Stay True with Dante Bowe

00:00:09
Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to this episode of Keep It Positive. Sweetie.

00:00:12
Speaker 2: I'm christah N and Hazlet and today I have with me the incomparable, this talented don Tebo.

00:00:19
Speaker 3: Dont you made it beautiful?

00:00:23
Speaker 1: Thank you?

00:00:24
Speaker 3: Thanks for having me.

00:00:25
Speaker 1: Absolutely no.

00:00:25
Speaker 2: I've been wanting you to come on the show. There was a time I think we had asked and they were like, he's not available. So I was so happy when I got the email saying.

00:00:33
Speaker 1: That you could come.

00:00:34
Speaker 2: Yes, we've never met a person.

00:00:37
Speaker 3: I know, and I'm a fan too, same. I know what you do, I know who you are like, so I'm really grateful to be here.

00:00:43
Speaker 1: Thank you so much. Thank you.

00:00:45
Speaker 2: But we'd like to start the show off with a song or topic, and I'm going to try to sing this song.

00:00:50
Speaker 1: It's actually one of your songs that I love. It's called hide Me.

00:00:53
Speaker 3: Oh.

00:00:53
Speaker 1: We're just going to sing the hook.

00:00:54
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:00:56
Speaker 1: Hide me, hide me, hide me, hide me you shot hide.

00:01:01
Speaker 2: Me, hide me, hide me, hide me, undel hide me, hide me, hide me, hide me A yes, because when we think about everything we go through, sometimes we do just want to be hidden under God's and behind him, like Lord protect us.

00:01:19
Speaker 3: I always want to be protected. I don't care what season I mean, because hidden doesn't always mean you're not outside or like you're not working, you know what I mean? Hidden just means no matter where I am, I'm covered. Yeah, you know you see me, but he really sees me like I'm covered. You know.

00:01:35
Speaker 1: I love it. I love that.

00:01:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, this is my first time meeting you in person, but I remember seeing you.

00:01:42
Speaker 1: I want to.

00:01:43
Speaker 2: Say, what's the Gospel Awards show here in Atlanta, Stellar Awards, the Stell Awards. There was a reception at the Thompson Hotel and you came in briefly and you just had this like, I don't know, it's something very stoic and regal, the way you watch you. Gucci dad, who was.

00:02:02
Speaker 1: That, Like, oh that's down table. I was like, oh, I've never seen him, but I know his voice. I'm like, that's crazy.

00:02:09
Speaker 4: Yeah.

00:02:09
Speaker 1: I was out there acting a fool with Isaac.

00:02:11
Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah, I'm usually to myself.

00:02:16
Speaker 1: You were you were very quiety kind of reserve.

00:02:18
Speaker 3: Yeah, still trying to find I always felt like I didn't fit in all the way really, even though I have some amazing friends in that space, I always feel like when it's a lot of us in one room. I'm like, let me just you know, in the corner, or like just you know, I'm not shy, but I guess I'm just more observing.

00:02:37
Speaker 1: I since that I did, and you kind of like scope in the room. I'm about to get out of here. I was like, he just disappeared.

00:02:48
Speaker 2: But no, that was the first time I saw you, and then as I got to know your music more became I became a fan. The raspiness in your voice, it's something about I don't know, it's something anointed when when somebody has a rasciic voice, it just touches it, like as soon as you open your bath.

00:03:04
Speaker 1: I'm like, oh lord, that was good. I love it.

00:03:09
Speaker 3: I wasn't always comfortable with it, really, like I wanted a clean voice. And you know, coming up in the industry, you hear people they have like the smooth you know, Brian att Night, you know, all the greats kind of have this smooth kind of tone. Then you have the few like Cambarell or a Jasmine Sullivan. But that started coming around later as I got older.

00:03:33
Speaker 1: You're right, that's okay, So it's R and.

00:03:35
Speaker 3: B and gospel used to be so smooth, you know, rhyings and stuff.

00:03:39
Speaker 1: Yeah, I never felt comfortable and now I love it.

00:03:43
Speaker 3: Now it's like my superpower.

00:03:44
Speaker 1: No, it is, it really is. It sets you apart from everyone. Yeah, it does.

00:03:49
Speaker 2: So I want to know more about Dante. Let's go back to childhood, Dante.

00:03:53
Speaker 1: What was it like? Where are you from?

00:03:55
Speaker 3: Yeah?

00:03:55
Speaker 1: And also how did you even get into music?

00:03:58
Speaker 2: Because I know for me, my mom put me in the car five and that's how I got into It's kind of like, go, you're gonna you're gonna do something in the church.

00:04:04
Speaker 3: Yeah. I can hear you can sing, like you can hear your voice.

00:04:07
Speaker 1: When you said that you was like your voice, Yeah, I can hear.

00:04:10
Speaker 2: Yeah, a lot of singers can tell like you can sing.

00:04:14
Speaker 3: I gotta hear you cut off, no, but yeah. I was raised in Rockingham, North Carolina, so super small town, raised by both my parents and my grandparents, you know, ended up getting divorced my parents did, but still raised by both of them, and I had a pretty normal childhood. The only thing that wasn't normal is like all of my cousins and aunts and uncles could sing, and so we had a big family. So during Christmas is thanksgiving things of that sort. We would all gather around and sing, and everyone was super spiritual. You know. I was raising a spiritual home. And even my cousins that weren't save, Yeah, they might go outside and smoke. They weed come back in and be like trying to spray, like because you got your aunts and you, I like, the whole family had to be saved, even if he wasn't saved. When you come around like you act like yeah. And so that's kind of that was raised in. I never had an altar call moment, you know. I just just was raised the church. Like you said, your mom put you in the choir five same for me. I was like born in the choir as soon as I could be on the children's choir. Yep, my mom put me in there. I guess it was like another way for her to have a little freedom for free time. I had to go to choir her some stuff. I used to hate it, but now I love it. Yeah. I was just raising a pretty normal family in a small town. And all those things are probably things that we all yeah.

00:05:41
Speaker 1: Absolutely, Yeah.

00:05:42
Speaker 2: So you play the piano as well. What age did you start playing the piano.

00:05:46
Speaker 3: My grandmother bought me a yamaha piano, Grandma like one of them. Like remember radio Shack, Yeah I do.

00:05:54
Speaker 1: We were just talking about that, like there's no anymore.

00:05:57
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:05:57
Speaker 3: Yeah. So it was probably the biggest gift in my mind. You know, she bought me this, you know, yamaha piano. It was cheap, but it was like the best thing she could have bought me because I spent so much time on it. And that's when I started writing my own songs and stuff.

00:06:11
Speaker 1: Wow. How were you then?

00:06:12
Speaker 3: Maybe ten?

00:06:13
Speaker 1: Wow, that's amazing, nine.

00:06:15
Speaker 3: Ten years old, started writing my own songs. I started actually like spending my leisure time with music around that time. Before it was still like I'm going outside, I'm playing, doing the normal whatever, and that the piano kind of made me spend more time with myself and perfect my craft. Wow.

00:06:34
Speaker 1: So did you say piano lessons or you taught yourself.

00:06:36
Speaker 3: I took piano lessons, I was I was trained classical. Wow. That's good. Yeah. Yeah, So I didn't know at the time it would be like a career path, but I did enjoy it growing up, you.

00:06:49
Speaker 1: Know, it's amazing.

00:06:49
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:06:50
Speaker 2: So I didn't play the piano when I was younger, but you looked behind me in that corner back there, there's a little cute Oh yeah, I just brought a keyboard like two weeks.

00:06:58
Speaker 1: Yeah, and I'm teaching myself to play the piano.

00:07:00
Speaker 3: You know what you need to get you a little upright piano.

00:07:03
Speaker 1: Here I do I feel like in a four year Yeah, I need it.

00:07:07
Speaker 3: I got a little upright piano. And it's more inspired. It inspire you sit down and like play it. You know.

00:07:13
Speaker 1: I love when you do that. By the way, I love we do the video. Oh my god, it's so good.

00:07:18
Speaker 3: I think I might be releasing something that's like majority that.

00:07:23
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh. Yeah, that's gonna be fire. Yes, And then when you do your shows, that's gonna be crazy that.

00:07:30
Speaker 3: I'm gonna let you hear something.

00:07:32
Speaker 1: Please, Okay, I love it. I love it. Oh man.

00:07:37
Speaker 2: So you grew up in the church, singing came and playing the piano came around the age of ten. That's when you really fell in love with music. At what point did you realize I want to do this professionally And when did that even happen.

00:07:50
Speaker 3: I just think that was a pretty good student, you know, in school. I just think when I started realizing, like, okay, you got these jobs, you know, you have these like pretty much you got these occupations you know, as far as like being a lawyer a doctor, like they make this amount, right, and then you have like you know, your blue collar and like all this stuff like went through my head and I'm having to make a career path for myself, and I think I just ended up being like, you know, I think I want to get a record deal. I remember telling my mom, like yeah, I just was like, randomly, like sixteen seventeen, I'm like, I think I want to have a record deal. And my mom was so supportive always. You know, she could have like shot that down with small like you going to college, you know what I'm saying. Period, I was like I think I want to try to get a record deal before I'm an adult.

00:08:39
Speaker 4: Like she was like all right, you know, okay, do that from here, And they would take me to the studio started recording demos for real, Like my mom is a g Like she would take me to the studio and started recording demos and spending.

00:08:54
Speaker 3: That little money that we had, and I would sing in church my own music. And as I kept doing that randomly, you know, I would get certain calls to come do bigger, you know, bigger concious. So I met up at I went to this venue. I didn't know Eddie James was going to be there, but he was opened or he was performing, and I was opening up and so I started singing with him. And from there after that it was like Travis Green Casey j I don't know it just like god, it was randomness. Heck, like I wasn't super popular. He just he just started opening doors. And I think every time he gave me a platform, I just gave it my ally, you know what I mean. And you never know who's watching you or who's you know, out He was just wanting to give, you know, a young person an opportunity, you know. And so I was in the right places at the right time.

00:09:47
Speaker 2: Was there era time in your journey where you like receive noes or any type of like rejection. We were like, dang, like I really wanted that or because I know, for me it was ten years of nose.

00:09:57
Speaker 3: I got so many notes even and yes, is were like not complete. Yes, it's like it was like but you can come do this, like all come see BGVS and like you know whatever, you know, So yeah, I went through a lot of rejection, and I felt as though it's really hard to just come into a industry that's so big, like so grand, and you know, you don't have the manager, you don't have this and then that, you know what I mean, it's like you don't have a record deal and stuff like that. So I was doing it independently, so of course people were more so given opportunities to the ones that had the deals and the and the the connections, I guess you will. So I had a lot of maybe like five or six years. I mean I was homeless, really yeah, Like I could have been a worship pastor at this megachurch. And I did it for like three weeks. I'm dead and I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Pass the Jay you know, I love you. We're cool now, but I had to quit. I did it for like three weeks and I was just at my dash. After I did all my planning center and all that stuff, I would just be watching Bethel videos like constantly, you know what I mean, just worship videos. And I'm like, I want to like serve the local church, but I want to serve it like to my fullest globally globally, like you know, the Nations, yes, and so I would just manifest that and that was the first deal I was offered was from Bethel. Wow, that's huge for real. And I got offered a deal from every Christian gospel label all of them. Wow, all of them.

00:11:37
Speaker 1: That's crazy.

00:11:38
Speaker 2: I was homeless, man, So what was that like during that time? What was your mental like when you were dealing with homelessness and was crazy?

00:11:44
Speaker 3: It wasn't good. I actually wrote a song about it, and I never put it out, but.

00:11:49
Speaker 1: It was just I could get help somebody.

00:11:51
Speaker 3: It could. Yeah, I don't know why. Maybe I'll put it on this project I'm doing. But it was just about how I literally would just stay out the window. I won't even go outside, you know what I mean. There's times I didn't have money for food, like Chick fil A, like just whatever down the street. And my best friend Michelle at the time, who's still one of my best friends, she took me, you know, and I just slept on her couch and I could have gone home, and a lot of people are like, I just go back to your mama's house. I'm like, because like I knew that wasn't the plan for you know. So I'm like I'm gonna grind, like I'm gonna figure it out. So I slept on a couch and I would do like little gigs here and there, and then you know, one day my pastor was just like, I'm gonna get your single, double white trailer and you could live in it. And I was just pay the rent and you just paid me three hundred dollars, like because it was like half or something. So I stayed in that trailer and I wrote so many songs like I wrote. I wrote Tasha Cobbs and Sierra's and Spider Me. Yeah, this is like like seventy percent of Maverage City stuff in that trailer. Good crowded Chris Tomlin. But at the time I didn't know them. I was just writing everything. Yeah, they have nothing else to do, my goodness. And I remember, I will never forget I'm sitting on the on that couch in the trailer, and it was COB's first time technically texting me, and she knows that I need a bop. I need a bop. And I just had so many songs because it like, while I was in that wilderness, I was just writing a bunch of stuff. So I just did I didn't have to write new songs. When these people were calling.

00:13:32
Speaker 2: Me, you already had guy was already using Yeah, for sure, My goodness, crazy, that is crazy.

00:13:39
Speaker 1: It is real. It is.

00:13:41
Speaker 2: I tell people all the time a lot of things that I learned in the wilderness, as you put it, or times I feel like, dang, this is really a hard time. What's prepared me for where I was going? And once I got there, I'm like, oh, I'm ready. That's so amazing.

00:13:54
Speaker 3: And a lot of people think that it's it's like a lot of just prayer, supplication and just suffering this and that, and it's like, look, man, while you're in a bad place, don't make it worse. Like I think, like you can stay and complain or you can stay and like you know, dream and write and you know, create a vision and like you know what I mean, Like I used to make like vision boards and stuff like that while I was broke, Like you know what, Yeah, it's only when you get comfortable and just waddling in your sorrow instead of you know, looking at the bright side, like Okay, I can use what's in my hand. Like Moses, you know, before he you know, he split the seed, like God's like, use what's in your hand, like you might not. Yes, I know you're like, you feel powerless looking at this body of water, but just look at what you got, you know what I mean. So I had to look at what I could. You know what I had, and it was writing writing songs, you know, before I could be this artist that I dreamt of being. It's like, you know, start from ground zero, just right. You don't got to know the people yet.

00:15:00
Speaker 1: Love that.

00:15:00
Speaker 2: My therapist always says, you lack nothing and you have everything you need. And a lot of times, in moments where we feel like we're in despair, we really have to look with him because God's already given us everything we need to get where we're trying to go.

00:15:13
Speaker 1: That's exactly what you were just saying.

00:15:14
Speaker 2: And she always says that every time I feel anxious, she says, Crystal, Well, you.

00:15:17
Speaker 1: Say, I'm like, I lack nothing. I have everything I need.

00:15:19
Speaker 2: But I don't feel like it right now because there's moments where you don't feel like but you really.

00:15:24
Speaker 1: Do you have everything you need? Yeah?

00:15:25
Speaker 3: You do.

00:15:26
Speaker 1: I love that. I do love that.

00:15:28
Speaker 2: So you went from singing with Bethel and then you sing with other music collectives. What was it like going solo, because now you haven't in the last I guess year or so you've embarked on just dontebo like, this is you by yourself?

00:15:42
Speaker 1: Because it was Michelle No.

00:15:45
Speaker 2: Kelly Rowland said that when she's on stage without Beyonce and Kelly, without Beyonce.

00:15:50
Speaker 1: Michelle, it feels weird.

00:15:51
Speaker 2: Okay, So how was there for you stepping out and you're like, it's me and my background dances and my vocalist.

00:15:56
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean I would say I went solo again because before or Maverick City, the Bethel deal was solo.

00:16:04
Speaker 1: Okay.

00:16:04
Speaker 3: So I signed a solo deal and and I did a song called Joyful, which was number one, and I did all the award shows. I like, got most Grammy nominated in one term, come out as atist, the most gospel in gospel. I'm a most Grammy nominated artist in one term history amazing, and the first to chart CCM and gospel simultaneously. And I said with all humility because obviously God, you know, is leading me. But I definitely feel like after singing with a collective, after singing with MAV, I think I went and had to read imagine myself as an artist, and so it does feel like the first time.

00:16:50
Speaker 1: I'm solo for the first time.

00:16:52
Speaker 2: Yeah, So when you were in that reimagining period of your life, what was that like?

00:16:58
Speaker 3: I really just asking myself, like, were you really you know, like I was trained to hide and and give a false image, not even like in a bad way, Like not in a bad way, but you know when you are, you know, the face of something that's you know, sacred or you know, probably Disney kids have the same problem too. Yeah, but when you're just so positive all the time and nothing is wrong ever, it's like they taught us that and not and not just that. When I say that, I mean just the church.

00:17:42
Speaker 1: The church. Yeah, let's talk about it.

00:17:44
Speaker 3: And so it keeps you bound in a way. So I had to ask myself, you know, this go around, Okay, I'm doing another album, second album, and then the first one had so much success, I'm like, who am I? Like what Like That's why I named it Dante bo. Yes, you know, I'm like, who am I? What sounds do? I?

00:18:02
Speaker 4: Like?

00:18:03
Speaker 3: What things do I actually go through? And I was asking God just to help me articulate it, you know, through songs and stuff. Like that, and so I feel like a lot of people were like shocked. I don't know why they were. I don't know why I was easy music, but but I think it was such a new sound and and a lot of honesty on the record and talking about love and stuff like that. But I just had to search within and figure out, like what do I want to release it to the earth. And that's what it was.

00:18:35
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, And.

00:18:36
Speaker 3: It does feel like a new It does feel like a new experience, like I'm a new artist.

00:18:40
Speaker 1: Yeah, no, because it's a completely different lane.

00:18:43
Speaker 2: What was it like going from gospel to what they call secular?

00:18:47
Speaker 1: Like what was that like for you? Because I know like your fans are like gospel god.

00:18:52
Speaker 2: Yeah, and sometimes I like I go to your page and I really want to like tap and be like shut up right, because they were going, I'm like, y'all, chill out.

00:19:00
Speaker 3: They just love me, even hate is love no for real, Like if you go out your way to just be like I thought that you was a man, I'm like, you really loved me something. I disappointed you so bad. You really love me, like you know, and you just don't know how to articulate it.

00:19:18
Speaker 2: Just that.

00:19:21
Speaker 3: Even like hate is love, and then your views go up when they hate and they keep wanting to watch it over and over all this stuff, you know, but I love them. I feel like going from gospel R and B wasn't a hard decision to make because I've always loved I think it was one of those other things where it's like, you know, you have to hide that you like something, and it's like I like R and B, and we all really do, but yeah, that's for them to tell, you know. Speaking for me, I love R and B, and I always felt good listening to it, especially when it was like positive and love. Even the breakup songs were like, can get you through? Can get you through something that's going on that's bad? That maybe praising the advance? Can't you know? Maybe you need to hear something in my life. I'm not gonna cry no more like you need to hear that, you know what I mean? And so anyway, I said to say this, like, I feel like it was an easy decision to make. The hard part about it, if there was any at all, was me just making sure I kept it where it felt authentic and not like trying something are stretching him out because a lot of people's perception is like, oh, okay, he's not a Christian group anymore. He must be doing this R and B thing because you know, he can't be over here and I can, you know. I mean it really is a conscious decision to try something new and fresh. Yeah, get my MoMA something you want to listen to to.

00:20:56
Speaker 1: Say, how does your family the same family feel about it?

00:20:59
Speaker 3: They love it, They really do love it. And my mom, she's an R and B head, Like, so I feel like I'm actually writing music that you know, would be in her repertoire for real. I love that, not just when she's like, you know, on a Sunday experience what she wants to listen to it in the cars?

00:21:17
Speaker 1: Right, Yeah, that's so true.

00:21:19
Speaker 2: We were doing a what was it something Pete Pastor every one of his series that he was doing, and he would use an R and B song to introduce every sermon. And he was like, before y'all start judging, he was like, there's a difference between secular and profanity. He's like, because you have music that is like explicit and like super vulgar, he said, then you have second music that may just be talking about love, like and just happy.

00:21:44
Speaker 1: You know what I'm saying, feel good music, you know, and that's what you're giving us.

00:21:47
Speaker 3: Absolutely.

00:21:48
Speaker 2: Yeah, So shout out Pad for just clarifying that because changed church. Yeah, y'all be on it that everybody.

00:22:00
Speaker 1: We had to do a whole.

00:22:04
Speaker 3: Do you have fans at John Jay?

00:22:05
Speaker 2: No? Literally, I had to do a We had an episode where I had to actually address that because I've had people coming to church just to try to get pictures with me. I've had a girl literally run out the back door to my car tapping on the winter please get a picture. It's so invasive.

00:22:19
Speaker 1: I'm like, I'm here, and.

00:22:21
Speaker 2: That's why a lot of celebrities don't go to church, because they can't praise in peace.

00:22:24
Speaker 1: I like, yeah, I'm like, what are you serious? Right now?

00:22:31
Speaker 2: I'm like in the milk, like literally, and you're tapped me on my shoulder for what.

00:22:37
Speaker 3: I can't believe that happened.

00:22:38
Speaker 1: Yes, she was there, she witnessed that one.

00:22:40
Speaker 3: That's crazy.

00:22:41
Speaker 1: Yeah, I was the crime.

00:22:44
Speaker 2: Yeah, you were on Like we were at the altar literally bawling and I'm like covering her and we turned around in the first person, It's like, well, like she at tapped you first and then like she then when she didn't get my attention, she tapped me and I was like, and it was a and I was just like, it's.

00:23:02
Speaker 1: Crazy what you're doing. So yeah, people are crazy.

00:23:08
Speaker 3: You addressed it.

00:23:09
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah, I said, come for good.

00:23:10
Speaker 2: I'm here to build my relationship with God, to fellowship because I don't want to for sake the assembly, trying to time, trying to do everything right and really grow my relationship, but it's just messing up the vibe and then people want to hug it. Sometimes the energy is weird, you know, like people you know what I'm talking about, people going to and they're.

00:23:27
Speaker 1: Like, oh, and You're like, I don't feel right. It's like it is too fanished.

00:23:31
Speaker 2: It's like just be cool, Like I love everybody, and I appreciate this for if you see me in the streets, high at me.

00:23:37
Speaker 1: Fact, but this is the God's house. Let's just let's just honor that. Yeah, yeah, it does. It gets weird.

00:23:42
Speaker 2: Common sense, it's not common.

00:23:48
Speaker 3: Simple, it's so simple. Yeah.

00:23:52
Speaker 2: Yeah, anyway though, anyway, Okay, so we've talked about your grow, your upbring we've talked about your hard times.

00:24:02
Speaker 1: Did not know that you were homeless. That is crazy. Was there any time in your life where you felt like God?

00:24:10
Speaker 2: Like sometimes you feel like God brings you down to lift you up so that you can only look up to him.

00:24:14
Speaker 1: What was a moment in.

00:24:14
Speaker 2: Your life where God literally set you down where you had to look up and be like, God.

00:24:18
Speaker 1: What is happening?

00:24:21
Speaker 3: That's a good question, because I have a few you do.

00:24:24
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, I.

00:24:26
Speaker 3: Never gave that credit to God, Like when I was brought down, kind of just felt like I was doing something that just brought me down. Wow, And I could have avoided it. Some things I couldn't, you know, like life happens you losing loved ones and different things like that. I don't know. I just never thought about him that in that way. But I mean, I've had a lot of moments where I felt super low. Losing my grandfather was probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, like to this day, really close, we were really close. He's my best friend. And it was right right around the time I was working super hard and sopens yeah, and I wasn't home as much and he passed away. He had COVID in the very beginning or whatever. So but anyway he passed away because you know, just getting older, just a bunch of problems. Like and I was on the road, I was in the airport and even like now it's like crazy to me, you know, And I was in the airport. Just did the biggest concert of my career. Still to this day, the biggest concert was Brazil.

00:25:45
Speaker 1: Oh wow.

00:25:46
Speaker 3: And I was super happy and stuff. And then it was like whoa, Like I felt brought down for real, Like I'm like, this is supposed to be the best time of my life. You know, I'm singing worship in Brazil, working on an album, like I feel so good. It's like grandfather passed away, and so I threw my entire album away. You paid for it and everything, threw it away and wrote an entirely new album that's the Circles album. Wow, like dedicated to him. I just wrote, have you ever heard the song Voice of God?

00:26:19
Speaker 1: Yeah?

00:26:19
Speaker 2: I didn't know that was I didn't know that you had dedicated album to.

00:26:23
Speaker 3: Like I dedicated to my grandfather away the commercial album, like threw away the commercial album. What they were? So you know what's crazy? You know what, Like because I know Jim, they probably see this, you know, what's crazy. They were super super gentle with me and cared so much about you know, me as a creative that they trusted that I would, you know, maybe do a better thing, you know, like maybe it's gonna be better, you know at the beginning. Yet it was like, dang, it's crazy, you know, like an entire album you knew artists like, what are we doing? So, you know what's crazy? This is how I did it too. I went to the studio, recorded it all myself with my producer, and then I turned it into label. I didn't tell them that I was throwing it away until I was finished with the second one.

00:27:18
Speaker 1: Were you already with truth?

00:27:20
Speaker 3: Was this the same level I was with Bethel Music? And so yeah, turned it in and that's the one that made history at the Grammys. Wow, And I felt like it was because of my grandfriend. Yes, I really did feel like I didn't do the commercial thing. I did something that I really wanted to do.

00:27:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's and that's what normally hits home. Yeah, that people connect.

00:27:41
Speaker 3: To real I felt like, yeah, like the word.

00:27:46
Speaker 1: Yeah, you don't cut it all I do curse? Yeah, I said words that video.

00:27:56
Speaker 3: You know what's crazy is like like I tell all my look, I cursed when it's necessary, sometimes when it's not. Mostly when it's like necessary, I'm like, I don't know how else to say this, but yeah, I can feel somebody energy on the other like please say one.

00:28:18
Speaker 1: No, I'm not giving no crip no right, don't do.

00:28:20
Speaker 3: That, but I do.

00:28:22
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's the same. I was just telling yeah, and I was just telling known myself. I'm trying to stop.

00:28:29
Speaker 3: Now.

00:28:30
Speaker 1: You sent a video like I curse a little. Really, what's your favorite curse bird? Yeah, yeah, I catch a little. She's proud, right, Yes I curse but no, yeah, Like it was a moment in my life where I was a sailor because in the industry, everybody's cursing. You know.

00:28:48
Speaker 2: I worked in costumes, behind the behind the scenes before I was in front of the camera, and it's such a high intensity job and everything is so fast paced, and it's everything is what the beef?

00:28:59
Speaker 1: Why the thief? Is this already? What are we doing? What the sleep are you doing? Like everything is that. It's like endearing.

00:29:05
Speaker 2: It's not like people don't take it. Person It's like, oh yeah, money, I got it. You get so used to hearing that you start picking it up, which is why it's important to watch like the environment you're and because you soak a lot of that up, or just to have some type of guard up where you're.

00:29:17
Speaker 1: Like, I'm not going to pick that up. So I'm working on it.

00:29:19
Speaker 3: I don't think it's anyway. And I'm being real like someone on my team who I really love, like he's the head dog, like it's my boy. I could say his name, doctor Phild, that's my boy. When we're being passionate about the next moves, like we can be talking about God like it's like we're super passionate with like man.

00:29:42
Speaker 4: Like wether, like we're gonna kill this like hard, like definitely, like it's like super passionate.

00:29:49
Speaker 3: It's not even negative, but it's like that's probably the most like that. Yeah, I'll probably cuts a lot when.

00:29:55
Speaker 1: I'm in those moments, right, Yep, I'm.

00:29:57
Speaker 3: Super happy and hanging around my friend and stuff.

00:30:00
Speaker 2: Yes, I was just telling them I did a live with one of my friends and I kept saying broke, niggas.

00:30:09
Speaker 1: You know. I was like, because broke, it's just like you didn't collaborate. I said, Yeah, ain't gonna collaborate on that I said that wasn't one. But when you're around your friends, you get comfortable.

00:30:20
Speaker 3: That's the other thing. The branding, Like the reason why I don't it's not I'm never I'm the most one of the most honest gospel artists ever even over your favorite I mean even over the top. They know who they are, like my ployee. Yeah, but like they're even like iconic, like you know what I mean, Like I'm one of the most honest, well gospel singers to every for so far. But like I would, I wouldn't normally I would say the N word. But the thing is, it ain't about like it being bad or good. It's just not my brand all the time, you know what I mean, Like if we're doing a bunch of stuff, so it's not just all.

00:30:59
Speaker 1: Gonna be you know exactly.

00:31:02
Speaker 3: So I'm just you know, making sure that when i'm you know, older, that I like everything I put.

00:31:08
Speaker 2: Out exactly so you're not looking back and little clips so you look a little click something so quick and narrow dawn like damn se I just want to keep playing that over and over and over.

00:31:20
Speaker 1: But I'm working on it. Lord does He's doing the work in me, like.

00:31:23
Speaker 3: I mean winter. Oh my god, absolutely not cy like she might not, but y'all don't want to hear from me. No.

00:31:36
Speaker 1: When I saw you, I was like, he is with the an Winter? That was incredible.

00:31:42
Speaker 2: You're like into fashion too, Let's talk because that's something else we have in common.

00:31:46
Speaker 1: I was a costume designer for years. I stopped Tyler Perry and I.

00:31:50
Speaker 2: Love fashion and I love how you have been so expressed. I feel like fashion's way to express ourselves and I feel like I love how you freely express yourself in fashion.

00:31:59
Speaker 1: What got you into that?

00:32:00
Speaker 2: And when I saw you because I just started following you in the last year or so.

00:32:04
Speaker 3: I was happy when you followed me.

00:32:05
Speaker 1: Really yeah, I just loved your music. But then I saw you in the fashion too, and I was like yo.

00:32:14
Speaker 2: I was like, that's so dope. When did you start going to fashion weeks? And like, yeah, connect to all these designers.

00:32:20
Speaker 3: I take I took a break this year. I'll probably go later in the year. But I was always into fashion. My dad was super stylish, like he would wear you know, he would put the creases in his jeans, he put his tms on, his T shirt was always white, like super fresh. My dad was the freshest dude, like ever, like skin was listening like you know what I mean, gangster. He was just always fly, you know what I mean, his chain on his joey and it really took He really took pride in how he looked. And my mom was the same way. She let the female version of that, you know, so Mary J. Blige boos. My mom used to really dress. So I was just raised around it. And then even when I started, you know, going to church, my grandmother, you know, being a missionary in the church God in Christ, you know churcht she had her hats listen.

00:33:10
Speaker 1: I was told for a little while, like we.

00:33:11
Speaker 3: Dressed up like all the time, every Sunday. We dressed up like they would put us in suits and stuff as we were three years old, literally, So I was always into fashion. I think when I started making bigger checks, I was wanting to I did this the first year, which was a mistake, but you know, nonetheless I did it. I wanted to really start having more influence in fashion. So I was just buying a bunch of shit. I mean stuff, that's one of those that's right. But I was just buying a bunch of stuff. And I'm just like all right, nah, like you know what I mean, I just signed this deal. I don't know if I'm even gonna pop, you know. And so I started really making connections in the fashion industry. And I want to go into detail about how I did it, but like I was more so just on Instagram, and I would hire a stylists instead of like going to buy a bunch of stuff. I was hiding the pool. And the more I would pool, you know, the designers would notice me and different things like that. And then I signed my new deal and my manager is a fashion girl, like.

00:34:18
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, first of all, she's so fabulous, and so she got me.

00:34:24
Speaker 3: Oh my god. It's just crazy. First meeting we ever had. Like we were sitting eating it and I never go eat with people like after I do a gig like that. So I was like eating with her and her husband and she was like, y'all want a fashion I'm like, yeah, like I've been in this fashion thing for like two years whatever, and she's like, oh yeah, yeah, Like I'm doing a bunch of vote stuffs. Like she's like, I'm Vogue one hundred. I was, I'm like, what the heck? And so she became a part of my team. Obviously, I started, you know, doing more with Vogue, who I love. My stylist is the men's editor of Vogue. Wow, Michael shouting to Michael, that's amazing. So I work with him and this guy named Charles Rose and they do all of my styling and you know, got to you meet Valentino and all kinds of stuff I've done, you know what I mean. But it's only been you know, three four years, so I'm looking forward to the future.

00:35:18
Speaker 1: Do you feel like you would have your own line at some point? You know, you know.

00:35:24
Speaker 3: I would do collapse, you know, I want to be so yeah, well I want to have you know, a lot of influence period. But I do want to be so respected in fashion to where I could do a collapse with Louis Vuittan do a collapse specifically, I'm sorry Doce. Actually I want to do a collab with Doce Govana because they always look out for me. They gave me my first customs and give my customer suits and stuff like that, and so I'm really close to Doce and I really that's probably like a five year goal of I to kind of amazing.

00:35:58
Speaker 1: I love that we're gonna speak.

00:35:59
Speaker 3: That, even just something small like I don't know, I have to be I think I have to grow my influence more.

00:36:05
Speaker 2: Though you know you'll do it and don't think that, because sometimes you look at certain people if they believe.

00:36:10
Speaker 1: In you, that's true, yeah, and you got they like, let's do it.

00:36:14
Speaker 3: I thought the same thing when I went to the Grammys. I'm like, Okay, I'm the first, like we asked them to do it. I'm like, they're not going to do this. I would be the first gospel artist to wear a custom dough jaysuit, like literally would be the first as far as I'm like, they're not going to do this, and they answered back and did it. Wow. They took it serious that I was nominated and not just like, oh, you don't have Pop Song of the Year R and B sung, Yeah, I do, And so I feel like they respected me.

00:36:41
Speaker 1: I know that felt good too.

00:36:42
Speaker 3: It felt so good because sometimes you feel overlooked when you do you know, and I know I'm doing army now, but I still feel like I'm a part of the community of gospel, and sometimes you do feel overlookedhen you're in that genre by the world when your music is really people take from from what we do and create that, you know what I mean. We look at Kanye and Chance to Rapper and Wild for real, like the choirs, and it's.

00:37:09
Speaker 1: Just yeah, yeah, they do take that's.

00:37:12
Speaker 3: Real and a good way take like they're inspired.

00:37:15
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:37:16
Speaker 3: But I feel like when we're in that environments when I always respect it, like you know.

00:37:20
Speaker 1: I feel it.

00:37:20
Speaker 2: I feel like as an actor, I feel the same way, you know, as a black actor trying to make my way and find my way. There are a lot of times I feel overlooked.

00:37:30
Speaker 1: There's roles that I've auditioned for and felt like I killed it.

00:37:34
Speaker 2: I know I got that, and then like, oh, we've decided we're can go in a different direction there, Oh We're actually not gonna do that role anymore. It's it's it feels like it's always something and I have to remind myself, God, has you exactly why you're supposed to be and look at you. You're you're doing amazing. Don't get too far ahead of yourself, because there's so many times where I get I've been guilty of wanting the accolades and the recognition of other people that I forget.

00:37:58
Speaker 1: I've already got it.

00:37:59
Speaker 2: From the one who I need it from, period, period, you know what I'm saying. So I had to stop doing that because that's especially in the wards season, you'd be.

00:38:08
Speaker 1: Looking like.

00:38:10
Speaker 3: That's a stressful season.

00:38:11
Speaker 1: Oh my god.

00:38:12
Speaker 3: If you're not like, oh well, if he's so vulnerable right now, you're all the so fun. Like this Grammy season was so hard for me, Like I went through a mild depression and I didn't even know. I was like, oh my god, I need healing in this area. Like I didn't even know because I had, you know, since I've been in the industry, I've been nominated for you know, and so it's my first year. And I was just watching my friends go and like just thrive, and I'm so happy for them, And it was more than it was. I wanted more than it was envy. It wasn't it was I want to be there with them, Like I don't mind you being there, but like too for me being at home, sitting on this bed, it is like crazy to me right now watching all this stuff. And my friends are so great. They're like, bro, you need a break, bro, Yeah, the simple answers. It's fine. They're like, it's going to be your season, and it's not going to be your season, you know what I mean. You go through those those challenges, and I think it's important that we really do what you said, like look to the one that actually does care and pay attention all the time and actually, you know, gave you the gift on it yourself. And I feel like sometimes it's a smack in the face when we were like you're not doing this and you're not doing that, or I don't got the award, and but you just complained to God about everything, you know, and I feel like I need to I'm gonna take that note, like just look at the one who who was always you know, they're yeah, always, instead of the people that aren't paying attention.

00:39:47
Speaker 1: Hello, yeah they will soon.

00:39:48
Speaker 2: Do you feel like a part because you're like basically starting all over. Yeah, it's you gotta work your way up in this new.

00:39:55
Speaker 3: Li It hurts, but it's fair, you know what I mean? It hurts fair.

00:40:00
Speaker 2: He's like, well, I would like to know, and I'm sure the audience would like to know what is next for you.

00:40:12
Speaker 3: I think I'm trying to think of what I can tell.

00:40:17
Speaker 2: I know it's like people asking, so what can you tell us about seasons?

00:40:21
Speaker 3: I can say without getting in trouble, I mean new music. Obviously I can't. I'm not gonna be in about that. In music, can I say this, I'm gonna be acting. I can say I'm coming, yes, and I'm excited about that. That's awesome, and uh yeah, just doing my one off tours. So there's a lot of music and touring, but acting as well.

00:40:50
Speaker 1: Okay, I love that.

00:40:52
Speaker 2: And all the time that you're you're working, you're touring, you're working on new music, taking acting classes. I guess, now, are you like doing studying and doing scene study and trying to figure.

00:41:02
Speaker 3: Out I need to do more. Yes, I did it for a little while, but I need to actually do it because it just came to me, you know, like I got like this is the second like offer. You know, one was for BT plus and then there is an other one like I can't talk about, but it was like just random. So I'm like, maybe God wants me to like really see what it's about. So I'm going to start. I need to ask you what I did.

00:41:27
Speaker 1: Let's talk. Yeah, we can talk for sure. I would love to help you. Yeah, yeah, No, that's for sure.

00:41:32
Speaker 2: So how are you bouncing? Because seems like you got a lot going on? Is it tough bounce for me? I get a lot of anxiety when I have a lot going on, really feel overwhelmed.

00:41:41
Speaker 1: Sometimes.

00:41:41
Speaker 2: Even this month, I was like I need I don't have an assistant right now, and I was like, I need an assistant, like if nothing for just March. So I've got a live show coming at the end. I'm putting a lot on my plate with that because you know it's creatives doing a live show for my podcast.

00:41:54
Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, March thirtieth. Yeah yeah.

00:41:58
Speaker 2: So like even that, I wanted to be big and I'm like I want to do this, this, this, this, this, and the door has to put them back down.

00:42:03
Speaker 1: She's like, hey, hey, because that's crazy.

00:42:05
Speaker 2: We think like this is like I think like I'm like I want the.

00:42:09
Speaker 1: Led screen, I want the lights moving.

00:42:11
Speaker 2: I want the floating like everything and that, and then sometimes we put to we put more on ourselves than we have to. Absolutely, so I'm balancing that right now. Do you have any issues with that?

00:42:23
Speaker 3: I'm so good. Really delegating is delegating. I don't nothing. I don't want to do Okay, I want it done, but I don't want to do it. What we gotta do, we got I mean, I'm not even probably laughing something. But I have a great assistant. The thing is when you don't have one, it's the heart. I've went through that, you know. But it's hard to find one too. That's stuff like that all the time, right, But I found one of my childhood friends random the best decision I've ever had, really, So I just I'm like, I call for anything, anything, you know what I mean. And so I like delegating, and I feel like that's helped me keep the peace where they used to be chaos because it was it was kind of chaotic. It's been great.

00:43:11
Speaker 1: I love that. It's okay, I'm gonna take that delegation.

00:43:14
Speaker 2: I'm gonna because Tyler used to always tell me that when I was designing all his shows, and I would stay up to try with him. I'm like, tee, this is a lot, and he was like, build your team and delegate.

00:43:23
Speaker 1: Why are you trying to do everything.

00:43:24
Speaker 2: I'm like, you're right, because I was thinking that was part of my job to do everything, Like it's my department.

00:43:30
Speaker 1: I have to do this. He's like, no, I you're somebody to do it.

00:43:33
Speaker 3: It's like I always know what's going on. But I definitely I have no issue like defere Ken you you know what I mean, my manager Ken you like you know, you know, And the things that I can do, I will carry my weight. I'm not lazy, you know. I'm not saying be lazy. I definitely do what I can do. But the things that kind of take up just time that I don't.

00:43:58
Speaker 1: Have, yeah, that's usually when I yeah, I gotta work on that. It's so funny.

00:44:02
Speaker 2: We have a saying but women are like that though women are naturally.

00:44:05
Speaker 3: Y'all just want to do it. Like I mean, you a black woman, right right, you want to get it done period. So you're going to like, you know what I mean, you're busy, Yeah, you're busy.

00:44:16
Speaker 1: Very busy.

00:44:16
Speaker 3: Yeah, yes, yes, I see that.

00:44:24
Speaker 2: All right, guys, So we are going to get into my favorite part of the show, which is positive Outcomes and Dante. This is where our listeners write in and we give them advice. Okay, so we're gonna see what Natalia has to say. Okay, Hi Chris, So my name is Italia and I want to thank you both for being the life that you are. You've impacted my life so much in such a short time, and I'm really grateful for the way you encourage people to build a relationship with God.

00:44:47
Speaker 1: It has helped me so much.

00:44:49
Speaker 2: I'm an eighteen year old girl juggling my relationship with Christ, my flesh, and the pressure to be the best version of myself. I'm really struggling with the pressure of everyone's expectations of what I would I graduated high school right after I turned sixteen years old, and everybody was expecting me to become a lawyer because it was what I had said I want to do since I can remember being asked the question. I am now starting to feel like it's not what I want to do. But again, the pressure and the expectations come into play. I know I have to live for myself and not everybody else, but it's easier said than done when I don't know if I'm going to be making the right decision to change my path. I've always been known to be a great student, and everybody expected me to be successful in the courtroom. Part of me still wants to be successful, but the other part of me is scared of the possibility that I will fail. Do you have any advice for young adults trying to find their way while being faithful to God? Well, Natalia, thank you so much for writing in. I would say we all.

00:45:48
Speaker 1: I know when I was young, I wanted.

00:45:49
Speaker 2: To be a nurse, a doctor, I probably wanted to be a lawyer, and I wanted to be entertainer. I ended up being what I wanted to do, but it took me down different paths to get to this point. So I would say, never let other people's expectations of you or what you may have said in a different season of your life hold you to one thing. If you have passions for something else, explore that and see what you really wanna do. And never be afraid to fail. Some of my greatest lessons that come from failure. I'm sure you can testing into that as well. I just feel like, whatever it is that you wanna do, focus on God. I was just talking about something that our pastor said on Sunday. A lot of times we're like running after progression, but we're not seeking the presence of God. So I would tell you, while you're running after trying to figure out is what you wanna do to get ahead. I also just sit still sometimes and really talk to God and say, Hey, God, what is it that you have for me? And I feel like you'll have some clarity in that.

00:46:46
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean what I was gonna say is pray.

00:46:49
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:46:50
Speaker 3: You know. I used to get so mad when my manager will just tell just pray, just pray, cause I'm like God giving me advice, it's right, I mean another and he's like, no, for real, Like, if you pray about, like seek God's answers, then you will probably come to some conclusions here and there, you know what I mean. So I would tell you to just just pray and believe it when you pray and wait for your answers. And I wouldn't move in any direction just because someone is asking me to, are pressuring me to. Usually those are the wrong decisions. In my book, I feel like every time I've gone with my heart and my gut and actually worked hard at it, you know, I had good outcomes. So I think God will give you you know what to do, but just stay focused on Him and work hard. All the voices they don't know, they don't know, they really don't.

00:47:43
Speaker 2: When you get rid of all the voices in your head and just get centered.

00:47:47
Speaker 1: That's when you figure it out. That's so true.

00:47:50
Speaker 3: That's good, that's good.

00:47:55
Speaker 1: Just pray.

00:48:00
Speaker 2: So the next thing we're going to do is what I'm going through and what I'm growing through, and I'll go first just so you can kind of see how we do it. But this particular season of my life I am.

00:48:12
Speaker 1: Still going through. I just talked about this.

00:48:14
Speaker 2: I'm going through a season where I am trying to make sure that my walk is alive with my career, you know, because sometimes I would tell people that character I play. I wonder if God like judges me for that, like if he's like frowning on me for the character I'm playing versus who I am in real life and should I play certain characters or should I you? And I'm like, I'm just portraying that this is something that really happens. And I'm a creative and I want to be free in my art, but at the same time struggling and trying to find that balance of what it is God really wants me to do in my career and in my life.

00:48:48
Speaker 1: So they both line.

00:48:50
Speaker 3: So I feel like acting though, is like I mean, weren't some like there's some Christians that were crackheads before they became Christians, Christians that were prostitutes before. There's some Christians that were evil or promiscuous or whatever people consider bad. Like there's a list of that storm. And so I think telling those stories are kind of important, and I think a lot of times it does make people feel uncomfortable. But it's like that stuff being your family and they be around you. And it's like I feel like as an actor's important to really be bold and telling stories anyway. It's not like a song I can choose whether to be promiscuous, Like I think it's different. But yeah, it's like I'm writing about it is important, you know. But like I think when you're like like on screen and really giving us, you know, bring us something that's horrible to light, you know what I mean. I don't know. I feel like that could be a help to some people anyway. One of my going through right.

00:49:58
Speaker 1: And growing through going through and it can be the same thing like.

00:50:03
Speaker 3: Right now I'm going through I would say insecurity as far as like my career is concerned. I'm just sometimes I'm just really insecure and just thinking like Okay, when does it stop? When does what stop the career or will it ever?

00:50:29
Speaker 1: Oh my goodness, I deal with the same thing.

00:50:30
Speaker 3: I'm like, Okay, are people still interested? Are not? You know? I go back and forth lately with that, and I used to not be so insecure about it that it's because I'm doing new things and trying new things. So when I'm when I'm growing through would probably be that, you know, I'm growing through insecurities and really trusting that guy has been in the right place at the right time, and as long as I'm faithful to him and I'm treating everybody right, I just trust that, you know, when whenever it ends, I'll be all right, you know what I'm saying, at least you know what I'm saying, yeah, or if it ever ends, you.

00:51:09
Speaker 1: Know, yeah, I love that.

00:51:11
Speaker 2: I love it because I definitely struggle with the same thing. It's hard as a creative because your life is in God's hands, you know what I'm saying. Ultimately, but there are so many people that you know what I'm saying, Your likelihood depends on if they like you or not.

00:51:25
Speaker 3: Or being likable is such a stressful thing. Sometimes it's just like I'm not that person at the party, like I don't care usually, but it's like you have to care people like you and you know anyway, Yeah, I'm just chat chatting.

00:51:44
Speaker 2: You're good.

00:51:47
Speaker 1: So to close out, we fill in the blank. Keep it blank, sweetie.

00:51:51
Speaker 2: And for this episode, I am going to say, hm, hmmm.

00:52:00
Speaker 1: I got one for you. Keep it true, sweetie.

00:52:03
Speaker 3: And that is O to your label. I like that. I like, do I have to give one? Yes, I would say mmm, I feel like this podcast. I would say, keep it real.

00:52:18
Speaker 1: I love it. Yeah, I like that, keep it real. I love it. It has been real. Thank you so much. Do absolutely. I appreciate it.

00:52:27
Speaker 2: I hope you guys enjoyed this episode. Thank you so much for tuning in. And keep it positive, sweetie. If you want to write into our open listener letter, write and to keep it positive. Sweety at gmail dot com and that's Sweetie with an Ie. You can follow me on Instagram at love chryst Orine that's l u V chrys doorinee and on all platforms. Dante tell the people where they can find you.

00:52:46
Speaker 3: Dante Bo Everywhere, d A N T, E, B O w E, dantebo dot com, all of my social media handles.

00:52:53
Speaker 2: Yes and check out his music, all the albums, check out everything on all platforms. He's everywhere, y'all on YouTube and all the other platform apples, Spotify, Amazon, everything, find him check them out. Thank you guys so much. In the meantime in between time you know what to do. Keep it positive, sweeties.

00:53:10
Speaker 3: Bye Jesus, thank you so much for a new day, a new day to say thank you and just express gratitude for all that we're able to do. Thank you for allowing us to come together and create content that will inspire, hopefully change someone's life in general and kind I asked you to breathe on it, put it on the ears that need to hear it in Jesus name.

00:53:43
Speaker 1: Amen, Amen, Amen,