Local rising star blazes her own trail
From interviews on a popular radio show to live performances at the hottest shows, Destiny Roberts’ profile has risen considerably in the last year. The MSR recently sat down with Roberts to catch up with her career moves and answer the question: just who is Destiny Roberts?
“When I talk about myself, I like to talk about my birth story because I feel like that’s where everything kind of started,” says Roberts. “After my mom had her first four kids, she had her tubes cut, tied, and burned. And then nine years later she had me.” Roberts says that is how she got her name Destiny.
“I like to really start my story there because I kind of was not expected to be here; that’s [not] what my fam expected but obviously, God had other plans… I figured I’m in this life, I better [make an impact] while I’m here.”
The young artist didn’t fully appreciate the story of her birth until she was an adult. Now 22, she says it was around the age of 18 that she came to realize she was a miracle child and saw it as her purpose and a calling to chase her passions. “I took it and ran, and I’m still running,” she says.
Roberts has been releasing music since she was 13. She has released four albums so far, with several more in the works. The combination of her talent with her message draws parallels to several artists, but she maintains a style all her own with influences ranging from neo-soul and R&B to jazz and rap. She struggles to think of any mainstream artists that she draws inspiration from. Most of her inspiration comes from her family, she says.
She explains, “I come from a very artistic family.” Her parents, Stanley and Felicia, play the trumpet and sing, respectively. Her father doesn’t play for a band or perform publicly, but he still practices about two hours a day to “perfect what he does.”
Then there’s mom. “You can smell Thanksgiving when she sings,” the young artist says while falling back in her seat laughing.
Aside from her parents, her four siblings are all either into music or just creatively talented, ranging from her brother’s engineering and songwriting to her sister making her own jewelry.
Growing up in such a creative environment, and being the youngest in the house, she naturally just soaked it all in — not just the creativity, but also the work ethic.
“When people listen to me I want them to listen with their soul, [and] not just their ears,” she says. Roberts goes on to explain that she seeks to evoke a feeling and build the minds of her listeners. “I try to be a positive force in my music, because I feel like that’s what is really missing, like substance really ain’t there anymore.”
Roberts takes her music very seriously and wishes she could release more of it more often. The young artist makes her own beats, a skill she learned from her older brother. She also produces and records her own records in the comforts of her own home.
“Everything we hear affects us in a way whether we realize it or not, and a lot of people really don’t pay attention to that kind of stuff they take in, everything from food, music, and relationships,” she says.
“I don’t know, everything should just be good that’s around you. So, that’s why I try to make good [quality] music that speaks to the soul.”
No doubt that music isn’t what it used to be. However, artists such as Roberts are example of what music can be. While she is an independent artist, she gives credit to 3rd World Music Entertainment (3ME), an independent music label here in the Twin Cities ran by young and intelligent professionals.
“We still are all independent artists, but we all come together and kind of fill in where we have missing experiences.” Roberts gives credit to 3ME for a lot of the buzz that’s been generating around her lately. “It’s more than just putting out a song and pushing share on Facebook,” she says. According to Roberts, they handle a lot of the PR and in turn, it allows her as the artist to create.
“The world still hasn’t really heard classic, Destiny music,” says the St. Paul artist of upcoming material. While she has it on her laptop ready to release to the world, for now we’ll have to wait until the time is right.
In the meantime, be on the lookout for Roberts’ comic book entitled Moon Melanin Mami where she uses the power of rap to save the world. “Long story short, I come on earth [and] use music as a tool to spread positivity and peace to the people,” says Roberts, as she acknowledges that spreading peace and love through music is her super-power. “I think the world could use a lot more love.”
For more information on Destiny Roberts you can check out her website destinyroberts.com.
Khymyle Mims welcomes readers’ responses to khymylewrites@gmail.com.
