Parlé: So you knew you were gonna do an album right after that? Like you just started working on it?
Dondria: Yeah, immediately we just started spitting out songs and, doing songs like twice a week.
Parlé: Would you consider yourself a work-a-holic?
Dondria: (Laughing) Uhh, I’m not…I mean I have my moments…I am very passionate about music so I do devote myself to it. But I guess I would say not on the level as JD, ’cause he, does not sleep. At all. All he does is nap in between, working. But I be’s gettin’ my sleep, I don’t play.
Parlé: (Laughing) Ummm, would you rather eat, or sing?
Dondria: Oh God, that’s so hard…Umm…
Parlé: If you had to live without one, especially with the success that you’re having right now.
Dondria: I guess I would sing…
Parlé: (Laughing) You say it so depressingly.
Dondria: I mean, because I like to eat, I love to eat! But! I’m gonna say sing because then I can make a lotta money and then buy food to eat…
Parlé: (Laughing) Alright I’ll let you rock with that… So who were your influences growing up?
Dondria: My influences were Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Etta James… And, when Destiny’s Child first came out, like their first, first album, that really… I guess inspired me a lot because I was singing all their songs, and every time I had a talent show I would sing Destiny’s Child and I was Beyoncè. So those people, and in addition to them, Tank and Gospel period.
Parlé: That’s cool…Did you meet Beyoncè? Or any of the members of Destiny’s
Child?
Dondria: I did actually meet Letoya (Luckett) and Michelle (Williams), but not Beyoncè. Letoya and Michelle were cool though.
Parlé: Ok, ok…Beyond that was there anyone that you didn’t want to listen to? And did you listen to any Rap?
Dondria: Yeah I was…Uhhh, Rap…Now I’m way more exposed to it, and I appreciate it…but then…like I would sneak on MTV and BET to listen to it, so I never had any Rap CD’s. The only one my parents actually bought me was Bow Wow’s.
Parlé: Your mother doesn’t like Rap?
Dondria: She does now, because she’s my manager so she has to be exposed to more than just R&B but she’s straight up Gospel.
Parlé: Did you write music at all?
Dondria: I didn’t always write. I started writing a little bit in middle school and a little in high school, but I really started developing a passion for it probably in ’07, so I haven’t been writing that long.
Parlé: Did you post any of your original music on Youtube?
Dondria: I think I did one song, and me and my homeboy we always did, freestyles, just off the top of our heads…
Parlé: Could you do one now?
Dondria: I don’t knowwwwww…
Parlé – I’ll beatbox, we could work this out, maybe for like 2 minutes…
Dondria: Ahhh, (pauses). Okayyyy.
Parlé: (Laughing) I thought this would be easy for you…
Dondria: No I mean, I always have him with me and we feed off of each other, and we just go.
Parlé: Is it a rapping thing??
Dondria: No it’s singing, we just sing random stuff…
Parlé: (Laughing) I can’t sing but I’ll help you…
Dondria: (Laughs) Umm ok, this is so funny…Umm…
–She starts to hummm–
Parlé: You need a beat? –I fill in a simple beat for her—
Dondria: Hmm…Ok…
Listen to the audio of Dondria freestyling here…
Parlé: Lovely, lovely! Thank you thank you! That’s what’s up…So, going back to the writing music part, what inspires you when you’re writing?
Dondria: What inspires me…I guess just life experiences, my sisters’, my brothers’, my parents’, my cousins’ or whatever, my friends’, or mine…Just different experiences, and I just try to make it more dramatic if it’s not as dramatic, or, you know… Of course a lot of TV, like Reality TV and stuff like that, movies, its inspiration everywhere.
Parlé: I gotcha…So tell me about the album?
Dondria: Okay, it’s called Dondria vs. Phatfffat. When I think of R&B I think of Mint Condition, and of course Whitney and Aretha, so I want to bring, and I think I’m bringing just that same kind of feeling. Not to say I’m copying their styles, but you’re gonna get that same kind of feeling. You’re gonna get vocals, I’m probably not gonna be dancing all over the place. But I really am just gonna give you vocals and I think it will be appreciated like it was in the 80’s and into the 90’s.
Parlé: Do you think that R&B is getting away from that?
Dondria: I think it has, but I think it is slowly coming back.
Parlé: Who are some of the artists today that you listen to?
Dondria: Definitely Monica, Trey Songz. I still like to listen to Omarion and Chris Brown, old and new stuff. Definitely Tank, Destiny’s Child, Beyoncè. But then I like Paramore, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood. A little bit of everything.
Parlé: That’s cool, and it really helps you with your own music right? To be more diverse and stuff like that?
Dondria: Ummhmm.
Parlé: Did you do a song with like Rock & Roll or with guitars?
Dondria: Well I did in school, like I used to be in this Pop group and we did do a lot of Rock stuff. Like we did some Journey stuff, and we had like our little live band and we used to put on shows. So I was exposed to everything.
Parlé: So tell me about the production credits on the album?
Dondria: Of course JD, Bryan Michael-Cox, No I.D. And writing-wise, we have Jonta Austin, Bryan and JD.
Parlé: And how many songs did you have your pen in?
Dondria: Just one, I just wanted to dabble in it, but next album it’ll be a lot more.
Parlé: Are you excited about the album? How does it feel?
Dondria: I’m very excited! I’ve been signed since ’07, and now it’s 2010. We were first with Def Jam and now we’re independent, so we had to go through that process. Then, we had to go through the process of me finding my niche and what I wanted to do, which is the whole, real R & B, 80’s-90’s thing. So it has been a long process and I feel accomplished with what we have come up with. And I just want to give it to everybody and see what they think. And I know my fans that I have brought to the table are gonna be impressed and satisfied. But it’s the challenge and a fun challenge to get everyone else excited about it…
Parlé: Great great! I look forward to it myself. I wish you the best of luck with everything, and thank you for your time.
Dondria: Thank you!
Also Check Out:
Dru Hill: Powerhouse Quartet Returns With New Album and New Sense of Direction
Cali Swag District – Music Makes Their Hearts Beat
Monica Stands Stronger Than Ever 15 Years After Ms. Thang
Lyfe Jennings opens up to Parlé about EVERYTHING!