DORROUGH - Ozone Magazine

Setting herself apart from other
female R&B artists, Tomeka Pearl
brings spice and bounce to her
music. After debuting her artistry
on Dorrough’s album Dorrough
Music, more opportunities are
coming left and right for this
talented young singer. With her
street single “You Like It” heating
up on the south and west coast,
you can believe this isn’t the last
time you will hear from her.
You were featured on a few songs on Dorrough’s
album. What else do you have going
on right now
I have a little single that I’m working on right
now. I have a street single that’s doing pretty
good out there in the Bay area, it’s a song
called “You Like It” featuring Dorrough.
Do you have a name for your album yet
It’s probably going to be self-titled, but I’m really
kind of crazy with the whole artistry shit so
I don’t know. I want to say it will be self-titled,
but it probably won’t.
How long have you been singing and writing
I’m 23 right now so I want to say I’ve been
pursuing it since I was about 18, but I’ve been
singing since I was about 10 or 11. I’ve been
out here in Dallas performing since I was 18.
You graduated from high school early to pursue
your music career full time. Do you think
you missed out on any of those childhood/
teenage memories
Definitely not. I graduated a semester earlier
than everybody else so I could pursue it full
time, but I wasn’t really into school. I’m not saying
don’t go to school and don’t go to college,
but school just wasn’t my thing. I originally
wanted to pursue the whole music thing full
time, so I had my little childhood moments.
Your cousin, who was very close to you, died
on your birthday. Did that motivate you to
keep going
Yeah, my cousin died on my birthday when I
was 11. He was killed in Houston, and he actually
rapped. I looked up to him especially with
what he was doing [musically]. I wanted to
pursue the same thing he wanted to pursue so
when he passed I felt like I wanted to continue
his legacy because he was only 19.
As a child you took vocal lesson and acting
lessons. Do you have anything going on as
far as acting right now
Yeah, I am actually reading for a role right now
that is being filmed through Prime Time Click.
I can’t get in depth about it, but I am reading
for the main role.
How did you hook up with Dorrough for his
album
Man, it’s crazy, we actually hooked up to do
his last album on the track “Hood Song.” When
we did “Hood Song” he liked the whole vibe
and sound, so he put me on some other records.
Then he hopped on the “I Like It” record.
When that happened he was kinda like, “Do
you want to be a part of the whole Prime Time
Click movement” I saw that his movement
was doing big things, so I was like shit, I’m
gonna fuck with it.
What is the process like when you two are in
the studio
Well, for the most part we’re both just in there
vibing and we kinda bounce ideas off each
other. With his whole album situation, Dorrough
did his thing with the hooks and kind
of had everything laid out and ready with how
he wanted to do it. But, we definitely do vibe
all the time.
Your style of music isn’t the typical cliché
R&B. What made you want to step out of the
box and be different
I don’t want to really say it was me being different.
At that time in my life, that’s just what I
was into. But right now I’m at the point in my
life where I want to talk about love, getting
hurt, or being with a dude. With me it’s going
to always be a little more edgy – like if I say,
“I love somebody,” I’m going say, “I love that
nigga!”
Are you performing anywhere for All Star
I’m doing a Haiti Relief show out here in Dallas
around the same time All Star comes here. I
also have a fashion show and a couple of appearances
lined up for All Star. //
OZONE MAG // 27