Biography

Darlene McCoy

Darlene McCoy has a multi-faceted personality that is described as sincere, indomitable, and effervescent. This multi-talented vocalist, wife, and mother of three is finally taking center stage in the music world with her long-awaited self-titled debut album, Darlene McCoy. Her album offers a blend of Gospel, R&B with a twist of soulful inspirational melodies, and is winning critical acclaim in the music press for this debut project. Her popularity continues to grow thanks to her signature style, her riveting live performances and her infectious personality.

Darlene McCoy is a musical chameleon, each song seamlessly transforming from one rhythmic style to the next. For a vocalist who admits, “Music is my language,” McCoy’s style undeniably reflects a deep urban dialect. Her music clearly mimics her edgy, artistic, contagious personality, and her uncanny ability to reach audiences of all ages, backgrounds and cultures.

Her musical pilgrimage began at the impressionable age of five. Growing up in rural South Carolina, she unwittingly shared her gift of song in school and church choirs for many years. At 19, McCoy left her hometown and tested her street sensibilities in the big city of Atlanta, where she met two men who would become very important in her life - her husband, Robert McCoy, and his childhood friend, music mogul Dallas Austin. Austin became a quick supporter and champion of McCoy’s music, eventually translating his industry influence into a recording contract for McCoy with EMI Gospel, and placement on Tyler Perry’s “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” motion picture soundtrack with the hit song “Fallen in Love”.

Acknowledging that McCoy’s talent was too big to be contained behind just one line of sound, EMI Gospel paired McCoy with additional production heavyweights – urban and gospel. Dallas Austin, Tommy Sims, Fred “Uncle Freddie” Jerkins, PJ Morton, and J. Moss (PAJAM) all brought their own spice to help create a phenomenal debut project for McCoy.

In “Fallen in Love”, an inspirational acoustic love song, McCoy coined “groovy worship,” which later found itself on the prestigious “WOW Gospel 2006” compilation, rubbing shoulders with other gospel legends. Not surprisingly, the song also received proper placement on her debut album. McCoy credits the song’s writer and producer, Antonio Neal, with not only helping breathe life into the song, but also encouraging her to develop her desire to write.

Neal and McCoy continued their harmonious collaboration with the mellifluous tune “Already Got Joy (Simply Because)”. “I call this my happy song”, McCoy says. The stress-free creative process gave birth to a smooth jazz melody, as McCoy’s crisp, unceremonious vocals flow through waves of soft percussion, acoustic guitar and trumpet serenades, creating the perfect accompaniment to a sunrise on the beach or a moonlit night on the town.

“Finally,” is a personal favorite for McCoy, and what she calls her “woman’s anthem”. Her vehement vocal performance on the song exudes a passion symbolic of McCoy’s character and conviction. Shamelessly, she transports the listener to a time in her life when her desire for acceptance landed her in an abusive relationship at a young age. “It tells of my personal testimony of trying to find acceptance, love and security. When I began my relationship with God and got to know Him, I finally found the love and security within myself that I’d been searching for.”

McCoy makes her appreciation for her new life evident in “I Adore You,” also produced by Antonio Neal. This classically-structured love song evokes thoughts of the most intimate of relationships while letting us know, lyrically, that God is the sole inspiration behind this beautiful ballad. A sincerity gently and blatantly hangs on every note.

“U.N.I.T.Y.” lowers the curtain on Darlene McCoy’s project, leaving listeners clamoring for an encore. Reminiscent of the best days of soul music, R&B, and disco combined, this Tommy Sims production masterpiece showcases the lyrical genius of this Sims/McCoy collaboration. McCoy credits Hurricane Katrina as her inspiration for this song. “As I watched thousands of people’s lives devastated in the Superdome, I realized the one thing that was sadly missing - unity.”

From performing live shows to co-hosting local radio shows to appearing in her first motion picture and launching a new reality television show, McCoy has also found time to pursue her passion in a non-profit organization – JENIMAC. An affectionate combination of McCoy’s middle and last names, JENIMAC was founded as a vehicle of encouragement and empowerment for the women of her community with a special affinity towards teenage mothers. McCoy plans to open a shelter specifically to meet their needs and provide necessary assistance with restoring their lives. She emits this in her woman’s anthem “For the Sisters.”

McCoy’s love for an expansive range of music is evident in the motley crew of artists she credits with having influenced her musical style and sound. Her music gleans from the likes of urban funk band Cameo, soft rock artist Christopher Cross, gospel diva Karen Clark Sheard, Christian rock band Third Day, and R&B songstress Anita Baker.

Darlene McCoy is no less than a musical culmination of one artist’s spiritual revival, inspirational journey and artistic transformation. With the May 2007 release of McCoy’s debut album, this recording artist is expecting to reach the world with her smooth vocals, her signature style, and an inspiring message that transcends time and continents.

“It was extremely important to me to offer the world what was in my heart as it relates to this record. I feel my music will be embraced by a culture that not only loves music, but is hungry for inspiration. That being said, I believe I will have opportunities to share my music with the world for a very long time.”

McCoy has been nominated for two 2008 Dove awards.
• URBAN ALBUM OF THE YEAR
• URBAN SONG OF THE YEAR

Her self-titled debut album is now available online at... ITunes and Amazon.com!

Visit Darlene McCoy at www.myspace.com/Darlene McCoy
and at www.darlenemccoy.com

Manager:Mark Skeete 678.886.6000.
Email:skgrilla@yahoo.com

Publicity: Gwendolyn R Richardson - Trebor Consulting Inc. 770.331.0488-cell 770 242-3974-fax
Email: gwenrich@comcast.net

To schedule an interview, contact: CHAZZ @718.772.9200. Email:chazz25@aol.com

Radio Promotion: Big E Cobb – Big E Promotions@ 770.990.5532.
Email:bigepromos@gmail.com

Performance Bookings Contact:Kelly Fountaine 404.610.1851.
dolphinfountaine@earthlink.net