Welcome to Her World- Kim Davis
- Shaleia Reid

Kim Davis is on the road to stardom. Through hardships and pain she has been able to still follow her dreams of being a singer while raising two young children on her own. She got her first break with the hot single, "Hush" featuring one of reggae's most celebrated artists Sizzla. That is just the beginning, she has so much more in store.

S.R: What is your family background and where are you from?

KD: I was born in Toronto, Canada. Both of my parents were born and raised in Cape Town, which is a city in South Africa. I’m a mix of black, white and a little Indian somewhere in there. I did grow up in Africa for a few years but I haven’t been back since I was 16.

In Toronto I’ve pretty much lived everywhere from the west to the east. But I claim Scartown which is Scarborough. I’ve lived in the good, the bad, and the ugly. You will definitely find me at  any given time in Malvern or somewhere along Victoria Park.

S.R: What will set you apart from other female R&B artists? What makes you relevant?

K.D: I’m not really focused on trying to set myself apart from other female R&B artists. I think that is something that the listeners will have to decide. I’m just interested in doing real music that feels good and telling my story. To be honest with you, not that this is a good or bad thing but a lot of these R & B artists are signed and packaged with labels because they fit into this mold they believe is marketable and I am really not that. Music is really the love of my life, not a one nightstand and we have a bond and relationship that is unbreakable.

What makes me relevant right now or has gotten me the most attention is my first single “Hush”, which is a record I did with Sizzla and that’s just a chip off the ice block. There is so much more to come such as the second single “Sometimes”.

At the same time I am also a writer. I am just a very musical person all the way around. So I am also involved in the creative process when it comes to making a record, lyrically and on the musical end.

S.R: Do you have a preference between writing and singing?

K.D: I don’t really focus on writing per say. I have a journal and I am an avid writer. I write a lot and a lot of times I just look for inspiration or for material that already exists. So I don’t really think about doing either one, it’s just so natural for me to do these things. I definitely enjoy the whole process of the creative circle.

S.R: How do you define your sound?

K.D: I think I have an old soul. I grew up in a musical family so I listen to a lot of different artists. So my music is soul filled because that is where it comes from but I divulge into the R&B and I do the reggae. There are a lot of different sides to me on a musical level. I will leave it up to my audience on how they interpret my sound.

S.R: Do you have any passions other than singing and music?

K.D: I have a passion for life, living it to the fullest, day in and day out. I am really passionate about being a mother and spending time with my family and friends.

S.R: Why did you decide to name your album “Live, Love, Learn.”?

K.D: The album is really candid and really personal. Most of the songs on the album are a direct representation of who I am as a person and the things that I’ve gone through. I decided to name the album “Live, Love, Learn” because in essence that is what we do. We live, we love and hopefully we learn. The songs are taken out of my journal, you could say it’s the soundtrack of my life, but I think it’s the soundtrack of a lot of women’s lives. But it is real enough that men can respect it because they can hear a record and say “Yeah she tells the truth”.

S.R: When will the album be out?

K.D: I’m hoping that the album will be released sometime this year. There will definitely be songs available to purchase and download. Songs will definitely be coming out so keep your eyes open.

S.R: What artists would you like to collaborate with?

K.D: Do you mean just on my album or period?

S.R: Let’s do your album first, because I know sometimes with an artist’s first album they just want to showcase themselves and not have a compilation album. So I would like to know who you would like to collab with on your album and then in general?

K.D: I don’t want to give it all away as far as the album is concerned because we are still working on it and I’ve had the opportunity to meet with a lot of great producers, great writers and singers. So I can’t say for sure what is going to happen.

I toured with John Legend in 2005 and I think he is incredible as a writer and his musicianship. I think it would be interesting for me to collab with him. I would love to have a record produced by Alicia Keys. I love her whole vibe and aura. I would love to write a record for Keyshia Cole or Mary J. I would like for Ne-Yo to write me a song, I think that would be a good look. He is an incredible writer and I would love to write a record for him too.

I am open to working with whoever I can vibe with and just make good music with. As long as the integrity of the music is at a high level I am with it.

S.R: I know you did the Hot 97 showcase do you have any other shows or tours coming up?

K.D: I’m doing things. I am pretty much between New York and Toronto right now. There are just so many things that are coming up so if you want to be updated as far as where I am going to be just hit up on my myspacepage, myspace.com/msdavismusic. I try to keep it as updated as possible. Definitely check there and you can keep yourself posted on my ongoing events.

S.R: How much has you life changed since hitting the R&B circuit? Do you enjoy the attention?

K.D: My life has definitely changed. I feel like I am a very humble and modest person and maybe that is not for me to say but in my own head I feel that way. So I am really just taken aback with the attention and it is always surprising to me and overwhelming.  But as far as my actual day to day life I’m not with my kids everyday because I am traveling and doing different things. At the same time I’m meeting a whole bunch of new people and the focus has just been shifted onto doing music fulltime.

S.R: Before you decided to do music fulltime what were you doing?

K.D:  In school I decided to be a child and youth worker. That was before I had two kids, then after I had my two I was like “I am not taking this” (laughs). Being a youth worker you have to deal with the youth as far as helping them cope with situations. Most of the time they were troubled youth and it was really hard for me to deal with that on a 9 to 5 and then go home and not think about it for the rest of the day. It was hard for me to be in that type of a position.

I am still helping the youth but using another element, with the power of words and just being able to use the music to be a medium to get those messages across. Certain artists and not using names don’t realize how much of an affect they have on what kids think.

S.R: How old were you when you married?

K.D: I was 19.

S.R: Being married so young how did people react? What made you make that decision at 19 when most girls are still deciding what type of man they want?

K.D: People thought I was crazy. I knew my husband for a really long time. Like I said I am an old soul and having a family was important to me. So to continue with our relationship that was the next step and that was the decision we made and everything happens for a reason.

We just made a decision that we were going to go and get married and we did it. We had kids soon after and we had a wonderful life together.

S.R: How old are your children?

K.D: I have a five year old daughter and three year old son.

S.R: You have been through so much and you are only 24. You were married, became a mother and widowed at such a young age. Having witnessed the murder of your husband how were you able to heal? And what advice can you give other young women who may be facing the same hardship?

K.D: I wouldn’t really say that I got through that. It is something that is constant and that I deal with everyday. I think it’s more about coping. That situation was obviously unexpected and you can’t really prepare for things like that. It’s more of how you react to the situations that are brought to you.

That is a situation I don’t know I’ll ever be over, but that I deal with as best as I can on a day to day basis. I wanted to make sure that when my husband passed away that me and the kids had a life that was as normal as possible and it is important to me that our lives are about our lives and not so much about his death. Then it would have been like they lost two parents.

I am upfront with my kids; they know the situation and what happened and what it means for someone to pass away. We are definitely a family and it’s a group effort. We  cope as best as we can.

S.R: So after he passed, did music become the “shoulder you leaned on”?

K.D: Yes, and it always has been through everything in life. I know it sounds kind of cliché but having music is my relief, its very therapeutic and allows me to really connect with my emotions. It’s like once your get it out, you get it out.

S.R: What does the word “Empress” mean to you?

K.D: I am an Empress. An Empress to me is a woman who wears a crown whether it is given to her by somebody else or from herself. It’s a woman who deals with life head on, the ups and the downs. She may not always do what she wants to do but she always does what she has to do and it is a woman who lives their life with a conscious mind as far as all things are concerned, kids, money, love, just with a conscious heart and mind.

Check out Kim Davis' Music Here:

"Hush"

Take The Empressmag.com Survey. We Would Love To Know What You Think!!

Click Here