Not very many people can pinpoint a time in their lives where they knew beyond the shadow of a doubt what they wanted to be when they grew up. As a matter of fact, some fully grown adults are yet to, well, grow up. Even fewer can say that they started their journey before they hit the double-digits on their chronological time piece. So trust me when I say that there is a force to be dealt with in this rising star Demi “Drama Queen” Lobo.

For starters, imagine Demi singing in front of thousands of people. Now imagine that she is only 5 years old. The average 5-year-old is terrified to speak in class! Obviously, Demi is far from average, and although singing solos in her church choir gave her the first stage she would perform on, it was not Demi’s last. The native Chicagoan wrote poems and stories till age 16 affording her the chance to perform at spoken-word competitions, and winning her first two at just 15.

Demi’s writing and singing worked nicely together. Recording her first song at age 16 she knew that her dreams weren’t just dreams; they were actually coming true! She wasn’t going to just sit back and wait for opportunities to fall into her lap either. Miss Teen America and “American Idol” were just two of the competitions she entered.  With her go-get-it attitude, she hosted her own radio show as a sophomore at Eastern Illinois University, and now hosts her own radio show every Thursday night on WCRX 88.1 FM Chicago at Columbia College Chicago.

Life has not slowed down for the ambitious young entertainer. She is now promoting her new single “Drama Queen.” Pounding, infectious, sexy and driving from start to finish, the song garnered positive feedback when Demi performed it at the B96 Summer Bash and The Wild Hare. “Swag King” is yet another song where Demi showcases her contagious energy, catchy lyrics, and her ability to rock a crowd non-stop! Demi also appeared on BET’s 106 & Park, and opened for the Gucci Mane Concert.

And still, her work keeps paying off: She’s been nominated for Best New Entertainer of the Year for the 29^th Annual Chicago Music Awards. Not only is she a nominee, but Demi will also be co-hosting the awards set for Alhambra Palace on January 24, 2010, and will perform with Jeremih and Twista.

So, how does Demi hold down a full-time school schedule, a job, a radio show, and her music career? The answer might lie in this artist’s favorite motto: “Reach for the moon, and if you fall short, you will land somewhere amongst the stars.”

I don’t think Demi “Drama Queen” Lobo has fallen short of anything, but she surely is ranked among the most beautiful of stars, and still, she continues to rise.

I had the opportunity to sit down and speak to the rising starlet about her blooming career

Yari: You started singing at an early age in front of massive crowds. At age 5, what were you feeling and thinking?

Demi: All I could think about was the fact that I love to perform. I loved being on stage with thousands of people out there. But at the age of 5, it was just having people screaming your name and rooting for you and feeling what you feel in that moment while you’re on stage. Having people feel what you’re feeling is just an amazing experience.

Yari: How much influence has your church experience had on you and your career today?

Demi: Well I was in the choir, and it kept me grounded. I made bonds with people and had lifetime experiences. We had hundreds of ministries at our church, so I was in the drill-team ministry, I was in the Athletes for Christ ministry, and I was in the choir. I was in so many different ministries that I was always busy. Actually, that is what started me out being busy all the time; I was always moving. So now I will always be on the go, and I will always be doing something.

Yari: Your mother was an author. How did her profession affect your love for writing?

Demi: Well I started out at a young age, and I did oratorical contests like poetry contests, for instance. If I was writing something and I couldn't really figure out what I wanted to write or what angle to take, I had an author in the house who could tell me where I needed to go next with it. That really helped out because she always had big words to give me, you know? (Laughing) She would always assist me when I was short a few words.

Yari: Was your Mom then a good source when you had to use your writing towards your music career later on?

Demi: Yes she was, but also in every other aspect, not just my writing. In everything that I was doing, she was a great support. I feel that being successful is not just about having determination and not just about having talent. I think you must have a back-up team that can be a cheerleader – that’s what I call it – because cheerleaders are rooting you on even on your worst days. There were times when I was like, “Okay, that was horrible,” or when I was totally down on myself. I had my team, which consists of my Mom mostly; she’s the president of the team. Just having her there rooting me on, and telling me that I can keep on going, and what I need to do next to make sure that everything goes well, was what I needed. 

Yari: Before going to college, you had speaking engagements where you gave inspirational talks to teenagers. What made you want to do this?

Demi: When I was in high school, I did inspirational speaking and singing engagements. I was going around and singing at parties. I made it a business where I made money from my speaking engagements. But even before that, I was an entrepreneur. I had two businesses while I was in high school, so I learned a lot about business. I also took a business class in school so that’s how I got started. I began to do the public speaking because I could talk about my experiences to kids who were younger than me. Talking about entrepreneurship made for great speeches to kids my age: how to keep a job, for instance. This wasn’t even about my being an artist; it was all about business and it has led to other things. Now I’m in college, speaking to grammar schools all about being an artist.

Yari: What was it like to host the 2009 IIEE Young Entrepreneurs Conference, and how did that come across your path?

Demi: It was so much fun! There are so many kids who have no guidance, who don’t really know where they want to go in their career. It was an amazing feeling to touch so many people and that’s the wonderful thing I feel about my job. Being an artist, I can touch people’s lives and you don’t realize it until they come up to you and say “You know what, you really touched me.” So even though I was just a host, I still got to talk about my experience as an entrepreneur. It was an amazing experience to see so many motivated people; because that’s how I am. The thing I love about being around motivated people who are like-minded is that so much gets done. That’s why I ended up transferring to Columbia. Eastern Illinois was a wonderful stepping stone but it was more structured like a traditional college. The time came where I was like, “I’ve got to make a move and get this thing started.”

Yari: Now to your music. “Swag King” and “Drama Queen” are upbeat and catchy and full of attitude.  Where do those lyrics come from? Are they from personal experience or from observation?

Demi: I find my inspiration for songs from many different places: when I’m walking down the street, when I’m on the train, places like that are where I find the best lyrics. For example, I was actually writing a song while walking down the street the other day. “Drama Queen” is the first song I ever did. Actually I didn’t have a beat for “Drama Queen.” I was just writing the song and I never do that! I always have a beat to write to, but this time I was just like, “I’m sophisticated ….. Love to be seen ….That’s why I’m a drama queen.” I was like “Oh yeah!” then I got a beat for it and next thing you know, everyone was in love with “Drama Queen.”   

Yari: “Swag King” sounds like a spin-off of “Drama Queen.” Is there a connection that you’re a queen so you have your swag king? 

Demi: (Laughing) Guys love the song actually. Guys were getting mad like, “You don’t have anything for the guys.” So I was like, “Okay.” Now they like to be able to say that they’re a Swag King.

Yari: What is it like being relatively new and being able to work with Trey Songz on “I Wanna Go”?

Demi: Trey Songz wrote his hook for the song and then sent it over to me and I did my part. We didn’t get to work in studio together, but I definitely plan on working with him in the future. I would love that.

Yari: What was the moment when you realized that your big break was right in front of you? 

Demi: That would have to be when I went to 106 & Park, because I was doing all these shows in Chicago – I think I had done 47 shows before that in just eight months of being a new artist – and I was like, “Where am I going?” At the end of the day I had affected a lot of people, but not outside Chicago. So when I was chosen to go to 106 & Park in New York, I thought about all of the people who are not in Chicago who watch the show, like big-name artists. I mean Alicia Keys was there that day watching me perform. That experience showed me that I could reach so many people. That was a pivotal moment in my career where I was like, “Okay, this is definitely happening.” 

Yari: Watching you perform, it’s obvious to see that you are very confident in who you are and what you want. Where does that strength come from? 

Demi: I don’t know where it comes from. I just feel like I was meant for the stage. My idols are Beyonce and Lady GaGa. They put on excellent shows. Missy Elliott puts on a show for you every time, and that’s the kind of artist I see myself being: an interactive artist so that people are on the edge of their seats waiting to see what my next show is going to be like. Maybe that’s where it comes from. 

Yari: Now on stage, you’re singing, dancing, energetic and powerful. You leave your heart on that stage, in heels! How do you keep up the physical energy to perform that way? 

Demi: Exercise, exercise, exercise. The treadmill keeps us energized. Plus, we have a lot of practice sessions.  

Yari: Tell me about your motto: “Reach for the moon and if you fall short, you will land somewhere amongst the stars.”  

Demi: I first heard it from Kimora Lee-Simmons. But I remember seeing it when I was at Eastern Illinois University. I was in the dorm in my freshman year, and I saw it on the wall.  It’s so powerful to me because it’s saying, Go out there and give it your all and the worst that could happen is that you still make it. You still have your pride, you still have everything, and at the end of the day you have more confidence in yourself knowing that you did do it and that’s how I feel. I would wanna know myself that I tried and it didn’t work versus telling myself that it’s not gonna work and not trying. 

Yari: Tell me what auditioning for American Idol was like. 

Demi: I auditioned in New York 2 years ago, and it was actually a lot of fun! I don’t think that people even know how many people come out to audition. There were literally thousands of people. But being around all of those positive people who really want to make this happen is just a wonderful experience.  

Yari: Did your Mom initially back your decision to be an artist and if so, what support did she provide? 

Demi: She didn’t at first. She was looking at what other females had to do to get to where they are in the industry. But there came a point where she said, “If this is what you want to do, then we are going to do it. But we are going to do it with class and it’s going to be calculated.” We needed to plan out the steps we were going to take and the route we were going to take to get there. She feels a lot better about it now. 

Yari: Since your Mom is an author, would you ever consider becoming a published author in addition to being an artist? 

Demi: I am actually writing a book right now. But I do have a chapter in one of my Mom’s books. The book is “For Teens Who Think They Know Everything” and that was my introduction. It showed me that I could do it and that I love it. So maybe I will be a published author, an artist, and a speaker.       

Yari: I HAVE to ask. Was your nickname, “Drama Queen” created because of the song, or was the song created because Demi Lobo IS the Drama Queen? 

Demi: (Laughing) Okay. I thought that “Drama Queen” was the corniest thing ever! We were trying to come up with a nickname, a slogan or logo. So Mom said, “What about Drama Queen”? Now this was before the song, and I thought it was so cheesy! I was not about to call myself a drama queen! The crazy thing is that as soon as we did the song I realized that I liked “drama queen.” And I’m very dramatic, so yes, I am very much so a drama queen. So I’ve been rolling with it ever since.  

Yari: Tell me one thing about Demi Lobo that we don’t know. 

Demi: I sing when I’m walking down the street … like all the time. I sing out loud and I don’t care about what anyone thinks. Walking downtown clears my head and it’s so relaxing. People see me walking to class or walking to work, and yes, they see and hear me singing out loud.