You might know him as the blond-haired and blue-eyed dude from Making the Band 4. Or you might associate him with Diddy, who signed him to an exclusive solo contract at the end of the season to the surprise of everyone involved with the show. You may even consider him the onetime boy toy of Danity Kane's Aubrey, as the two kindled a flame while they were on the show. But even if you haven't heard of the Long Island native, Donnie is making sure you'll be bumping his tracks in the near future as he gears up for the release of his debut album Just a Rolling Stone on August 19.
It's taken a while for Donnie to reach this point in his career. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Levittown, Long Island, Donnie kindled his passion for performing as an adolescent by performing in a local music group, setting the groundwork for his future as a singer, dancer and entertainer. He attended Hofstra University for a short while, but dropped out when he decided to pursue his dreams of being a musician, putting off college until he had fully established and built a name for himself.
Donnie officially got his start on Making the Band 4, competing alongside singers and performers who were vying for a spot in Diddy's R&B boy band. But when the final episode came around, Diddy decided to sign him to his own exclusive recording contract, making him a solo artist instead of a member of Day26. Donnie has since been in the studio with hit-makers like Mario Winans, The Clutch and Danja, testing out that new material as part of the Making the Band 4 Tour that's currently making its way across the nation with Danity Kane, Day26 and Cheri Dennis.
The response has been nothing but ecstatic so far. Fans have been eating up his single, "Take You There" featuring Diddy, which is slowly making its way up the charts. To tide you over until his record hits stores at the end of this summer, Kiwibox Senior Editor Steven sat down with Donnie at Atlantic Records in New York City to discuss what he wish he wouldn't have done on national television, how he dealt with producer 7even's wacky studio work ethic and why it breaks his heart when some fans cry when they meet him.
If you can't see the embedded video, click here to watch it on YouTube.
561