If it wasn’t enough having credits to her name including having performed for no less than President Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, The MTV Music Awards and then some, as bassist and musical director for Beyoncé, Divinity Roxx has also won awards in her own name, as well as featuring on the covers of Bass Musicians Magazine, and Bass Magazine.
Divinity Roxx studied Journalism at UC Berkeley, and after falling in love with the bass guitar, set off forging herself a career in music, beginning in Atlanta Georgia. She attended a bass camp led by Victor Wooten, who invited her to tour with him, three months after the end of the camp.
Divinity had limited funds, but passion and determination, and so auditioned for Beyoncé. To her joy she was selected as a band member, and assistant Musical Director. While touring and performing with Beyoncé for over five years, Divinity appeared on a wide variety of US TV shows, including The Grammys, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Saturday Night Live, and Good Morning America. A personal highlight was a special performance for President Barack Obama.
Divinity has a few more strings to her bow. She also worked as Musical Director for K-Pop girl group, 2NE1, joining them on their first worldwide tour, in 2012, the New Evolution Tour.
Recently, Divinity Roxx has performed on The Arsenio Hall Show, 106 and Park, and the Queen Latifah Show, with rapper B.o.B. She’s also backed legends including Patti Labelle, Eryka Badu, and Gladys Knight, on BETs ‘Black Girls Rock’ TV show.
Divinity sees 2016 as being a year of evolution. New album ‘ImPossible’ (pronounced I’m Possible), is her follow up album to 2012s ‘Roxx Boxx Experience’, which received critical acclaim. It’s an alt soul/pop epic, with lead track, ‘We Are’ produced by Keith Harris of the Black Eyed Peas. Harris also played drums on the album.
Divinity says of the song,
The lyrics were inspired by my former UC Berkeley professor June Jordan, (Poetry for the People), who wrote, “We Are The Ones We’ve Been Waiting For.” She is rarely credited for it.
“…And Who Will Join This Standing Up
And The Ones Who Stood Without Sweet Company
Will Sing and Sing
Back into the Mountains
And if necessary
Even Under the sea
we are the ones we’ve been waiting for…”
– June Jordan, ‘Poem for South African Women’, 1978“We Are is more than a song, it’ s the message I want to give to the world. We are the only ones who can positively effect the change we want to see in this world”
The album is, like ‘Roxx Boxx Experience’ before it, a funky mash up of a variety of genres. Divinity touches on Hip Hop, Rock, Pop, R&B, Dub Bass and Jazz. Stand out songs include the lead track ‘We Are’, and also ‘Just When You Think (Featuring LD)’ which is part rap, part pop. It’s all inspiring however – encouraging the listener to never quit, to just keep going. You never know when will be the time for your finest hour. “If you quit you can never be a winner”.
You can find Divinity Roxx online on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Soundcloud, and her official website. Buy ‘ImPossible’ from iTunes.
