“To build my legacy I have to start small”
I’m from New Jersey. I came to California in May to be a singer. I really didn’t look the part for New York. They kept sending me away so I came out here and I started doing different recordings. I started meeting different agents. Right now I work at Starbucks, which is great. I love meeting people. I meet celebrities, I get signatures. It’s a great experience out here. I’m mixed so I’ve always been a different kind of black girl. I don’t speak or look the cool that everyone thinks I’m supposed to so that’s really different. I was called the “Golden Oreo” in high school. Now I’m just letting my personality shine rather than my skin color.
I was over looked for plus size modeling. First I wasn’t big enough then I lost too much weight. Then I had to gain all of it back. Then they just didn’t want me anymore. Then for singing, I’m a gospel singer. They are looking for the next big… “what can we tell her what to do.” I wanted to do my own thing, my own way.
At first it hurt my feelings a lot, I’m really sensitive. I’m just using it as a steppingstone. I left my job, I left my family, it was more like I have a goal, I have a dream. I want to follow it. I just don’t want to work in a corporation and make money. I want to have a name for myself. I want to have a legacy and to build my legacy I have to start small. I’m getting there day by day.
I work with struggling addicts so we record music and stuff together. I just recorded a song yesterday, actually, and we burned a CD of it. It’s called Never Back Down. It’s really great. I’m working with different type of people throughout the world, children with disabilities, adults with disabilities through music. I never thought I would do that and I’m doing that.
My Rugrats doll, Susie, I’ve had it for since I was three. And I still have her. She still is in great condition. Everywhere I go I try to take her but I left her in New Jersey. I’m going to have my mom ship it. Suzi was the only black one on Rugrats and I really related to her. She was cool. They didn’t push her to the back burner, they actually let her be a star. I really relate to Suzie.