Dawn was born in the Bahamian settled community of Coconut Grove, Florida in a year some time in the not so distant past. At the tender age of six she began singing openly for friends and family. It started with simple nursery rhymes; however, she soon came upon a voice that would change her spirit, sparking a fire in her that would only get stronger. It was during this formidable time that she first heard Deniece Williams on the radio. A song called “Silly†resonated so deeply in her that she learned it by heart and sang it with passion to anyone who would listen. During the informal years that followed, she would fall in love with the voices of Anita Baker and Whitney Houston and seek to emulate their sounds. Using her friends as sounding boards, she would find herself being asked to sing daily.
As a teenager she began singing at Mt. Hermon AME Church in Opa-Locka. In the junior choir she would be asked to lead her first song. The response she got was both scary and exhilarating. This was her first public performance but it gave birth to a drive to have more people show that kind of response to her voice. In that choir stand she felt like singing was her purpose. She spent her high school years juggling roles in the choir at Mt. Hermon and the Concert Chorus at Coral Gables Senior High. The switch between gospel, contemporary and classical genres was quite an eye-opening event. The contrast between the choral styles gave her a wider range and opened her to different kinds of music. With the Concert Chorus, she traveled and participated in numerous choral competitions as well as an array of stage presentations. This allowed her to gain a degree of comfort on stage.
In 1991 Dawn left Miami to attend college in Tuskegee, Alabama. She sought a degree in Political Science because she had contended as a child that she wanted to become “a singer or a lawyer, whichever comes firstâ€. At Tuskegee she would continue singing, though unaffiliated with any official entity. During that time she competed in local talent searches, even taking second place in a regional competition for an indie label.
Deciding that she needed to be where the action was, she left Tuskegee in 1995 and moved to Atlanta, Georgia. There she found a group that needed a second female lead. That group would later be scaled down to a duet that became known as LOOSE LIPS. With her partner, Kimothy “KimoTherapy†Thomas, she performed at venues that included Club 20 Grand and The Crowe’s Nest. She also performed in the Atlanta Music Festival and the Adonis International Talent Search in 1997.
Circumstances presented themselves such that Dawn had to return to Miami late in 1997. She set out to gather the resources and gumption to create a solo project. In November of 2002 a chance meeting in the corporate world led her to Joe Grant. The concept of Dawn’s House and World Domination was born in that meeting. Looking to hone her skill and stage presence, she found FAZE II CONNECTION and joined them as a female lead, playing co-anchor with the incomparable William Bell. This gig led to the opportunity to sing background for Anthony Irby in the band IRBS AND SPICES.
Finding that she was still too far removed from the action in Miami, she decided to give Atlanta another shot. In 2006 she moved back to Hotlanta, connections in tow. She is currently finishing her debut album working with musical gurus like Victor Bailey, Melvin Jordan, and Pat Smyth. Look for a new Dawn to break this coming fall!!!
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