Rising Stars: Meet Debbie the Artist

Today we’d like to introduce you to Debbie the Artist.

Hi Debbie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today. 
I was born in Chicago in 1989, during the height of the war on drugs. Both my parents were addicts, and I was born addicted. I never once met my father, and when my mother recovered, she found God in between the pages of an African American Heritage Hymnal. My introduction to music was singing Gospel with my mother in church on Sundays. For the next fifteen years, a time marked by prolonged periods of poverty and homelessness, singing hymns became my saving grace. I had no money for instruments or musical training, so I used the agency God gave me: my voice. My childhood was an arduous one that taught me a lot about how to survive in America. I was one of 7 children, the middle child, and oftentimes, we were left alone, which helped me find agency and independence as an artist. 

In July of 2016, I curated my first public performance at the ArtistBloc in Greensboro. The experience fanned my flame and propelled me into the life of a working musician, performing countless gigs over the next several years. One month after my artistic debut, I arrived on campus as a first-generation college student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCAT). The music department is where I acquired formal training, was exposed to the rudiments and foundations, and developed a clearer vision of what it means to be a committed student of music as an intellectual discipline. 

By 2019, I taught myself how to play the guitar, savoring every opportunity to engage with other artists, both on campus and in the real world, as a strategy to challenge myself to become a better musician. I carried my passion for music into my career as a social worker. This overlapped with my artistic vocation; blending the two disciplines has allowed me to embody the power of creative expression as a vehicle for social change. Unapologetic in the pursuit of social justice and racial equity, I picture a revolutionary society where folks can exercise their fundamental human rights free from fear. This abolitionist politic shows up in all that I do. When I say, “Art is who and what I am,” what I mean is that art is my tool, my medicine, my voice, and my vision. 

I am currently enrolled as a Graduate student at North Carolina Central University for Vocal Performance in Jazz. This was an intentional step I made to deepen my musical practice and expand on artistry. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an Artist in every sense of the word, though I primarily focus on music at this juncture. I am also a visual artist and photographer, painter, seamstress, and model. I became an artist out of necessity; it was the one thing that allowed me to create my own set of rules. I am a black and queer non-binary feminist. A part of my artistry is to engage communities and people with intentionality and a vision that helps them to reveal the artist within themselves. 

I am most proud of my perseverance. It can be especially brutal for people like me and people who look like me–Black and queer–to be specific. There’s also no shortage of lemons for independent artists in general who are not signed to a major label. This structure just isn’t built for artist to thrive. Coming from where I came from, with the set of circumstances I was faced with, I’m still going. I know a lot of people that quit, changed careers, or simply did not have the drive. And I get it, right? This line of work is not easy because the capitalistic society we live in doesn’t favor artist. 

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Everyone doesn’t know that I create more than just music. I actually began as a poet and a spoken-word artist. I later moved to songwriting, producing, composing, and arranging. The other thing I would say is that I am self-taught; I don’t have a lot of formal training. I was leading a band before I ever picked up an instrument. To be honest, I didn’t believe in myself for a long time, so I didn’t begin to pursue an artistic career until my late 20s. 

Contact and Booking info:

• Website: debbietheartist.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debbie.theartist/
• Facebook: facebook.com/iamdebbietheartist
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@debbietheartist3004
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/debbie-long-4

Image Credits
Katy Fulp
Jade WIlson