Deemi was at the tender age of 7, when she won a neighborhood talent show after singing Whitney Houston's "Greatest Love of All." She was accepted into Manhattan's Talent Unlimited High School to perfect her craft, and at the age of 17, she gave birth to her first child, Nathan. She then transferred to a new school and a year later, she had her second child, Felicity. She would later drop out of the school but returned to receive her GED. Things from that point fell apart. She relocated with the father of her children to Richmond, Virginia, where things began to take a turn for the worse.
She stated that at first it was verbal abuse but physical abuse soon followed. It got to the point where she could no longer cover up the bruises on her face. In 2000, she moved back to New York with her children. In January of 2004, her children's father was shot after being released from a 2-year prison sentence on drug charges.
The self-proclaimed "Hood Princess" Deemi is back with another hot track, "Sunshine," after a six-year long hiatus. The Brooklyn, NY native stepped onto the scene back in 2007 with her raspy, soulful-vocals, reintroducing us to honest music. Her debut single "Soundtrack Of My Life," via Atlantic Records--discussed her abusive past by the hands of her father as well as the father of her two children.
As the song progressed Deemi touched on dropping out of high school, being on welfare, selling drugs, and reminiscing on the days when life was much simpler.
In "Sunshine" continues to use her gift to inspire, letting everyone know that they aren't the only ones going through hardship, "I've been waiting on the sun to shine all this pain and the lightining and thunder." Deemi's professional career has paralleled her personal life, but hopefully th 32 year-old will be able to rise from being the princess of the hood, to America's sweetheart.
Continue reading to listen to "Sunshine."