the creator of a card game?
Dae: Not at all. Ironically, I don’t really think of myself as a super creative person. But anyone who knows me will tell you I love to bring people together and I love music. Kulture Karaoke is a natural extension of that.
Fancy: Please share with us how to play the game.
Dae: It’s pretty simple. If you want to play just for fun, you just pull a card, pick a song based on the category, and sing! It’s even better if you add in choreography. If you want to make it a competition, you need at least three people or groups, and the groups take turns battling each other. You need an odd number so that one group can act as the judge, while the other two compete. It is a lot of fun, and talent isn’t necessarily required!
Fancy: So who might Kulture Karaoke be a good fit for?
Dae: Anyone who loves music—especially 90s and 2000s hip hop and R&B, and wants to have fun. You can play with your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc.
Fancy: Would you say the process of creating the cards was easy or difficult and why?
Dae: The card categories themselves were not hard. I just came up with categories that I would want to play. However, creating the physical product was somewhat difficult, because I did not know where to start. I had to do a ton of research and invest a lot in myself to make it happen.
Fancy: It was recently announced that you have a partnership with Target and your cards will be sold in their stores nationwide starting November 8, 2021. Congratulations! How did you go about that partnership?
Dae: Timing is everything. Target is committed to working with Black-owned businesses, so this was a great fit. Also, there are not many Black-owned games currently in stores. I think providing something different helped to get their attention as well.
Fancy: Will there be any variations of the game?
Dae: Definitely. I get messages every day with people requesting 80s music, or other genres of music. I will be working on that in the future.
Fancy: While I am learning there are more Black game creators than I thought, what is it like to be among the few?
Dae: That was something that I learned after I created Kulture Karaoke. There are a lot of really great games out there from Black creators. It’s just that they haven’t made it to mass retailers yet, so many people aren’t aware. I can say I did not know about them before either. One of my goals is to shine a light not just on Kulture Karaoke, but on the many other dope Black games out there. I am next up to make it onto a larger scale, but I am committed to bringing others with me.
Fancy: How do you balance being an attorney, running Kulture Karaoke, and managing your personal life?
Dae: I wear a lot of hats as an attorney, business owner, wife, mom of a 1-year-old, and everything else. For me, the key is to accept that you can’t be great at everything all of the time. I heavily believe in utilizing my support systems, both at work and at home, and together we make it happen.
To learn more about Kulture Karaoke, visit https://kulturekaraoke.com.
Francheska “Fancy” Felder is the founder/publisher/EIC of SwagHer Magazine. She’s a-Single mother of 3-Libra - Trapping scribe-Lover-Mental health advocate- Country girl-Proud, liberated Black goddess@fancyswagher
