A songstress that is "Officially Yours" - Demetria McKinney

A songstress that is “Officially Yours”

With this new generation of pop and fast paced beats, emerges a new breed of musical soul: Demetria McKinney is a fresh artist, writing from her soul with care and an abiding deep commitment to lyrical honesty and musical integrity. This award-winning actress is a gifted singer with a rich voice requiring zero studio enhancements. Demetria is a skillful songwriter who thoughtfully expresses emotions in a way that instantly connects with listeners. Simply put, if Demetria feels it, she writes and sings it.

Growing up as an army brat, Demetria moved multiple times during her childhood. She dealt with the challenges of living a transient life by writing and drawing. Eventually, she found herself singing in a church choir in

Florida, and quickly became the church’s choir director. She went on to earn a vocal scholarship and studied dance and theater.

At an early age it was apparent that Demetria was a natural born performer with an affinity for music. Or as she would describe it as, “It was something that I did because I loved it and thought it was fun.” But as life would have it, it wasn’t all fun. Throughout her life, Demetria has faced some unfortunate circumstances and potentially scarring experiences. It was by dealing with life’s circumstances and overcoming its obstacles where Demetria found her strength, peace, and therapy within music.

Even though her acting career keeps her very busy, Demetria always finds time for her first love, music. Over the past few years, she has recorded and performed with artists such as Musiq Soulchild and Anthony David. Demetria has opened for artists Anthony David and R&B mainstays Dwele and Tank. Now, after spending time perfecting her craft and tapping into her musical voice, Demetria is set to release her first EP – “Officially Yours” – in which she gives music fans just a taste of what she has to offer; while filling a void that the music lover has been missing.

The first single off of the EP is a sure fire club and radio hit entitled “100.” It’s a hip-hop infused women’s anthem featuring one of the genre’s first lady pioneers of hip-hop – Da Brat. “I think this song is going to be the last thing people expected to hear from me, but it’s really a reflection of who I am,” states Demetria. “I like to say the song was ‘inspired’ by me. I didn’t write it but it came out of a conversation I had with the producers (the good guys) about what I wanted to represent on the project.” Demetria really wanted a female rapper on “100” and a mutual friend of hers connected her with Da Brat. Who fell in love with the song and agreed to lend her vocals to the project.

One of the songs written by Demetria is “Hurt Back,” produced by Kendrick Dean and The Boulevard. “That song came out of a real experience and it’s talking about loving someone too much that you hurt them in the same way that they hurt you; by loving them too much.”

All of the songs on “Officially Yours” come from a place within Demetria that up until now has only been expressed through the characters that she’s portrayed. The spectrum of a woman’s life lived out loud – with love, resilience, and courage – is all represented on “Officially Yours.”

“As a recording artist, this is where the most truthful, transparent side of me will be seen and heard,” says Demetria. “People mostly know me for the roles I have played, and they are all roles that I chose specifically for the lessons that I would learn from each character. Personally, I never wanted to show vulnerability, because I thought it was a sign of weakness. I didn’t want to talk about situations I’ve endured and I would shut off opportunities that would make me connect with any of my past pain. I always hid behind my characters and allowed them to overshadow Demetria. But the reason I call this EP, ‘Officially Yours’ is because the music represents the ‘official’ Demetria McKinney.”

“Music has always been a big part of my life, and has helped me get through the most difficult times of my life,” adds Demetria. “It feels good and it is very natural for me to express myself through music, and I hope that fans can connect with me as someone who – through the good times and the bad times – has not only survived, but has managed to get over some very painful situations and still thrives.”

Widely known for her role as “Janine Payne” on the hit TBS sitcom “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne,” which has received five NAACP Image Awards for Best Sitcom, Demetria has been able to have a successful acting career leading to a reoccurring role on Lifetime’s hit show “Devious Maids” and she co-stars on TV One’s sitcom “The Rickey Smiley Show.” Demetria can currently be seen as the newest cast member on Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Atlanta.”

Being a completely transparent actress, singer, and songwriter, gives Demetria McKinney a reason to be a triple threat in the truest sense of the term and makes her an artist and songwriter that many can relate to. Creating real-life music, in real-time, for real-people is what Demetria McKinney stands for making her the songstress of her generation.

Article: Varsha Narayan