As far as I’m concerned, if you believe in something, you’re willing to hop on a plane to put it in someone’s face and not take no for an answer. It’s really that simple to me. There was a strange disconnect between when I went to another country and sing my song in a stripped down format, and they ask when I was putting something out. There was that, and then being told that people didn’t want this or that. That’s not the response I get in front of people. Once i threw my hands up and said I was not going to accept, it was time to chop off the things that didn’t work for me, and get into the idea of working with a digital company that had access to 250 countries around the world. Do it myself and look at what happened. I put out a project digitally called Crazy Love, and I’m releasing it again, and calling it Crazy Love Amplified. It’ll include some remixes to some of the songs. Last year when the album was put out, there was no marketing, PR, or anything to push the product. It was an indie situation between a subsidiary label. This was an indie label, and I was tied to another indie label, and it made me think how would it work without PR or marketing. So I thought, in hindsight, that it would not work. I can’t push something without PR or marketing behind me. That won’t help me either. That’s how I got to this place where I am now. I’m just taking matters into my own hands to see where I end up. When I’m given the opportunity to sing in front of audiences, I can win them over by giving them my gift, which is a divine one.
U.G. Digital Mag: Half the battle is knowing what you have, and owning it. It’s not about being conceited, but you have to know what you bring to the table. You can win over any audience with that. From what I’ve heard, it’s amazing. I love the fact that despite the situations you’ve been in and what may have happened along the way, you have taken matters into your own hands. You haven’t given up and you’re still here. That’s what makes you such a powerful artist. You’ve gotten the awards and accolades. You’ve been in so many stage plays, which requires so much. How are you able to balance that?
Divine Brown: Balance [laughing]. I have to laugh, because one will take precedence over the other at some point. Sometimes they go together, but recently, I did a production by the African American poet Suzan-Lori Parks, who is getting a lot of attention because for this piece. It’s so relevant in the way she wrote it that the images that come to your mind when you watch are relevant to thing happening right now. I was really blessed to be a paThe thing that was interesting about my part was that although it was called a narrative role, all I did was play guitar and sing.rt of that. Now mind you, I did not know how to play a lick of guitar when I got this role.