And The Winner Is...

Fly Away

American Wedding (Cover)

Mr. Hawaii

        Deri'Andra is a singer/songwriter whose music is a reflection of 1960's and 70's soulful lyrics and harmonies, with a dash of hip-hop, funk, pop, and live instrumentation. "I call my music 'cruising music' because it takes you to another place," Deri' explained.
          Unlike the average four year old girl who enjoys playing with Barbie dolls and watching Saturday morning cartoon shows, Deri’, enjoyed singing and dancing in her mother's living room in New Orleans, La in 1994. "She would grab a hairbrush, her little plastic heels, throw on her favorite dress, and perform for all of my clients. I always knew she would become an entertainer," said Shawndrea Tucker, Deri's mother. Shawndrea is a hairstylist, former break dancer and singer. Deri’s father, the late Derrick "Shatt" Mushatt, was killed by gun violence on the streets of New Orleans in 1997. "Not only did I lose my father on that day in 1997, I lost my best friend," said Deri. Shatt was also a former break dancer, rapper and disc jockey in the legendary New Orleans rap group 39 Posse. Their New Orleans East apartment also served as her mother's beauty salon. While Shawndrea catered to her clients, she blasted music by Erykah Badu, Michael Jackson, Anita Baker, Teena Marie, Toni Braxton, Bob Marley, The Fugees, Janet Jackson, and Mary J. Blige to name a few.  As a pint-sized impersonator, Deri would mimic the voices that she heard playing through her mother's stereo while putting on a full out performance for anyone who was willing to watch. "I would imagine myself performing on a stage in front of thousands of people," said Deri'.
            Part of her vision came true when Deri' performed for over 70,000 people as a Saintsation, the official cheerleading squad of the New Orleans Saints, for 5 years. During her rookie year, she performed at Super Bowl XLIV in Miami, FL and witnessed the Saints win their first Super Bowl in franchise history. In 2011, she was also selected to represent the organization at the NFL Pro Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii and was featured in the nationally televised commercial promoting EA Sports Madden NFL 11. While performing on the field, she received a Bachelor's Degree in Recording Arts from Dillard University. Deri' was also a recipient of the "Denzel and Pauletta Washington Scholarship" and the “McDonogh 35 Class of 1988 Kerry Hughes Scholarship” which helped to fund her entire college tuition.
            Not only does Deri' have a long history of singing in talent shows and dancing with several dance groups around the city of New Orleans, she is also an actress. This renaissance woman landed a role in Gaynielle Nevielle‘s production of Why You Wanna Kill Your Brother in 2005. She also starred as Deena Jones in McDonogh 35 Senior High School's production of Dreamgirls in 2006 and 2007. The musical was a huge success and Deri' and the rest of the Dreamgirls cast became the stars of a six week BET reality series called One Night Only. While studying at Dillard, she performed as Velma in the musical Crowns and worked as a makeup artist and hairstylist for several productions.
           "I never give up on my dreams no matter what obstacles may come my way. My grandmother, Bamama, always told me ‘achievers are believers, believers are conceivers, and conceivers get it delivered.' That has become my motto," said Deri'.  She continues to achieve her goals while executive producing her very own debut project Derivatives: The Prelude along with the help of Craig "KLC" Lawson, Richard "Mix By Rich" Weber, Johnny J. Beatz, Michael "Bass" Ballard, and Jermaine "Jae" Jackson. "People will be surprised when they hear what we've been working on. They are all musical geniuses and I am so blessed to have them on my team." One of Deri’s goals is to continue her father’s legacy and with the help of God, her family, friends, and production team; she will achieve it, believe it, and conceive it.

Deri'Andra

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