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Speaker 1: When the moment hits. You know, you never know when

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Speaker 1: that opportunity is going to come around again or if

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Speaker 1: it will come around again. So you know, I've learned

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Speaker 1: to uh, to be willing to take the risk of

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Speaker 1: doing something that kind of gets me outside of my

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Speaker 1: box and and and and kind of stretches me as

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Speaker 1: as a person, stretches me as an artist, and you know,

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Speaker 1: challenges me to continue to do the work even when

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Speaker 1: I'm I may not necessarily feel like doing the work.

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Speaker 1: As one of my dearest friends in this industry says,

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Speaker 1: do the work to stay ready. You don't have to

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Speaker 1: get ready, get ready? Get ready Ready?

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Speaker 2: What if I told you there was more to the

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Speaker 2: story behind game changing events?

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Speaker 3: Get ready?

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Speaker 4: For my new podcast, That Moment with Damon John will

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Speaker 4: jump into the personal stories of some of the most

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Speaker 4: influential people on the planet, from business mobiles and celebrities

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Speaker 4: to athletes and artists.

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Speaker 3: Let me thank you so much for being here.

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Speaker 1: Man.

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Speaker 3: How you doing today?

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Speaker 1: I'm doing well. Thank you for having me all right? Well.

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Speaker 2: By the time this comes out, you will have raised

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Speaker 2: the stage of Miami. What is the tour name or

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Speaker 2: is it one? Because I know you had I believe

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Speaker 2: it was linean friends you had you would you did

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Speaker 2: really well with and that was back a couple of

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Speaker 2: years ago.

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Speaker 3: Right, what is what is today? Or what is that?

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Speaker 3: What do you want today? Is it a tour or

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Speaker 3: is it's not?

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Speaker 1: I'm here on a for performances with Florida Grand Opera

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Speaker 1: and we're doing performances of the opera at Padiyachi or

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Speaker 1: translates at the Clowns, And so we're we're opening this

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Speaker 1: weekend here at the Art Center, and uh, we have

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Speaker 1: three performances here in Miami and then two performances in

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Speaker 1: Fort Lauderdale.

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Speaker 3: My mom's just gonna hop right into it.

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Speaker 2: Can I hear a little bit about your story because

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Speaker 2: the right people made definitely know where you are one

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Speaker 2: hundred percent when you're when you're taking those stages. What

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Speaker 2: is your your initisstoriy where to come from? And you know,

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Speaker 2: it's kind of like the shark tank thing, Hey hello sharks.

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Speaker 2: But I just kind of what to tell people until

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Speaker 2: we get into how what an amazing before you are

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Speaker 2: and what an amazing talent?

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Speaker 3: Well.

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Speaker 1: I grew up and was born and raised in rural Missouri,

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Speaker 1: southeastern Missouri, small town by the name of Kennet, Missouri.

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Speaker 1: We're about two hundred miles south of Saint Louis, about

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Speaker 1: one hundred miles north of Memphis, and grew up in

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Speaker 1: the rather large family. I'm the youngest of ten, and

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Speaker 1: you know, my dad was a preacher, so obviously I

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Speaker 1: grew up in the church, which was also my first

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Speaker 1: kind of introduction to music in general, which through the church.

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Speaker 1: You know, grew up singing in church, and eventually, as

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Speaker 1: I got older, joined the school choir in middle school,

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Speaker 1: and uh, basically just kind of be where my friends were.

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Speaker 1: I had no interest in music at that time, really,

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Speaker 1: but I joined the choir and and my teacher discovered

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Speaker 1: I had a voice and uh and had a unique

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Speaker 1: talent and and uh, you know, she basically took me

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Speaker 1: under her lane over the next several years and kind

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Speaker 1: of nurtured that talent and uh and eventually introduced me

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Speaker 1: to opera going into my uh sophomore junior year, and uh,

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Speaker 1: that introduction, uh set me on a path that truly

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Speaker 1: changed my life.

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Speaker 2: Why did that path, I mean, you said the rural

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Speaker 2: Missouri correct, Yes, what's the path? Because you know tell

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Speaker 2: me that tell me is there a is there a

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Speaker 2: normal course of of an opera singer or performer that

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Speaker 2: usually takes us and they they they're groomed ever since

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Speaker 2: they're young or when they're to act, you know, the

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Speaker 2: lack of a better word, the scouts and the people

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Speaker 2: who know that they are, there's greatness there. You come in,

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Speaker 2: you start going on that path and you start being

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Speaker 2: assigned to people, you start doing you know, when you're

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Speaker 2: not in school. You got some er this some are

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Speaker 2: that you know when I well, my daughter, my second daughter,

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Speaker 2: who was really trying to be a figure skater, you know,

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Speaker 2: she was practicing North Carolina. She super disciplined, getting up

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Speaker 2: every single morning, six o'clock, falling on her head, you know,

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Speaker 2: ten times until she went to school. And there's that

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Speaker 2: point where she turned around and she saw that the

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Speaker 2: one or two kids in there were kids who went

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Speaker 2: to Germany, to Switzerland, they were homeschooled.

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Speaker 3: She got on that ice.

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Speaker 2: They will before her on that ice, and they will

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Speaker 2: on that ice when she left, and when she came

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Speaker 2: back after school, they were still on that ice. And

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Speaker 2: there's that point where you go there's a circuit that

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Speaker 2: happens at some point where people commit and they go

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Speaker 2: so hot are that there's no turning back? So is

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Speaker 2: that the course that had happened to you? Because, of course,

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Speaker 2: let's acknowledge obviously you are an African American and I

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Speaker 2: did not know that much about the opera. I would

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Speaker 2: suspect that there are not over abundance that maybe they

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Speaker 2: could because if you know, you look at you look

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Speaker 2: at stuff like rock bands and I don't care if

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Speaker 2: it's pink Floyd and various other things.

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Speaker 3: They always have they always have African Americans with a

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Speaker 3: very rich.

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Speaker 2: Voice in the band. So if somebody say, well rock

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Speaker 2: doesn't have any black people, yes they do.

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Speaker 3: There so do.

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Speaker 2: But as an African American man and being in such

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Speaker 2: a prestigious role and position, is that of course you

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Speaker 2: went down?

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Speaker 3: Are there a lot of African Americans?

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Speaker 2: And how easy was this in such a really really

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Speaker 2: small world of limited uh, you know access?

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Speaker 1: No, honest, my path, it wasn't the typical path. A

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Speaker 1: lot of people and will most of the people I

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Speaker 1: know who were in this industry were lovers of the

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Speaker 1: art farm from childhood. You know, they their families were

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Speaker 1: into it and they listened to it at home on

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Speaker 1: a regular basis. I hadn't heard opera until I was

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Speaker 1: fourteen fifty years old, you know, But in that short time,

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Speaker 1: I grew to love the sound and I decided I

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Speaker 1: wanted to go to school to study. So I went

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Speaker 1: to school at Oberlin Conservatory Music, where I was lucky

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Speaker 1: and less to be able to study with one of

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Speaker 1: the great vocal pedagogues of our time, Richard Miller. And

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Speaker 1: you know, a lot of times people in this industry

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Speaker 1: will go study their undergrad They may go into a

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Speaker 1: grad program. Some of them may go into what we

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Speaker 1: call a young artist program where they kind of join

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Speaker 1: an opera company as sort of an intern learn and

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Speaker 1: kind of learned the ropes of the industry. That wasn't

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Speaker 1: my path. My plot was was was much different. I

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Speaker 1: came out of school and sang professionally for a couple

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Speaker 1: of years, and then my path took a dramatic turn,

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Speaker 1: and that I stopped singing for twelve years.

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Speaker 3: Why did you stop? You were making you at this

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Speaker 3: point when you came out of school, you created you

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Speaker 3: were living vocally, right.

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Speaker 1: It was your career, correct, it was. It was what

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Speaker 1: I was trying to build as a career. I was

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Speaker 1: in the in the early stages of building that career.

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Speaker 1: But it was just one of those things where I,

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Speaker 1: you know, I'd always promise myself, if whatever I'm doing

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Speaker 1: ceases to be fun, I don't want to do it anymore.

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Speaker 1: And there was so much going on in the industry

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Speaker 1: that it had nothing to do with one's ability, one

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Speaker 1: vocal ability or one's singing ability. That just trained the

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Speaker 1: the It completely brained my love of singing, and I

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Speaker 1: decided to take a break. What I thought would initially

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Speaker 1: be maybe a six month break turned into a year.

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Speaker 1: A year turned into five, five turned into ten and

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Speaker 1: so on. You know, life just happened, and I was

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Speaker 1: able to pursue some other interest in that time. But yeah,

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Speaker 1: and eventually they say all roads lead back to where

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Speaker 1: you're supposed to be. But the role that I went

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Speaker 1: on eventually led me back to singing.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Well, what happened, or not what it happened exactly.

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Speaker 2: I want to know what was the discouraging thing that

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Speaker 2: may have happened.

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Speaker 3: Was it you were boxed out or you.

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Speaker 2: Just didn't get the roles for any particular reason, because

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Speaker 2: I just I want to know the moment, well, that

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Speaker 2: moment you realize that you will will to take it

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Speaker 2: on again? Was it because of your your love for it?

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Speaker 2: Was it you felt the industry had change?

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Speaker 3: Was it?

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Speaker 2: Was it an individual where you contractually obligated. So what

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Speaker 2: if you could share what had happened to deter you

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Speaker 2: from something that you're extremely talented at and gifted at

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Speaker 2: to a point I'm sure that a lot of that

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Speaker 2: gift means hard work. What what happened to deter you

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Speaker 2: from to take such?

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Speaker 1: Uh? There was there was a lot of discrimination that

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Speaker 1: would go on in the in this industry. Discriminivation is

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Speaker 1: people based on the color of the skin, on body size,

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Speaker 1: body image, things of that nature. That during those times,

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Speaker 1: people were able to make comments to assised artists about

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Speaker 1: our our look, our body image, our you know things

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Speaker 1: had nothing to do with our singing. Uh, And they

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Speaker 1: were able to do it with immunity. There was no

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Speaker 1: recourse for an artist to to to challenge this type

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Speaker 1: of discrimination.

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Speaker 2: And you're you're not talking about people as an audience.

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Speaker 2: You're talking about people who are control and control of

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Speaker 2: the purses, the media, who you are doing the.

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Speaker 1: Casting during the hiring, within the opera companies and orchestras

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Speaker 1: and other arts organizations. Throughout the country. These were the

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Speaker 1: people who were uh, you know, general directors who would

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Speaker 1: make comments to to to me and other artists and say,

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Speaker 1: you know, hey, you have a fabulous voice, but call

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Speaker 1: me after you lose fifty pounds then I'll give you

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Speaker 1: an audition. And there was no recourse to be able

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Speaker 1: to challenge things that like that, So it was, you know,

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Speaker 1: it just became very draining and instead of instead of

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Speaker 1: just you know, dealing with it, not being able to

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Speaker 1: deal with and not be able to challenge it, I

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Speaker 1: just sid I no longer wanted to be a part

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Speaker 1: of the industry.

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Speaker 3: So what made you decide to go back? Because did they?

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Speaker 1: Did?

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Speaker 3: Times change?

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Speaker 2: So there was a public debate on Mark Cuban with

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Speaker 2: Mark Cuban and Elon Moscow on should they have you know,

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Speaker 2: more initiatives like the Dei embarrus other things. And the

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Speaker 2: initiatives are generally only as good as the people following

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Speaker 2: them because you can find ways to cast judgment and

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Speaker 2: or hinder people even if the law says not right.

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Speaker 2: So even if there has been to people talking about change,

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Speaker 2: Black Lives Matter or you know, LGBTQ BUS or whatever

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Speaker 2: the case is, if you have experienced those things where

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Speaker 2: there was no repercussion In one sense, why would you

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Speaker 2: go back to that industry that, you know, the prejudice

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Speaker 2: of bigotry and racism is prevalent.

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Speaker 1: Part of it is that, you know. It was something

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Speaker 1: that I love uite deeply and it was during the

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Speaker 1: time I during roughly around two thousand and seven, I

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Speaker 1: was working as a field organizer for then Senator Barack

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Speaker 1: Obama's first campaign for president, and I was working in

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Speaker 1: my home state to help get him elected. And it

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Speaker 1: was in the process of that during some of our

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Speaker 1: events we had planned my I had asked people to

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Speaker 1: come out and sing the national anthem for these events

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Speaker 1: and things of that nature, and on a few occasions,

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Speaker 1: the person would back out at the last minute, and

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Speaker 1: my boss, knowing my background, UH, basically told me you

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Speaker 1: you got to step in and do it, you know,

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Speaker 1: since you know what about you sure you're not.

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Speaker 2: Talking about the Catalina Catalina wine mixer, no.

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Speaker 1: Well, the cal mixing. No no no. So I went

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Speaker 1: in and and uh and and sang the national anthem

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Speaker 1: at these events. And it was in the in the

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Speaker 1: process of doing this, I noticed some changes in my

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Speaker 1: own voice and those changes. You know, the voice had

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Speaker 1: matured a bit over those time that it had had

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Speaker 1: taken on a richer tone to it. And I didn't

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Speaker 1: hear any other voices quite like it in the industry currently.

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Speaker 2: So wait a minute, that will How can you say

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Speaker 2: you didn't hear any voices quite like it in the industry?

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Speaker 3: It's your boy. I can't stand my boys. You know

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Speaker 3: how many people listening to you right now like you got?

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Speaker 5: I didn't run at anybody like it because I can't

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Speaker 5: stand it.

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Speaker 1: How many people like their own boys?

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Speaker 3: Did you go?

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Speaker 1: Oh? Man eh h? The Great Lantine Price said, how

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Speaker 1: can I expect others to love my voice if I

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Speaker 1: don't love it? First? And there are no truer words

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Speaker 1: that have ever been spoken. And it was a process

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Speaker 1: for me to learn to love my voice, because I

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Speaker 1: was one of those people who hated to listen to

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Speaker 1: the recordings of myself saying. But I had to learn

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Speaker 1: to love my sound, you know, because if I don't

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Speaker 1: love it, how can I, you know, how can I

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Speaker 1: expect the audience members on sing?

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Speaker 3: Was it two thousand and seven, two thousand and eight?

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Speaker 1: This was two thousand and seven, two thousand and eight,

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Speaker 1: and then once the campaign ended, I began the process

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Speaker 1: of rebuilding my voice over over several years.

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Speaker 3: So let's talk about that.

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Speaker 2: You get it back up to form and said, but

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Speaker 2: you still didn't answer because I wanted to make me

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Speaker 2: get down to that that moment you said, I'm going

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Speaker 2: to take this song again.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, on that, I take it on again. And I

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Speaker 1: knew that the industry itself still had its difficulties. They

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Speaker 1: were still dealing with a lot of issues, some of

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Speaker 1: the same issues that I, you know, had previously dealt with,

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Speaker 1: And I knew it wasn't going to be easy. But

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Speaker 1: not only had my voice grown, but I had grown

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Speaker 1: as an individual, and I had grown to the point

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Speaker 1: where I was I felt more comfortable standing up for

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Speaker 1: myself and broaching uncomfortable subjects with people. So I became

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Speaker 1: the person. Instead of waiting for the gatekeepers to broach

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Speaker 1: the subject with me, I would broach the subject with

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Speaker 1: them right off the.

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Speaker 3: Bat, right.

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Speaker 1: Listen, If my body size is going to be a

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Speaker 1: problem from you, tell me right now. I don't want

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Speaker 1: to waste my time. I don't want to waste your time.

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Speaker 1: And you know we can we can call it a

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Speaker 1: day now, How many you.

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Speaker 2: Said, you know what, we're not, We're not it's not

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Speaker 2: your body size, but they need another excuse, or how

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Speaker 2: many people said, yeah it is.

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Speaker 3: You know we have this heard Look.

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Speaker 1: None of them. When I started the brochure subject on

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Speaker 1: my terms. Never did I have anyone say oh oh oh, no, no, no,

287
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Speaker 1: that's not an issue. That's not going to be an issue.

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Speaker 3: Powerful.

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Speaker 2: I think there's two things to see in the old

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Speaker 2: purpose of that moment is that we don't brush over

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Speaker 2: these topics because you can analyze anything in the same

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Speaker 2: characteristics you'll see in business and personal life. You'll see

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Speaker 2: here how many people have had whether in their personal age.

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Speaker 2: Everybody has a personal relationship, whether with their mother, their fathers, sister, husband,

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Speaker 2: What are the cases how many people who have been

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Speaker 2: in relationships or a love of something that they stepped

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Speaker 2: away from where they they're starting to get away from

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Speaker 2: but you know what they said, it's worth fighting for.

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Speaker 3: I'm going to return with.

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Speaker 2: And even in this one, this is not this is

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Speaker 2: a personal love. And and I know by any artists

302
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Speaker 2: out there, for you to go up and do this,

303
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Speaker 2: it's not I want to be famous, It's I'm adding value.

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Speaker 2: I'm going to I'm going to I'm going to I'm

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Speaker 2: going to take that person to another place, whether for

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Speaker 2: a minute, two minutes, an hour, or whatever the case is,

307
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Speaker 2: and let them forget about the world and I'm going

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Speaker 2: to bring some light and joy to them and the same.

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Speaker 2: I think in a relationship of any form, that.

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Speaker 3: You get to that moment where you decide if it's

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Speaker 3: worth fighting for now, I think that's very powerful.

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Speaker 2: A lot of people they think they want to put

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Speaker 2: their head in the sand, they think that'll cure itself.

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Speaker 2: They think that maybe just let me go here, when

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Speaker 2: what they will work fighting for was probably the best

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Speaker 2: thing ever, and they allow somebody else to fight for

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Speaker 2: it or whatever the case is, and taken away from them.

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Speaker 2: Another thing I think that is really important is you

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Speaker 2: walked in the room and took the question out of

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Speaker 2: the room. I mean not gray area and any relationship is.

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Speaker 2: I notice it in business too, is when somebody just

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Speaker 2: says I heard some stuff about it. I saw you

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Speaker 2: act like this to a wait or somebody the other day.

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Speaker 3: I don't know. There's something in the O that I

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Speaker 3: don't know if I really like you, I don't know

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Speaker 3: where I'm at with you. You know, and you could

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Speaker 3: say I don't know.

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Speaker 2: Really, I know, I'm out with you, but you know what,

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Speaker 2: I don't think I'll probably do anything with you if

330
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Speaker 2: you're bold enough to say it. But let's start off

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Speaker 2: like that. Put them on warning, right, or there's other

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Speaker 2: ways to say. You know, I think what you said

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Speaker 2: is really powerful. Listen, if you have any issues with

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Speaker 2: who I am, where I come from, I didn't. I

335
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Speaker 2: don't have this big education. Let's say I will say

336
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Speaker 2: it to something. I don't have a really big education.

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Speaker 2: I'm not going to be able to I'm not detail oriented,

338
00:19:05,840 --> 00:19:08,160
Speaker 2: I'm dyslexic. But I'm going to tell you I'm gonna

339
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Speaker 2: add value. You can ask me any other questions if

340
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Speaker 2: you have an issue you need me to to, you know,

341
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Speaker 2: do all these things that are just not my area?

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Speaker 3: Let me know, right. And when you did that, you

343
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Speaker 3: said nobody had a problem.

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Speaker 1: All got a sun person, not a single person.

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Speaker 2: You Why do you think that is because previously, let's say,

346
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Speaker 2: had overt problems. Do you think the industry just said

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Speaker 2: one of the oldest forms of classical music that we

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Speaker 2: all enjoy, that enjoyed primarily you know by you know,

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Speaker 2: really people who are very in tuned with music, higher

350
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Speaker 2: education primarily. But you know, of course the origin of

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Speaker 2: it comes from.

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Speaker 3: Do you think that all of a sudden, in that

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Speaker 3: short period of time just lost their bigotry.

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Speaker 1: No, no, but I think there was more or a

355
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Speaker 1: fear of showing it overtly. You know, when you when I,

356
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Speaker 1: when I, when I broached the subject on my own terms,

357
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Speaker 1: it did almost put them on the defensive and kind

358
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Speaker 1: of like, oh, so obviously they know we we do this.

359
00:20:16,960 --> 00:20:19,200
Speaker 1: So no, no, we don't have an issue with this anymore.

360
00:20:19,359 --> 00:20:21,119
Speaker 1: You know, that's not gonna be a problem. Don't worry.

361
00:20:21,160 --> 00:20:23,240
Speaker 1: You know, that's the least if you're worried. Don't worry

362
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Speaker 1: about that.

363
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Speaker 2: But now you walk in the room, you have to

364
00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:31,080
Speaker 2: over deliver. It can't because no matter what you have

365
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Speaker 2: to find, did you find that you were over delivering

366
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Speaker 2: what you found? They said, this industry is changing in

367
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Speaker 2: certain ways that we need different angles. And the man

368
00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:42,719
Speaker 2: is absolutely talented. He's put the work in and so

369
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Speaker 2: what what what which one is it?

370
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Speaker 1: Well, you always have to as as a black man

371
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Speaker 1: in this industry, you have to over deliver all the time.

372
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Speaker 1: One of the one of the main things my teacher

373
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Speaker 1: taught me is that as as a black opera singer,

374
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Speaker 1: as a black singer in classical music, I'm not going

375
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Speaker 1: to have the the privilege or the luxury of being mediocre.

376
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Speaker 1: I have to be better than twice as good as

377
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Speaker 1: those with them I may be in competition with for

378
00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:22,760
Speaker 1: particular jobs. So I I go into everything I do

379
00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:26,000
Speaker 1: with that in mind, and knowing that, uh, you know,

380
00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:28,640
Speaker 1: I got to come in with as they said, with

381
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Speaker 1: with with guns blazon and knowing that when it's when

382
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Speaker 1: it comes time for me to stand up down that stage,

383
00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:40,560
Speaker 1: I have to give everything that I can in that

384
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Speaker 1: moment and they leave on stage.

385
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Speaker 3: And I love it. Can you educate me a little.

386
00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:52,960
Speaker 2: Bit about the the the dynamics in classical music on

387
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Speaker 2: the breakdown of race and gender, even if you if

388
00:21:56,600 --> 00:21:59,000
Speaker 2: you just thought about it, I know, I know you probably.

389
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Speaker 3: I don't know, but I don't think he came in

390
00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:01,640
Speaker 3: with data.

391
00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:04,720
Speaker 2: But as you look at everything from the orchestra to

392
00:22:04,760 --> 00:22:08,000
Speaker 2: everybody else, is it.

393
00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:09,440
Speaker 3: Zero African Americans?

394
00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:12,240
Speaker 2: And you know because I went the other night and

395
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Speaker 2: I saw.

396
00:22:14,720 --> 00:22:17,879
Speaker 3: I saw black panther Carnegie Hall, right, and it was

397
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Speaker 3: absolutely amazing.

398
00:22:19,119 --> 00:22:21,960
Speaker 2: Now you know, I think that most of the audience

399
00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:26,640
Speaker 2: and the orchestra were were they were not African American.

400
00:22:27,359 --> 00:22:31,239
Speaker 3: But the lead, the lead guy playing whatever this instrument was,

401
00:22:31,280 --> 00:22:33,840
Speaker 3: when he got up there on stage and he got

402
00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:37,040
Speaker 3: excused my ignorance, I didn't know that. I looked it up.

403
00:22:37,359 --> 00:22:38,880
Speaker 3: I mean they stood up with this guy.

404
00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:41,560
Speaker 2: This guy wants to be so well recognized and he

405
00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:46,879
Speaker 2: played this little this little two piece percussion. What is

406
00:22:47,040 --> 00:22:48,840
Speaker 2: what does it look like? What is what is the

407
00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:51,520
Speaker 2: color of a or what does what.

408
00:22:51,440 --> 00:22:54,960
Speaker 3: Does it look like? The demographic or the breakdown normally.

409
00:22:55,760 --> 00:22:59,199
Speaker 1: I don't know specific you know, percentages and whatnot, But

410
00:23:01,520 --> 00:23:04,720
Speaker 1: that's always been an issue, is the is the amount

411
00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:09,960
Speaker 1: of representation that there is within the industry. There are many, many,

412
00:23:10,119 --> 00:23:16,320
Speaker 1: many talented black opera singers. If you if you visit

413
00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:19,640
Speaker 1: some of the larger opera houses in the country, say

414
00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:24,520
Speaker 1: the Metropolitan or Chicago Lyric or Houston Grand Opera, usually

415
00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:27,640
Speaker 1: if they put on a production of porgain best, it's

416
00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:29,480
Speaker 1: usually going to be their best seller of the season.

417
00:23:30,840 --> 00:23:33,840
Speaker 1: And that's that's dealing with an all black cast, with

418
00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:35,920
Speaker 1: the exception of a few of a couple of characters

419
00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:42,480
Speaker 1: within the so you the representation of that matters, and

420
00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:48,080
Speaker 1: there's these artists here there, but oftentimes they aren't being

421
00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:51,399
Speaker 1: given the opportunities to shine and to to.

422
00:23:51,560 --> 00:23:54,240
Speaker 2: Oh I'm even looking at a standpoint. I'm even looking

423
00:23:54,240 --> 00:23:56,120
Speaker 2: at it from Algers standpoint because I had to tell

424
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Speaker 2: you I went to the Christmas Spectacular.

425
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Speaker 3: And all of their you know, you know, I'm my

426
00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:05,200
Speaker 3: wife is my wife is white, my my my ex

427
00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:09,800
Speaker 3: wife is Dominican, you know, obviously my mother's African American.

428
00:24:09,840 --> 00:24:11,040
Speaker 3: I'm a man of wall color.

429
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Speaker 2: The love all people in the Radio City Musical and

430
00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:17,720
Speaker 2: I'm like, you know, the couple of singers up.

431
00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:19,760
Speaker 3: There were like, man, only one black person?

432
00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:20,960
Speaker 1: Kay?

433
00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:26,320
Speaker 3: Then another color? Way wait wait wait two, wait a minute,

434
00:24:27,040 --> 00:24:31,080
Speaker 3: Asian opens up, see two three four.

435
00:24:32,320 --> 00:24:35,760
Speaker 5: Missus Claus comes out and she's she's okay, bright, look

436
00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:38,400
Speaker 5: like she had Colin Rolls that we get sit here

437
00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:40,639
Speaker 5: and try to be judgmental. And I'm just asking you

438
00:24:40,720 --> 00:24:44,199
Speaker 5: the question because you know, you know, you know it

439
00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:46,639
Speaker 5: could be diverse, and I don't really know, but I

440
00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:47,840
Speaker 5: want to ask you something.

441
00:24:48,600 --> 00:24:51,600
Speaker 2: I think that when did you when did you realize?

442
00:24:51,640 --> 00:24:54,560
Speaker 2: When was the moment that you said after you started,

443
00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:57,480
Speaker 2: when did you realize that you're gonna you're gonna do

444
00:24:57,560 --> 00:25:00,520
Speaker 2: this period when you came back and what what was

445
00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:04,159
Speaker 2: that like? And because you probably did you have to

446
00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:06,199
Speaker 2: burn all the bridges or did you kind of do

447
00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:09,120
Speaker 2: the well there's like well the actors in la there

448
00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:12,440
Speaker 2: waiters during the day and actors a night or vice versa.

449
00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:15,159
Speaker 2: When was that moment you said, that's it, man, my

450
00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:17,560
Speaker 2: voice has changed. I'm starting to get rolls. I'm taking

451
00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:18,600
Speaker 2: the question out of the room.

452
00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:20,920
Speaker 3: This is it.

453
00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:24,159
Speaker 1: It was more of a decision to really when I

454
00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:27,480
Speaker 1: came back to I was going to go forward, full

455
00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:33,040
Speaker 1: steam ahead, and put my full effort into this pursuit

456
00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:41,119
Speaker 1: and not be afraid of the rejection that I may face,

457
00:25:42,280 --> 00:25:46,560
Speaker 1: and just keep pushing. My father has all My late

458
00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:51,840
Speaker 1: father would always tell me, even during the years and

459
00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:56,359
Speaker 1: I wasn't singing, he would say, son, your future is

460
00:25:56,400 --> 00:26:00,280
Speaker 1: in your throat. Your future is in your throat, and

461
00:26:00,320 --> 00:26:04,240
Speaker 1: he would he would constantly remind me of that. And

462
00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:10,040
Speaker 1: it just took time for me to believe it. And

463
00:26:10,080 --> 00:26:12,880
Speaker 1: when I started to believe it, and I said, gone

464
00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:15,600
Speaker 1: through that process of one learning to love my own

465
00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:21,880
Speaker 1: sound and to appreciate my own sound. You know, there

466
00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:26,720
Speaker 1: was there was I mean you just because you couldn't

467
00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:32,000
Speaker 1: tell me nothing. I was my I was and always

468
00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:36,439
Speaker 1: will be my own worst critic. There is nothing that

469
00:26:36,480 --> 00:26:39,400
Speaker 1: anyone can say about me that I haven't already said

470
00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:45,560
Speaker 1: about myself. So you know, any comment you may want

471
00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:48,399
Speaker 1: to make, a snide remark or comment about me or

472
00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:51,560
Speaker 1: my sides or my voice, You're not gonna hurt my feelings.

473
00:26:51,840 --> 00:26:54,360
Speaker 1: I've already said it to myself. I've already gone through

474
00:26:54,359 --> 00:27:01,480
Speaker 1: that process of of of kind of this this self

475
00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:06,119
Speaker 1: evaluation and knowing what my limitations and what what my

476
00:27:06,200 --> 00:27:10,639
Speaker 1: strengths are as as a finger, as as an artist,

477
00:27:11,119 --> 00:27:15,400
Speaker 1: and and you know, I I know that I'm I'm

478
00:27:15,440 --> 00:27:18,360
Speaker 1: bringing things to the table that other artists can't.

479
00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:24,000
Speaker 3: I you were brought to my attention by a friend

480
00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:25,920
Speaker 3: of mine and a team member of mine.

481
00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:32,399
Speaker 2: During the pandemic. Everybody was on clubhouse. We had no

482
00:27:32,560 --> 00:27:36,040
Speaker 2: place to go. We were finding comfort or anger or

483
00:27:36,119 --> 00:27:39,199
Speaker 2: joy and information, inspiration and other people on these on

484
00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:42,800
Speaker 2: this open platform. And I was I would hear you

485
00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:46,320
Speaker 2: sing on these things, and now it was okay, not

486
00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:48,840
Speaker 2: because you're okay, It was because I was looking.

487
00:27:48,640 --> 00:27:50,679
Speaker 3: On it, listening to it on a little phone.

488
00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:54,400
Speaker 2: But I was like, okay, you know, and I would

489
00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:56,199
Speaker 2: I'm not even I'm sorry everybody asked you.

490
00:27:56,280 --> 00:27:58,080
Speaker 3: I'm not going to insult you. I asked you to

491
00:27:58,080 --> 00:27:59,440
Speaker 3: do that here on this thing.

492
00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:03,399
Speaker 2: I think that it is a it is uh, you know,

493
00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:05,280
Speaker 2: by hearing your voice is so rich and it's so

494
00:28:05,359 --> 00:28:09,520
Speaker 2: beautiful as you speak, I have to I'm hopefully I'm

495
00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:10,960
Speaker 2: going to be here to be able to come and

496
00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:13,480
Speaker 2: hear you on Saturday night. But that's that's this that

497
00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:16,760
Speaker 2: is on my pocket list. But where were you at

498
00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:17,440
Speaker 2: that point.

499
00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:17,920
Speaker 3: In your life.

500
00:28:19,240 --> 00:28:22,119
Speaker 2: When we were locked down and and and people started

501
00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:24,000
Speaker 2: hearing you singing on this.

502
00:28:26,040 --> 00:28:28,840
Speaker 3: This little device. Now it's weird because I had the

503
00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:30,960
Speaker 3: joy of being in the room with Michael.

504
00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:33,960
Speaker 2: Jackson one time, and and I tell the story about

505
00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:37,359
Speaker 2: how Hype Williams that he was asking Hype.

506
00:28:36,880 --> 00:28:38,160
Speaker 3: William to do a video for him.

507
00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:40,880
Speaker 2: We had a meeting at Michael's house and Michael pulled

508
00:28:40,880 --> 00:28:43,320
Speaker 2: out a transistor radio. And I've said many times that

509
00:28:43,880 --> 00:28:46,120
Speaker 2: Hype was looking around, ye and I was looking around, like,

510
00:28:46,400 --> 00:28:48,480
Speaker 2: but listen to a new song and transits the radio.

511
00:28:48,520 --> 00:28:51,959
Speaker 3: We're like, I mean, I think it was a probably

512
00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:53,320
Speaker 3: own a bullbox for sure.

513
00:28:53,600 --> 00:28:56,440
Speaker 2: Yeah, you think, and he said, most of the world

514
00:28:56,480 --> 00:28:58,280
Speaker 2: is going to listen to my music, ninety five percent

515
00:28:58,280 --> 00:28:59,640
Speaker 2: of worlds, and to listen to my music through that

516
00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:00,560
Speaker 2: trans so radio.

517
00:29:00,560 --> 00:29:01,600
Speaker 3: They're going to hear it through there.

518
00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:06,560
Speaker 2: And we look at historically Opera and Virus of the

519
00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:10,880
Speaker 2: things and the you know, in the in the forties

520
00:29:10,880 --> 00:29:13,360
Speaker 2: and fifties and Varrus other things. It was her through

521
00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:18,440
Speaker 2: you know, divides such as that. All right, how much

522
00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:21,760
Speaker 2: did that? Where were you in twenty twenty when you

523
00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:25,440
Speaker 2: were out there just being yourself and making us all

524
00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:28,440
Speaker 2: fall in love with this beautiful voice of yours on

525
00:29:28,560 --> 00:29:31,000
Speaker 2: these little devices during the pandemic?

526
00:29:31,280 --> 00:29:33,360
Speaker 3: Where were you your life at that point?

527
00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:35,760
Speaker 1: I was, you know, it was it was, it was.

528
00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:39,640
Speaker 1: It was the time of my life when I didn't

529
00:29:39,680 --> 00:29:45,080
Speaker 1: know what was really coming next. Prior to the pandemic,

530
00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:49,760
Speaker 1: my my career was starting to build momentum, and I was,

531
00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:53,880
Speaker 1: you know, lined up to do some really fabulous things,

532
00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:57,680
Speaker 1: you know, with with the with a multi city tour

533
00:29:57,840 --> 00:30:02,880
Speaker 1: and and other things, and and then all of a sudden,

534
00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:06,000
Speaker 1: the pandemic hit and all of these things started to

535
00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:10,120
Speaker 1: slow lead. The contracts we started to disappear. Now one

536
00:30:10,160 --> 00:30:12,600
Speaker 1: by one, We're just sitting there, and you'd sit nevery

537
00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:15,320
Speaker 1: morning to wake up, there would be another email, We're

538
00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:19,280
Speaker 1: so sorry that we're gonna have to cancel. And you

539
00:30:19,440 --> 00:30:24,280
Speaker 1: know that was tough because you, as the momentum was building,

540
00:30:24,720 --> 00:30:34,400
Speaker 1: now you're wondering how we're gonna rekindle that momentum. M

541
00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:49,360
Speaker 1: what can we what can we do to to kind

542
00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:54,320
Speaker 1: of keep the fire going? And a friend of mine

543
00:30:54,360 --> 00:30:56,760
Speaker 1: reached out to me and said, hey, are you in clubhouse?

544
00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:00,280
Speaker 1: And I said, no, what's young? What's club out? And

545
00:31:00,320 --> 00:31:02,520
Speaker 1: she goes, oh, I've got an invitation, I'll send it

546
00:31:02,520 --> 00:31:06,280
Speaker 1: to you. And this was when it was basically strictly

547
00:31:06,320 --> 00:31:10,080
Speaker 1: for you know, iPhone users at this point, before they

548
00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:14,600
Speaker 1: opened it up to the general public. So she invited

549
00:31:14,640 --> 00:31:17,000
Speaker 1: beyond and she says, I have someone you have to meet,

550
00:31:18,440 --> 00:31:23,720
Speaker 1: and it happened to be your your associate, Chauncey and

551
00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:27,320
Speaker 1: Chaunton and I met. We began to talk and he,

552
00:31:27,760 --> 00:31:30,000
Speaker 1: you know, he found out that I was an opera singer,

553
00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:33,440
Speaker 1: and he heard some recordings and he, you know, he

554
00:31:33,560 --> 00:31:37,600
Speaker 1: told me about how much he liked, you know, listening

555
00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:41,320
Speaker 1: to to to classical music and things of that nature.

556
00:31:41,800 --> 00:31:46,800
Speaker 1: And you know, he I have to say, I was

557
00:31:46,920 --> 00:31:50,280
Speaker 1: kind of at my lowest point of not going where

558
00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:55,840
Speaker 1: to go at that point, and the meeting with him

559
00:31:57,800 --> 00:32:02,680
Speaker 1: and getting to know him and him speaking about me

560
00:32:02,960 --> 00:32:06,400
Speaker 1: or what he thought of my talent and kind of

561
00:32:06,400 --> 00:32:09,880
Speaker 1: gave me that drive to keep going. And he came

562
00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:13,000
Speaker 1: up with a great idea and said, why don't we

563
00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:22,440
Speaker 1: do a concert on Clubhouse? And so we began working

564
00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:27,240
Speaker 1: to put together this concert. I found a sound engineer

565
00:32:27,680 --> 00:32:30,360
Speaker 1: who helped me set up, you know, do my whole

566
00:32:30,440 --> 00:32:34,720
Speaker 1: setup of microphones and music and whatnot to get the

567
00:32:34,720 --> 00:32:40,040
Speaker 1: best sound possible. You know, I wanted the sounds as

568
00:32:40,080 --> 00:32:44,320
Speaker 1: close as possible people sitting in a concert hall, even

569
00:32:44,360 --> 00:32:46,440
Speaker 1: though we were all sitting in our bedrooms and our

570
00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:50,200
Speaker 1: living rooms or wherever else at the time. But you know,

571
00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:53,360
Speaker 1: they helped me get this set up. And then Johnson

572
00:32:53,400 --> 00:32:56,000
Speaker 1: I did a little Q and A and between questions

573
00:32:56,040 --> 00:32:58,520
Speaker 1: every now and I would sing a couple of songs.

574
00:32:59,640 --> 00:33:04,160
Speaker 1: Over the course of that night, we had close to

575
00:33:04,200 --> 00:33:10,440
Speaker 1: thirteen hundred people listening to this concert, and it just

576
00:33:10,480 --> 00:33:13,240
Speaker 1: blew my mind that, you know, this little app on

577
00:33:13,280 --> 00:33:16,160
Speaker 1: a phone, that we could get that many people in

578
00:33:16,200 --> 00:33:21,080
Speaker 1: one place listening to classical music and listening to me

579
00:33:21,160 --> 00:33:25,479
Speaker 1: tell my story with along the as Chauncey questioned me,

580
00:33:25,960 --> 00:33:27,880
Speaker 1: But it was it was a pivotal moment for me

581
00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:32,880
Speaker 1: to do that, and so I came out of I

582
00:33:32,920 --> 00:33:35,520
Speaker 1: was able to come out of the pandemic because of

583
00:33:35,520 --> 00:33:38,920
Speaker 1: the things I'd done. I began to create other opportunities

584
00:33:38,920 --> 00:33:42,840
Speaker 1: for myself, doing what I would call a kitchen concert

585
00:33:43,240 --> 00:33:45,959
Speaker 1: from my kitchen at home, and I would, you know,

586
00:33:46,040 --> 00:33:49,240
Speaker 1: just set up and do a thirty minute concert, or

587
00:33:49,600 --> 00:33:54,120
Speaker 1: or do a concert from my bedroom of musical theater tunes,

588
00:33:54,240 --> 00:33:58,840
Speaker 1: or you know, spend thirty minutes taking requests from people

589
00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:02,400
Speaker 1: on songs they might want to hear me sing. Uh

590
00:34:02,840 --> 00:34:06,840
Speaker 1: And yeah, that that sort of thing kind of kept

591
00:34:07,360 --> 00:34:10,440
Speaker 1: kept that drive, kept that kept the pilot light on

592
00:34:12,480 --> 00:34:15,560
Speaker 1: to to make me want to keep pursuing this.

593
00:34:16,840 --> 00:34:19,640
Speaker 2: The pivotal moment that you had. Was it a pivotal

594
00:34:19,680 --> 00:34:25,759
Speaker 2: moment internally or did any other any other I don't know,

595
00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:30,000
Speaker 2: opportunities you present themselves down the road out of the

596
00:34:30,640 --> 00:34:35,200
Speaker 2: not necessarily clubhouse, but the the actions you started to

597
00:34:35,280 --> 00:34:38,960
Speaker 2: take either from clubhouse or at the clubhouse, or the

598
00:34:38,960 --> 00:34:42,560
Speaker 2: momentum you were starting to gain back from it.

599
00:34:42,600 --> 00:34:43,440
Speaker 3: Did anything come.

600
00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:43,600
Speaker 2: Out of that?

601
00:34:44,120 --> 00:34:48,520
Speaker 1: Would I received? What came out of it is I

602
00:34:48,560 --> 00:34:53,640
Speaker 1: received an offer to initially what would to be a cover,

603
00:34:54,480 --> 00:34:58,480
Speaker 1: which would be kind of the understudy for another artist

604
00:34:58,960 --> 00:35:01,800
Speaker 1: with La Opera.

605
00:35:02,120 --> 00:35:05,080
Speaker 3: And when initially that's the one they called me about,

606
00:35:05,640 --> 00:35:06,400
Speaker 3: what was tied up?

607
00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:12,680
Speaker 1: Yes, and and and and so initially I was the cover,

608
00:35:13,080 --> 00:35:15,920
Speaker 1: but over the course of the next several months, it

609
00:35:15,960 --> 00:35:19,200
Speaker 1: went from me being a cover to me singing the

610
00:35:19,239 --> 00:35:23,880
Speaker 1: majority of the performances, and it was it was. It

611
00:35:23,920 --> 00:35:25,640
Speaker 1: was a life changing moment for me to have that

612
00:35:25,680 --> 00:35:29,680
Speaker 1: opportunity to sing on the stage of Ballet Opera Uh

613
00:35:29,880 --> 00:35:33,360
Speaker 1: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion with with my scro James Conlin and

614
00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:36,280
Speaker 1: a cast of of of just some of the greatest

615
00:35:36,320 --> 00:35:41,440
Speaker 1: voices in the world, to to really kind of catapult

616
00:35:41,440 --> 00:35:46,520
Speaker 1: my name out there and say, oh, he's here, he's here,

617
00:35:46,840 --> 00:35:50,600
Speaker 1: he's coming, he's coming. And you know, the momentum that

618
00:35:50,680 --> 00:35:54,440
Speaker 1: he thought he had lost, it's still there. And so

619
00:35:54,640 --> 00:36:00,480
Speaker 1: my my team, my my agents have been working diligently.

620
00:36:00,719 --> 00:36:03,160
Speaker 1: We all have just to kind of to keep that moment.

621
00:36:03,160 --> 00:36:07,440
Speaker 1: I'm going to keep keep moving forward. As a little

622
00:36:07,440 --> 00:36:10,440
Speaker 1: saying says, we want to. We always always forward forward

623
00:36:10,480 --> 00:36:14,240
Speaker 1: in all ways and no matter what, keep moving forward.

624
00:36:15,560 --> 00:36:22,880
Speaker 1: So you know that Eli Opera came about. Over the

625
00:36:22,960 --> 00:36:26,319
Speaker 1: last couple of years, It's been very challenging for me

626
00:36:26,800 --> 00:36:33,360
Speaker 1: because I've dealt with some very extreme professional highs, but

627
00:36:33,480 --> 00:36:35,279
Speaker 1: some of the most personal lows that I've had to

628
00:36:35,320 --> 00:36:40,120
Speaker 1: deal with, and the death of my father in twenty

629
00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:44,520
Speaker 1: twenty one in May of twenty one, and then the

630
00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:50,480
Speaker 1: death of my eldest sister in November of twenty twenty one.

631
00:36:50,880 --> 00:36:53,919
Speaker 1: So yeah, on top of those I was dealing with,

632
00:36:55,160 --> 00:36:59,960
Speaker 1: I received another opportunity to to once again me an understudied,

633
00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:03,239
Speaker 1: this time at the Metropolitan Opera in New York to

634
00:37:03,560 --> 00:37:08,840
Speaker 1: cover the role of Radames and Alida. And you know,

635
00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:11,520
Speaker 1: it was one of those instances where my sister passed

636
00:37:11,520 --> 00:37:19,000
Speaker 1: away during the rehearsal process, and she made it clear

637
00:37:19,040 --> 00:37:22,640
Speaker 1: to me before she departed that where I needed to

638
00:37:22,640 --> 00:37:26,279
Speaker 1: be was in New York. She knew that's where I

639
00:37:26,320 --> 00:37:31,759
Speaker 1: needed to be. And as difficult as it was, I

640
00:37:31,800 --> 00:37:34,520
Speaker 1: did go home for a brief moment, but I went

641
00:37:34,560 --> 00:37:38,480
Speaker 1: back to New York instead of staying home for her funeral,

642
00:37:39,400 --> 00:37:42,799
Speaker 1: I went back to where I went back to where

643
00:37:42,840 --> 00:37:44,680
Speaker 1: she knew I was supposed to be and where she

644
00:37:44,800 --> 00:37:47,920
Speaker 1: wanted me to be, and that eventually led to me

645
00:37:48,640 --> 00:37:52,120
Speaker 1: making my debut at the Metropolitan Opera and becoming the

646
00:37:52,160 --> 00:37:55,440
Speaker 1: first African American the saying the role of Radames an

647
00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:59,600
Speaker 1: African character and the Mets two hundred and forty year history.

648
00:38:00,400 --> 00:38:03,640
Speaker 1: Uh wow, so you know, and then then a month

649
00:38:03,719 --> 00:38:08,440
Speaker 1: later I made my debut at Carnegie Hall, and you know,

650
00:38:08,719 --> 00:38:12,000
Speaker 1: it was just kind of this domino effect of of

651
00:38:12,440 --> 00:38:17,560
Speaker 1: things that have been been happening career wise that you know,

652
00:38:17,719 --> 00:38:22,080
Speaker 1: I'm just extremely grateful that you know that the things

653
00:38:22,120 --> 00:38:24,600
Speaker 1: are going as well as they are, and that I've

654
00:38:24,640 --> 00:38:31,000
Speaker 1: had such an unwavering support from my family who even

655
00:38:31,040 --> 00:38:33,799
Speaker 1: with the losses we've experienced, we were there for me

656
00:38:33,880 --> 00:38:39,600
Speaker 1: one and my friends, my family. You know, I wouldn't

657
00:38:39,600 --> 00:38:43,360
Speaker 1: have made it through that without without them.

658
00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:47,160
Speaker 2: You know, It's it's powerful, you know, I don't I don't.

659
00:38:47,239 --> 00:38:49,879
Speaker 2: I wonder how many people will let this moment pass

660
00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:52,680
Speaker 2: them by and not take in.

661
00:38:53,520 --> 00:38:55,600
Speaker 3: You know, the easiest thing to say is.

662
00:38:57,080 --> 00:38:59,879
Speaker 2: When you on club, I'll say, you know what singing

663
00:38:59,880 --> 00:39:03,439
Speaker 2: the sit on it? Who's the guy who's that Chauncey Yeah,

664
00:39:03,480 --> 00:39:08,520
Speaker 2: he's a music guy, okay, but he handled you two

665
00:39:08,520 --> 00:39:10,560
Speaker 2: and him and no, what does he know about classical

666
00:39:11,160 --> 00:39:14,480
Speaker 2: And what are you gonna do? You're gonna just sing

667
00:39:14,520 --> 00:39:16,839
Speaker 2: on it, that's what you're gonna do. You know, You're

668
00:39:16,840 --> 00:39:19,239
Speaker 2: just gonna say, and you're gonna get somewhere. So I'm

669
00:39:19,280 --> 00:39:20,879
Speaker 2: sure that's an easy conversation for.

670
00:39:20,800 --> 00:39:21,239
Speaker 3: People to have.

671
00:39:23,040 --> 00:39:25,920
Speaker 2: How many people will let more moments go by like this,

672
00:39:26,040 --> 00:39:28,800
Speaker 2: whereas either Damon John deside standing on the corn in

673
00:39:28,920 --> 00:39:32,600
Speaker 2: nineteen eighty nine, good Friday, three fifteen in the afternoon

674
00:39:32,680 --> 00:39:35,719
Speaker 2: with a bag of garbage bag full of hats, or

675
00:39:35,800 --> 00:39:38,840
Speaker 2: you decided to do a kitchen concert slash concert with

676
00:39:38,960 --> 00:39:43,840
Speaker 2: somebody you didn't know who had some crazy idea. So

677
00:39:44,080 --> 00:39:46,840
Speaker 2: singing through the little devices when we have the most

678
00:39:47,560 --> 00:39:52,360
Speaker 2: enhanced audio in the world now and not realize that

679
00:39:52,480 --> 00:39:55,920
Speaker 2: these little moments in our life lead to being on

680
00:39:55,960 --> 00:39:58,200
Speaker 2: the stage and go on doing a cover at La

681
00:39:58,280 --> 00:40:01,840
Speaker 2: Opera and then moving up there two then you know,

682
00:40:01,960 --> 00:40:05,800
Speaker 2: the met and Carneie Hall at the How many people

683
00:40:06,160 --> 00:40:09,840
Speaker 2: will sit there and not take this moment to understand that.

684
00:40:09,960 --> 00:40:13,520
Speaker 2: I wonder, you know, because they think life is about luck.

685
00:40:13,600 --> 00:40:16,120
Speaker 2: Life is about those who are willing to take those

686
00:40:16,160 --> 00:40:19,040
Speaker 2: small opportunities that everybody will laugh at them because they're

687
00:40:19,080 --> 00:40:23,040
Speaker 2: so concerned, going, damn you just walking around the house singing.

688
00:40:23,040 --> 00:40:24,080
Speaker 3: Now you just thirty.

689
00:40:24,680 --> 00:40:27,520
Speaker 2: Yeah you're staying on your little phone. Isn't that cute?

690
00:40:27,680 --> 00:40:29,840
Speaker 2: But have no idea about.

691
00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:34,480
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's easy for people to say, oh, well, I'll

692
00:40:34,520 --> 00:40:36,680
Speaker 1: put that off and just do this another time. We

693
00:40:36,719 --> 00:40:40,799
Speaker 1: can push this too, you know, when the when the

694
00:40:40,840 --> 00:40:43,960
Speaker 1: moment hits, you know, you never know when that opportunity

695
00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:45,480
Speaker 1: is going to come around again or if it will

696
00:40:45,480 --> 00:40:50,000
Speaker 1: come around again. So you know, I've learned to uh,

697
00:40:50,080 --> 00:40:54,480
Speaker 1: to be willing to take the risk of doing something

698
00:40:54,480 --> 00:40:58,120
Speaker 1: that kind of gets me outside of my box and

699
00:40:58,120 --> 00:41:01,160
Speaker 1: and and and kind of stretches me as a person,

700
00:41:01,239 --> 00:41:05,600
Speaker 1: stretches me as an artist, and you know, challenges me

701
00:41:06,160 --> 00:41:10,480
Speaker 1: to continue to do the work even when I may

702
00:41:10,520 --> 00:41:13,560
Speaker 1: not necessarily feel like doing the work. As one of

703
00:41:13,600 --> 00:41:16,640
Speaker 1: my dearest friends in this industry says, do the work

704
00:41:17,080 --> 00:41:20,520
Speaker 1: to stay ready. You don't have to get ready. So

705
00:41:20,920 --> 00:41:24,520
Speaker 1: you do the work and when the opportunities come, you're

706
00:41:24,560 --> 00:41:25,160
Speaker 1: ready for it.

707
00:41:26,800 --> 00:41:28,600
Speaker 2: Well, man, I thank you so much for this, because

708
00:41:28,640 --> 00:41:30,960
Speaker 2: I know you have to get ready, right because I

709
00:41:30,480 --> 00:41:32,400
Speaker 2: know you. I know you got some knights tohead you

710
00:41:32,880 --> 00:41:35,120
Speaker 2: some being nice. I know you took the time. I

711
00:41:35,200 --> 00:41:37,520
Speaker 2: know there's a lot of powerful things here that people

712
00:41:38,080 --> 00:41:40,440
Speaker 2: will let pass by them. But you know what, those

713
00:41:40,480 --> 00:41:42,279
Speaker 2: aren't the people that we're trying to make sure that

714
00:41:43,280 --> 00:41:45,239
Speaker 2: get the point. Those aren't the people that at this

715
00:41:45,320 --> 00:41:48,080
Speaker 2: moment won't change the world. Maybe they'll change the world

716
00:41:48,120 --> 00:41:49,960
Speaker 2: later on down the road, because you never know. I've

717
00:41:50,000 --> 00:41:53,000
Speaker 2: been I'm not better than anybody else, heard great advice

718
00:41:53,040 --> 00:41:55,719
Speaker 2: and great inspirational things, and I'm sitting there eating what

719
00:41:55,880 --> 00:41:56,239
Speaker 2: did he say?

720
00:41:56,560 --> 00:41:56,880
Speaker 1: Whatever?

721
00:41:56,960 --> 00:41:58,560
Speaker 2: And then you know, ten years later it says the

722
00:41:58,560 --> 00:42:01,919
Speaker 2: same exact thing. I go, holy it, you know that'sreible.

723
00:42:03,760 --> 00:42:05,600
Speaker 2: So thank you so much, ma'am what you do and

724
00:42:05,800 --> 00:42:09,920
Speaker 2: bringing people so much joy and being an inspiration you know,

725
00:42:10,120 --> 00:42:13,120
Speaker 2: on the stage, and you know, just just as a

726
00:42:13,120 --> 00:42:14,120
Speaker 2: as a pure human being.

727
00:42:14,160 --> 00:42:14,319
Speaker 3: Man.

728
00:42:14,400 --> 00:42:17,759
Speaker 1: Thank you well. Thank you for having me. And if

729
00:42:17,800 --> 00:42:20,160
Speaker 1: you happen to be available, I would love to extend

730
00:42:20,160 --> 00:42:22,520
Speaker 1: an invitation to you and your wife to be my

731
00:42:22,600 --> 00:42:25,960
Speaker 1: guest on opening night on Saturday here at the Arts

732
00:42:26,120 --> 00:42:33,239
Speaker 1: for Pabiachi Uh. It's a black tide evening, and if

733
00:42:33,239 --> 00:42:36,880
Speaker 1: you're available, please come and be my guest. You are right.

734
00:42:36,880 --> 00:42:37,520
Speaker 3: It is an honor.

735
00:42:37,560 --> 00:42:39,319
Speaker 1: Thank you, RELLI, thank you.

736
00:42:42,840 --> 00:42:45,600
Speaker 2: That Moment with Damon John is a production of the

737
00:42:45,600 --> 00:42:49,520
Speaker 2: Black Effect Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the Black

738
00:42:49,520 --> 00:42:55,000
Speaker 2: Effect Podcast Network, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or

739
00:42:55,000 --> 00:42:58,400
Speaker 2: wherever you listen to your favorite show and don't forget

740
00:42:58,400 --> 00:43:02,680
Speaker 2: to subscribe to and rate the show. And of course

741
00:43:02,680 --> 00:43:04,120
Speaker 2: you didn't all connect with me on any of my

742
00:43:04,200 --> 00:43:09,320
Speaker 2: social media platforms. At the Shark, Damon spelt like Raymond,

743
00:43:09,360 --> 00:43:09,880
Speaker 2: But what a d