Rising Stars: Meet Brittany Dunn of Raleigh

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Dunn.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
When I was 9 my dad discovered I could sing. I didn’t think so but he just knew. He played a wide range of music around the house which I loved listening to because I thought my dad was so cool for his music choice. Eventually I started listening to artist like Whitney Houston, Anita Baker, New Edition, etc and I just loved the how music made me feel. For a long time, I was a shy singer. I remember when guest came over, my dad would always ask for me to sing before they’d leave and I would truly be nervous. My dad taught me that God didn’t give me the spirit of fear, but of love power in a sound mind. That stuck with me for the rest of my music life. Growing up I was indulged in mostly gospel with R&B here and there. My favorite gospel artist was and still is Kiera Shepard. I remember thinking how powerful her voice was and how powerful her message came across. She came to my church one year for a concert and that really changed how I saw singing. From there on out, I focused on trying to sing songs that most people wouldn’t want to touch because of how big they were. That’s why I needed to learn them because I wanted to sing songs that had meaning. Throughout my younger years, I didn’t let a lot of people know of my abilities. I didn’t want the attention, and I was afraid of my own success. When I got to 23 I moved to Durham, North Carolina, and I remember going out to live events and meeting other musicians. I indulge myself deeply into the music scene, but I still had no idea how to utilize my talent. I was very determined to figure it out, so I would stay up late looking at ads for singers, anything I can find that could give me a step ahead.I remember at one point I even joined a pianist named Nita Piano at the time. We would do singing lessons for her music class, and that was my first time working with anyone outside of myself let alone children. It gave me a purpose. After a while, I saw myself on stages, performing songs. We all know such as rock with me by Michael Jackson, at last by Etta James, or even unforgettable by the great Nat King Cole. I end up joining a group that I found on craigslist. This guy, Keith Washo, came from California and wanted to put on a show called the Love Show for Valentine’s Day. I saw it as an opportunity of growth, I reached out to him and from there a relationship grew. I stayed with the group for about 2 to 3 years. We would do Valentine’s Day specials where we will all come together and sing classic love songs. Deep down I still want it more. I want more personalized music, so I learned how to write my own songs. Were they the best? No not all the time, but I was always determined to keep growing, despite what others would say. A lot of times I would feel down because I knew I had more potential that I just did not know how to unlock.

I moved to Fayetteville in 2018. I lost everything I had and left the city for the country life. I didn’t know what to expect, but I didn’t expect much either. I had a friend that introduced me to a friend of hers, not knowing that that was going to be a game changer in my life. I met my first friend in Fayetteville. His name was Major. From major I met Skye Redd and kai the orchid flower. The four of us were out of this world gifted. I have never been apart of a friend group of musicians and it changed the way I viewed myself. I was no longer Brittany to them, I was only talked to with my stage name, Feleice. I was poured into an embraced like I’ve never felt before. This was a new era of music development that I never thought i’d find. All of them knew how to make music from scratch and was more than willing to show me the ropes. I learned how to write songs better, I started feeling more like an artist, and I even made my first music video. These developments were unexpected but I assume my doors just kept opening for me. While I was in Fayetteville, I was working in and out of Greensboro doing reference songs. I didn’t know that was before, but a friend of mine referred me to a songwriter who was recently retiring from the music industry. Doing reference songs, help me understand even more that true development of a industry level song. With humbleness, I was honored to be a part of such things and I never took it for granted.When I move back to Raleigh in 2020 I dropped my first EP album. I’m going to be honest, I didn’t like it. I still wanted more.

In 2021 I met a songwriter/producer. He specialize in R&B, and a friend of mine referred me to him because he felt as though he could help me. When I first walked into the studio, I heard songs that were constructed so well I couldn’t believe this was the work of this man. Later on down the road, we became lovers not only for the music but for each other. I thought I had the best of both worlds. He open my mind two things that I can do with my voice that I never knew and wrote songs in styles I’ve never sung. This went on for three years, but unfortunately, I had to part ways due to me, losing myself in the relationship. I no longer felt like the artist I was before. I lost confidence in my own ability to conduct music and the overall relationship just became a toll on my mental. That is a story that I would like to keep to myself, but what I can say is the journey I went on gave me a strength that I later understood why I needed it.

It felt like every time I got head. I was moved a couple steps back. At this time, I was 30 it was in another era of life. I left that relationship with a couple songs that I wrote. There was one in particular that I was determined to release. It was my mission to get it done. It meant something to me. I hadn’t dropped any new music since 2020. I felt like I had wasted so much time believing in something that was very real, but was not experienced at the right time. Releasing “wake up“ was a must because it was showing myself that I could still do it. That I still had that fire and desire to keep moving forward, no matter what. July 2024 I came across an ad for a festival called the Carolina barbecue fest. They were asking people to tag their favorite artist. I hadn’t touched the stage in so long but something about that post stuck out to me. I remember telling myself now is the time. I reached out to all my friends and ask them to tag me. I didn’t fully believe people would help out, but they did. I forgot that I did a lot of footwork of meeting a lot of great people and with that game reward. Surely after I was tagged on the post, I received the email to perform. This was big for me, I had to perform in so long so I needed to make sure this was a comeback that I was proud of. In August 2024 on performance Day, I was getting ready for the festival. I had practice and rehearsed nonstop prior to. Although I, at this point, had way more confidence in my abilities I still was nervous. That didn’t stop me, what my dad taught me stayed in my heart, and I remember just repeating, for God has not given me the spirit of fear, but of love power and a sound mind. I knew the enemy was trying to fill my head with lies, which made me go harder. Performing at the Carolina barbecue fest gave me a sense of importance again, purpose. From that day, I felt like myself again. I needed that for myself more than anything else. I got my confidence back and I told myself I would never lose it again. Fast forward to today, I am still on this journey. I have taken a step back from my usual pacing music. I’m understanding that music will always be a part of me and my healing journey and the healing journey of others, but it didn’t have to control me. Although I don’t make music how I used to I look back on my life and I’m very proud of all the strives that I took to keep going forward. Life is funny. I’ve gone through a lot, but I’m happy. I never let any situation break me completely, it made me the strongest version of myself today.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Nothing in life is ever going to be smooth in my opinion. That’s what makes life, life. I’ve had plenty of ups and downs. The main things I can remember being my biggest struggles was my confidence, my trust in people, and honestly my trust in God. The struggles I faced on this journey has always been an internal battle of am I doing the right thing. I’ve always felt like I needed to sing for God and not myself or my struggles, but I always chose those things. I truly believe, because I chose the world, I was taught many lessons. Lessons about how people really operate and think and the importance of keeping God at the forefront of everything I do, I’ve always heard of stories about the music industry but I never thought I would have my own experiences to tell. The struggles I went through made me wiser, I have no regrets. I just have a lot of takeaways.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a singer. I sing with my heart and I know you feel it because I feel it. I have a lot of compassion for people in the world, especially people who suffer from heartbreak. I’m most proud of my resilience to stay afloat throughout my life despite everything that was designed to weigh me down. I know I’m truly one of a kind and I thank God for the way he created me. My love that I have for God will always shine through me in hopes of being absorbed by other people in this world who need to feel true love. I believe that’s what says me apart. It’s just deeper than music.

What does success mean to you?
Success to me is accomplishing things that make you feel like you’ve made a difference within yourself or the environment around you.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/feleice_?igsh=MXB1b3hjcXk4Mm9pNg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@feleice?si=B6GfxQxNKJqRkbOH