ASHANTI

Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter, actor and author Ashanti burst onto the music scene with her smash hit, self-titled debut album, Ashanti. It landed the #1 spot on both the Billboard Top 200 and R&B album charts, selling a whopping 504,593 units in its first week. This set a SoundScan record as the most albums sold by any debut female artist in the chart’s history and granted her a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records. Over the span of her 20-year career, Ashanti has released six studio albums and received a number of illustrious rewards including eight Billboard Awards, a Grammy, two American Music Awards, two Soul Train Awards and six ASCAP Awards. She has reigned at the top as one of Billboard’s “Top Females of the Decade from 2000-2010” and continues to break Billboard records, having a Hot 100 entry every decade in the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s.

In 2005, Ashanti made her telefilm debut starring as Dorothy in The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz, opposite Miss Piggy and Kermit. She also starred in Disney’s animated series The Proud Family and continued her journey in television landing roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Army Wives and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, as well as portraying Dionne Warwick on NBC’s American Dreams.

In her feature film debut she co-starred with Samuel L. Jackson in the #1 box office hit Coach Carter. Ashanti’s additional film credits include Resident Evil Extinction, John Tucker Must Die and Bollywood film Bride & Prejudice. Ashanti executive produced and starred in the musical drama and feature film STUCK, released April 2019. She donned her executive producer hat once again for the feature film Mothers and Daughters, starring Sharon Stone, Susan Sarandon and Mira Sorvino. In partnership with Build-A-Bear Entertainment and Sony Pictures, Ashanti leads the cast of the family friendly Honey Girls and The Plus One, currently in post production. 

The Ashanti brand has continued to flourish with several major partnerships including her own fragrance, “Precious Jewel” with AMC Beauty. Endorsements with Candies Apparel and the groundbreaking Herbal Essence, where she is the first African American to land a national campaign. These endorsements inspired her to launch a clothing line in collaboration with Miss Circle and partner with Pretty Little Thing to create her own swimsuit line, “Ashanti.”

As an author, she has written her first book of poetry through Hyperion titled Foolish/Unfoolish: Reflections on Love with more to come!

As a philanthropist, Ashanti is the Ambassador for the Jumpstart Reading Program. She became the “Youth of the Year” Ambassador for the Boys and Girls Club of America in 2009, was inducted into its Hall of Fame and became a member of its “BE GREAT” Campaign with Denzel Washington, as well as the “Let’s Move” health campaign with Michelle Obama. 

To celebrate her contributions to music and recording, Ashanti received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Spring 2022.

---

MS. DIVA DAVENPORT

This Harrisburg native, born Shawnae Davenport, comes with a take no mess attitude! Through life coaching and strong advocacy for equality, she’ll pull you in with her edgy melodic sound. Raised in a strict Christian faith-based family, Ms. Diva’s grandmother began to professionally train her at age two after hearing her sing at church. Although God was introduced to her early, unfortunately so was sex, violence, drugs and poverty. 

“After the passing of my grandmother, I just lost my way! I was naïve and looking for love in all the wrong places.”

In 2012 she became a nurse’s assistant and her life changed. While working the graveyard shift, she started to tap into meditation and self-evaluation. 

“I began to forgive myself and others. Nursing taught me how short life really is!”

In 2017 Ms. Diva released her first mixtape, followed by two more in 2018 and 2019. Since then she has been traveling the world performing and hosting events while being a mother. She is a true example of why not giving up on what makes you happy can really make you happy.

---

FRED REED

Having a background in gospel, being a “master craftsman” at his art and experience within the industry, Fred Reed brings something to the scene that has been missing over the years.

The singer, writer, producer and Wilmington native has never forgotten his first love… the community. Taking a brief hiatus from music, he managed to establish a successful, non-profit haven for children to get the opportunity to develop or express their creativity. Reeds Refuge has provided the city with a positive alternative to what the streets have to offer. His work in the streets have not gone unnoticed and the city itself showed its appreciation by awarding his faculty a certificate “In Gratitude for Your Loyal Service to the Citizens of Wilmington 2016”. Shortly after that, Reeds Refuge was the winner of the 2017 Jefferson Award, The Community Excellence Award and was the First Grantee of the BeLikeFrank Foundation.

Even in his community development programs… Fred cannot stay away from music. It’s an itch that must be scratched. He shows this in his Safe City Project which takes urban hip hop and R&B and filters the stigma associated with it. Leaving us a clean, catchy and positive message. He recruited mostly local talent to get this.

Before his contributions to the community Fred Reed was lighting up the stage with singing sensation and opened for legends of the industry such as Mary J. Blige, Run DMC and the late great Gerald Levert. As for production, he worked with the infamous (and award winning) Scott Spencer Storch. Having the occasion to work with such grand names in the industry, he was able to glean a little from these artists to become the multitalented phenom we know (or will soon get to know).

Although Fred’s talent is rooted in gospel music, his gift is made manifest in his diversity. He has the ability to transcend genres. He is one of a handful of artists who are capable of communicating emotions over melodies (successfully). The lack of a Fred Reed has left something to be desired in R&B.

Now, he’s baaaack. Fred has taken all his talents back to the studio for his latest venture Lovesided, a plateful of soulful. His life’s contributions and experiences have helped him develop a more mature and fresh sound. Succeeding in bringing the smooth harmonies of soul and blending it with modern day R&B, this album is “refreshing” to the spirit. The intent of this album is to bring back the intimacy music once had… Baby makin’ music (the less conventional kind). It is an “honest” album that covers all aspects of a relationship including the good times, break ups, lies, make-ups, etc. it can be summed up in one word… Dynamic (as the man himself).

His previous album (“Good Fight of Faith”) showcased his musical talent but he has shown us a tremendous amount of growth as an artist overall since then. There is a lot more to this man than just being able to make the ladies swoon with a melodic massage or giving guys a reason to ride around with the top down in their convertibles. This is music with lasting substance and will give us a reminder (in times where it has been lacking) that love actually does exist… and we should all be seeking it.

---

DEVIX

Multi-instrumentalist, DEVIX, fills the air with complexity in his music across slap-percussion, fingerstyle, looping and performing across a variety of instruments live and in the studio. Having practiced music all his life, his work shines across about a dozen instruments. Traversing alternative, indie, and pop, there's no limit to what you might hear when he takes the stage.

DEVIX took the stage on national TV as a Season 22 contestant on NBC’s The Voice. With a 3-chair turn, DEVIX chose to be on Camila Cabello’s team with John Legend and Gwen Stefani being his other two options. DEVIX went up against Sasha Hurtado, a best friend in the music world and fellow Top 16 member, in the battles round. Making his way through the knockouts in the next round, his time on the show came to an end in the second round of the live shows as a Top 13 contestant, with one final performance of The Killer’s “When You Were Young.”