D’Angel talks autobiography and EP
Published:Wednesday | October 20, 2021 | 12:07 AMSade Gardner/Staff Reporter
Dancehall and reggae artiste D’Angel is penning a tell-all book about her life.
The entertainer, who is celebrating 16 years in the music industry, wants to leave a keepsake for her fans about the highs, lows, lessons and never-before-shared experiences in her life.
“A lot of people think that they know me, but they don’t know anything,” D’Angel told The Gleaner. “I’ve never shared this because I always thought that just sharing my story like that isn’t the way I want my story to be shared. I want my story to be told in a book format and in a way where people can’t expose me. It’s going to be an autobiography of my life where I’m going to completely share everything.”
D’Angel, whose given name is Michelle Downer, was raised in Spanish Town, which she said “was a really happy time for me”. She ultimately came to Kingston to pursue a modelling career in the 1990s and met and fell in love with dancehall heavyweight Bounty Killer in her modelling heyday. The couple stayed together for several years but did not wed or have children. She earned her breakout hit, Uptown Living, in 2005, and the couple split after that, with D’Angel saying in a previous interview that she did not feel he supported her musical ambitions.
The following year, she started working on music with Bounty’s then-rival Beenie Man, and their first release was One Man. The musical chemistry became romantic, and they got married and welcomed one child. Public spats saw the demise of their marriage, and D’Angel has kept her personal life private ever since.
GRATEFUL FOR EXPERIENCES
Other capsules of controversy in her life as an entertainer have been her decision to join subscription-based service, OnlyFans, in 2020.
“I’m grateful for my experiences because if I never had a story, I couldn’t write a book,” she said. “I started out modelling, entering Miss Jamaica Fashion Modelling pageant, and playing netball for Jamaica as well. I quit that to pursue my modelling career, but all of that was a joy and happiness for me until I started my music career. That’s when it took a different turn and that I’ll explain in the book.”
She added, “I want to hopefully narrate the story in a movie cause I’m an actress. I don’t have to act in it, but I want my book to be a bestseller so we can turn it into a movie. That’s my dream.”
She is hoping to publish the book next year.
D’Angel is also gearing up to release her first EP dubbed Exposed, the title track for which was inspired by people who sought to “expose” her by leaking semi-nude photos from her OnlyFans in 2020. The single will be launched at a release party in New York on November 20, but the EP is slated for release by early next year.
“It’s an independent project with myself and the primary producer Black Sheep Music, who produced the title track,” D’Angel said. “There are other producers on it like Good Good Productions, Rory Baker from One Pop Music, and Sly and Robbie. It’s a great body of work, and I’m really excited. I don’t want to rush it, but it’s being fine-tuned now, and we’re looking at seven to eight tracks.”
She said fans could also look out for more film content as she is working on releasing a series centred around her comedic characters Pamela, Ashley, Susie the Cook and herself. Her acting ventures are documented on her MAD YouTube channel, which features skits, cooking videos and lifestyle and fitness vlogs.