I can start this blog with the origin of me being a Father (physically) or I can take you from where I get my inspiration to be a Father from (emotionally)! I get my inspiration of being the best Father I can be from my Mother! She raised both me and my brother as a single parent in Virginia Beach, Virginia!
There was tough love, there was motherly love, and there was encouraging love! Growing up, my Mother would sing around the house all the time! Her voice was like a fragrance that filled our home with love! She would come home (still in heels) from working a full day at her 9-to-5 job for the government! Regardless if she had a good day or bad day, you would never know it because her singing was always the elixir for anything that ailed her emotionally! When she sang, I never saw it as a talent thing… Only a mom thing! Although we didn't get all the things that other kids had, we had the things that we needed that she could afford as a single parent! Of course as children we didn't understand why we couldn't get some of the same things that other kids could! Later in life it became apparent as to why things were the way they were!
As I've grown into myself to be the man that I am today, I've always thought to take the talent that's been bestowed to me through the legacy of my Family, to give back to my Mother for all that she's done for us! I found that this need to "give back "to her came in the form of me living right and having a Family of my own that she can be proud of!
Me and the Fam
Being a Father in today's society has been one of the biggest achievements in my life! I know that I am not perfect by any means, but I feel that I'm heading in the right direction with the support of my "Little Lady" and Mother! To take a quote from my idol, Will Smith… "BESIDE every good man is a good woman "!
Rings and Things
Being a Father and today's time, especially in the black community is an all but lost form of leadership that's missing! One of my personal missions is to make a dent in that negative statistic in America! There are various ways in which I express my Fatherhood! I do my best to post positive images, moments and stories to let people know that being a "dad" today is something to aspire to and not shy away from! It's important for us men to create the leaders that we look to have in our future!
I for one, will fight hell with the squirt gun to do just that!
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY
Anna and Gio
Sunday Funday stroll... Photo credit: My Little Lady
So I'm sitting here on the first day of April with the temperature at 52° wondering if we'll ever see Spring! It should be at least touching 70° at this point of the year! I've been a bit of a funk this winter as it is and with the tease of spring looming, I can't help but wonder when I'll be able to take my son out to the park without the repercussions of the sniffles to follow! Oh, I get it... It's Mother Natures "April Fools" joke!
Carry on with your sun-filled warmer days my Southern Friends! I'll be joining you soon! Me and the Family are moving back to Nashville on June 1st! I got a publishing deal that will keep me super busy with actually WRITING for a living... YAY! All my Nashville Friends, send me your info! Love to catch up and set up times to meet up and gauge where to live! It's been a while since I lived there and KNOW a lot has changed!
I started a blog because I feel like it was about time given that many have asked me to! I've been blessed to have a unique multifaceted life that is predicated on my family, my career, my friends, and the spontaneity of God's gifts throughout my life! My family consist of a loving Mother who's raised me and my brother on her own from Washington DC to Virginia Beach! She's a rock and a source of a lot of my strength and love in my Music and in my life! My Music career spans nearly 20 years, singing with various artists, singing for various companies, doing voiceovers for various products and commercials! I've toured with artists internationally! I've supported artists on well-known television shows such as Good Morning America and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon! Artists I've supported include, Michael McDonald, Larry Carlton, Keri Hilson, Imagine Dragons, Lucy Woodward, and Alexander Kogan! I've even been casted on NBC The Voice Season 2! Many of you may not of seen me on season two but it was an experience that I will always remember! (I'll save the details for another blog) I was casted in my first featured film, directed by Clint Eastwood (Jersey Boys) What a great experience it was to be directed by the living legend! An experience I will never forget!
Valentine's Day
At the turn of the New Year, there were some AMAZING things that happened! I asked my beautiful Little Lady (Nino Kolotashvili) of 5 years to marry me! We have a beautiful three-year-old son together named Gio! We never wanted to make a big fuss over marriage but we felt that it was good for our family! There is no timetable as to when we will get married but when we do, it won't be a big huge to do! Another wonderful moment that I've had in the month of February was the opportunity to sing with Grammy award-winning band, Imagine Dragons on Good Morning America! It was a wonderful opportunity I was afforded through a good friend of mine, Stephanie Alexander… (Amazing singer in her own right)! It was a wonderful opportunity to sing with some of New York's top session singers! We all got along famously and we laughed and sang as well as shared each other's resume and experiences! Some of the singers included working with the likes of Sting, Madonna, Stevie Wonder, Mary J Blige, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, as well as on tour with various superstars! As far as my Music is concerned, I just released my latest song on Sound Cloud and YouTube! "When Will It End" deals with things that ail our society as a whole and offers a peaceful plea to be a better people!
So in closing, it's been a great start to the New Year! The proof is below...
Stay tuned to my next one...
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Performing "I Bet My Life" with Imagine Dragons from new album
