Mistah Montana

• From a young age, DeMarcus has shown a great interest in the arts; starting with drawing, and then singing and acting • At age 11 he starred in his first school play doing both singing and acting and it is there that he found his passion for the two • He went on to join the schools choir starting at soprano and gradually maturing to a tenor range • His school urged him to enter in the numerous fine arts competitions, and after finally doing so, won many awards, one of which was 2nd place in...

• From a young age, DeMarcus has shown a great interest in the arts; starting with drawing, and then singing and acting • At age 11 he starred in his first school play doing both singing and acting and it is there that he found his passion for the two • He went on to join the schools choir starting at soprano and gradually maturing to a tenor range • His school urged him to enter in the numerous fine arts competitions, and after finally doing so, won many awards, one of which was 2nd place in the whole state of Maryland • As he continued on to high school, he started venturing into other fields of the arts. One of them being writing. By doing so, he found a way to express himself in a manner which made him feel complete • During his first year in high school, at a new school, he struggled to adjust, but as no surprise he quickly joined their choir as well. Here is where he was introduced to different style of music and to new people that would eventually put him on to new things. From here he joined the Annapolis District Choir. Weary of how he may fit in, he stuck to himself, but when it was time for him to shine, he did so and shocked many of those who did not know him. This served to him be outlet and everyone around could see that music was his calling! • The more he sung and came out of his shell, the more people started to noticed and he was nominated by the choir and his church, along with others, to receive recognition from the state, county, and governor. • His 10th grade year he had heard of a audition for a group called Urban Change and much to his surprise, he was picked to be apart of it. As the only minor in the group at 16, they soon found that he was mature for his age and took the principles of the stage and the ministry very seriously. Here is where he starred in his first major role, for a play that would potentially be seen all across the US But his success didn’t stop there • The following year, he and his mother traveled to New Jersey in pursuit of his long term goal of being a recording artist for a show called American Idol. Unfortunately he was not chosen to appear on this show, but instead of deterring his dream, it strengthened it! • Senior year proved to be the best. It seemed as he grew, so did his writing. He was no longer a little boy but a young man. He took a creative writing class just to fill up his schedule, not knowing what it would lead to. As time went on, his teacher began to see the talent he possessed and she took the first poem he had written in the class and sent it off to a website that she knew was specifically for writers. Unknowing of her actions, he got a letter in the mail from poetry.com. Leery of what it might say, he opened it, and after reading the first line he realized that he really did have something special. Right then, his first poem ever was set to be published • Post-graduation, DeMarcus went on to audition for miscellaneous things. And by the struck of luck, he was approached after coming off stage by a gentleman who handed him his card and exchanged information. Not knowing what it was for, he didn’t take it seriously. That was until he received a call the next day saying that there would be a meeting to discuss his future. He went to attend the meeting uncertain of what he was there for. It was here that he was offered the opportunity of a lifetime. Jane Jackson Harley, daughter of one of the first African Americans in radio, Hal Jackson, offered DeMarcus a spot to join her company named Kemet Productions; a non profit organization that specializes in artist development, helping to increase skill in every aspect of the industry, singing, dancing, acting, and modeling. She takes them all over the country, and even across the world to different conferences in which they get the chance to meet and perform in front of industry people who can not only critique them, but offer them contracts to work for them as well. With this they were told, comes hard work and determination. “I can make talent, that’s easy! But if you aren’t willing to work hard for what you want then you will never make it out here in this cut throat industry.” Those very words that she spoke meant so much to DeMarcus because he knew that if she was as passionate as she seemed about what she does, then he needs to be the same and together, they can do great things! • Now at Bowie State University, DeMarcus is taking the things that he already knew and incorporating them with the new ideas and knowledge that he is getting from his professors. Majoring in music is not an easy task at all, he has come to find out but, in order to succeed, he knows he must stick to it and be diligent. His freshman year alone he sang at every musical event on campus, almost 50 different shows, some of which he one top prize for. As he continues to nurture his talent, we are seeing him grow as a person as well. He is learning that nothing comes easy, but with hard work anything is possible.