When Dondria "Phatfffat" Fields started uploading clips of herself singing R&B covers to YouTube, she did more than attract a following. The 21-year-old Sachse resident and college student became the first R&B artist to earn a major-label record deal solely via the Internet. Her first single, "Can't Stop," was released Tuesday.
In just under a year's time, Phatfffat (a nickname given her by a college roommate because she loves to eat) earned nearly 27,000 subscribers, a million-plus channel views and the attention of star maker and label president Jermaine Dupri. She's now signed to So So Def/Island Urban and is in the Dallas area promoting "Can't Stop" with her mentor.
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Dondria 'Phatfffat' Fields of Sachse
"I don't want the public to underestimate her voice, and she posted the videos on her own. That's what's so brilliant about all this," a confident Mr. Dupri says during a phone conversation from New York. "Every artist that comes out, you try to get them an image; I mean, it took Usher almost four albums before he really had an image, and Confessions wasn't even his story.
"All that stuff you see is Dondria. I didn't come in and tell her anything. I want people to accept her as an artist, the new-age version of Whitney Houston, because she could get to that level. She's very R&B, but she can sing anything."
Phatfffat, who's looking forward to attending the BET Awards on June 24 and the release of her CD, Dondria vs. Phatfffat, on July 29th, was eager to chat.
What's it like working with Jermaine Dupri, and what input did you have in creating the songs on your debut?
"J.D. is a mess (laughter)! He's fun and he's cool, but he's taught me so much; I'm basically pretty lazy on my own, but J.D. really helped me to understand that I've got to put the work in to get ahead in the music business. As far as my album, I didn't do any writing myself, but he didn't go forward on any of the songs without talking to me first."
You got discovered through the Internet, which is an obvious plus, but have there been any drawbacks to the exposure?
"I've been dogged out on a lot of gossip blogs! Most of them didn't come up with me, so they think that I'm basically a gimmick and can't really sing. It gets on my nerves because I'm not fake. If you pull up one of my videos, you even see me coughing on a few of them, forgetting the lyrics and starting over, all unedited, so how am I lip-syncing? It's crazy!"
What do you want fans to take from your new CD?
"I want people to know that there's more to Dondria than just what I eat (laughs); that's why it's called Dondria vs. Phatfffat, the image versus reality. I've got a lot of influences who inspire me, like Aaliyah, Monica, Beyoncé, Etta James ... My major was music education and I've always sung in my church choir, so I truly am about making music."
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