Dondria is a contemporary R&B singer who was discovered on YouTube by So So Def founder Jermaine Dupri. Born Dondria Nicole in Dover, OK, and raised in Texas, she began singing at a young age in her church choir. In 2007 she created a YouTube channel called Phatfffat to showcase her singing talent, and after building a sizable following online, she was contacted by Dupri, who flew her out to Atlanta and offered her a recording contract with So So Def/Island Def Jam. She made her recording debut on the label in 2008 with the single “Can’t Stop,” produced by Dupri and co-written by labelmate Chrisette Michele. Her full-length album debut, tentatively titled Dondria vs. Phatfffat (2008), was scheduled for release in November after being pushed back from its original street date in July.
After months of push backs Dondria and Jermain still managed to keep fans updated through her YouTube channel and Jermain’s official blog Global13. And at the end of last year she put together a mixtape called “Dondria Duets”, and it was available for free download at JD’s blog. Later in November the “first” official single hit the web tilted “You’re the one”, and was produced by JD & B.M. Cox. The single slowly started to pick up on radios, and debuted on Billboard’s Rnb/Hip-Hop and Christian Charts. And managed to climb to the top 20 at both charts. Later in early 2010 the music video was shot for the song. It premiered at JD’s blog and on Bet’s. After the succses of “You’re the one”, Dondria released her second singl, the urban flavoured song “Shawty Wus Up”, which featured labelmate Jhonta Austin & femcee Diamond. Later in summer, the music video was released alongside the song.
Her full-length debut album, titled Dondria Vs. Phatfffat, was released on August 17, 2010. It debuted at #43, with first week sales of 9,422, which is notable since she was discovered off Youtube. |
