BACKSTAGE: Demetria McKinney keeps it '100'

On tour with R. Kelly, she is learning and sharing lessons.

“Cool, vulnerable and (one) who loves,” Demetria McKinney has learned to use her experiences as learning tools. (Photo: Brittney Gathen)

Actress/singer Demetria McKinney isn’t afraid to keep it ‘100.’ Whether it’s discussing her entertainment career, what’s next for her or how she manages to balance her professional and personal lives, she is open and honest.

Known for her role as Janine on Tyler Perry’s sitcom “House of Payne” and for being on the seventh season of Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” McKinney is touring with R. Kelly on his Black Panties Tour.

She sat down with The New Tri-State Defender prior to her Memphis performance on Oct. 30 and shared insights about life lessons and how she’s moving forward with her career.

Music: ‘A Universal Language’

“This is surreal,” said McKinney of the opportunity to tour with the “King of R&B.”

“I didn’t really anticipate getting here this quickly with someone who’s been in the game as long as he has (and) who’s worked with the type of people he has. Some of everybody has been molded by R. Kelly whether they know it or not. So, having him reach back and feel like I was worthy enough for him to teach me and take me under his wing is awesome.”

McKinney is set to release an album titled “Officially Yours” next spring. The first single, “100,” featured hip-hop artist Da Brat. Her newest single is “Trade It All,” which she co-wrote and produced with The Good Guys.

The reception that she’s received on the tour has been “humbling” and she hopes that people will get a better understanding of her and of themselves through the interaction.

“Music is one of the most universal languages we have,” McKinney said. “If I can teach them more about who they are – especially (if they’re) a single mom, who may have lost her sexy or a woman who’s been through abuse or is down on her luck – I just want them to relate and know that they can and are able to be triumphant.”

Finding balance;

Learning from experiences

By self-description, McKinney is “cool, vulnerable and (is one) who loves.” She’s learned to use her experiences as learning tools.

“I’m a single mom, so that’s taught me a lot about love, sacrifice and what a relationship can be. Even though it’s a different relationship between what a boyfriend and girlfriend is, the unconditional love translates,” McKinney said.

Balancing her personal and professional lives is a “growing process.” In addition to being a single mom to a teenage son, she’s in a relationship with TV executive Roger Bobb. Both are understanding and supportive of what she has to do.

That includes “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” which McKinney said has taught her that, “you go through what you go through for a reason. …My mother is still married to the man that liked me more than a stepfather should, I’ve been homeless (and) I’ve been a single mom forever. So, I’ve survived some things and I’ve been able to handle some things.

“Going in with a bunch of 40-plus-year-old women deciding to act like they’re back in junior high, there were moments were they tried to take me out of who I am, but I learned just how strong (I am) and just how much I’ve grown through everything I’ve been through.”

The experience has yielded some positive relationships, such as one with co-star Kandi Burruss, who is the executive producer for McKinney’s upcoming album and who also sang a duet with McKinney titled “Unnecessary Trouble.” She is also working on some projects with co-star Claudia Jordan.

Moving forward

These days, McKinney is keeping busy. She’s starring in the upcoming movie “Sons 2 the Grave,” which also stars Darrin Dewitt Henson and singer Trevor Jackson. She also recently shot the pilot for “Sexy Grown Comedy,” with Essence Atkins, Vivica Fox, Tony Rock, Carl Payne and Lamman Rucker.

McKinney has some two-tiered advice for aspiring entertainers, starting with being grateful.

“Essence Atkins said that the moment you stop saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ is the moment that you don’t deserve what you’ve got,” McKinney said. “Acting, singing, touring with R. Kelly – all of it is a blessing and a gift that I don’t take for granted. And anybody that comes and helps with anything I’m doing gets a ‘please,’ a ‘thank you’ and they get the respect they deserve.”

Tier two is about self-awareness.

“Know who you are so that they can’t turn you into who you don’t want to be,” McKinney said. “This industry can be very foul. Sometimes the money isn’t there, and sometimes there are some really hard decisions to make, but if you remember who you are at the core, regardless of the changes, you’ll be alright; you’ll find your way.”

Article by/Interview by: Brittney Gathen