A Closer Look - R&B Artist, De’Ja Mulan
Women’s History Month may be next month, but we celebrate talented female artists year-round! Inspired by Grammy Award Winning artist, Sade, - DMV AUX presents to you, the determined sweet-toned, R&B artist, De’ja Mulan.
De’ja Mulan was born and raised roughly ten miles from our nation’s capital in Suitland, Maryland. Prior to initiating her singing career, she was a gifted dancer, and at a young age aspired to be an all-around entertainer. “I wanted to be a pop star, so I needed to sing and dance; I needed to do just about everything,” De’ja exclaimed.
She grew up listening to her tuneful godmother sing, who gave her a great understanding between good singing, and not so good. With the help of her godmother, spending hours with American Idol Karaoke, and singing to the radio, De’ja was able to develop and grow into her unique sound.
As an adolescent, she attended Suitland High School, a public magnet school offering a vast number of programs, including performing arts. Due to their specialization, De’ja was able to major in art, admire fellow creatives, and value the culture the high school provided. She stated being in that environment “was a great experience”, kept her on her toes, and it allowed her to further her career.
A year following graduation, she set about on another career interest and joined the military. However, after unfortunately sustaining injuries, De’ja was discharged shortly after. “I couldn't dance anymore, I was constantly sick, and in pain.” Still, she commends music for saving her life and taking away the mental pain of it all. She stated, “There’s nothing else I’ll rather be doing; music is my gateway.”
When it comes to her musical style, De’ja differs from others because of her old soul and ability to flow between genres. She’s also implementing old school sounds/feels and applying it to the new age. De’ja stated, “Old music was great and was listened to by all ages, but in our current society, artists are creating music based on what's trendy and relevant, rather than what sounds good.”
In light of the DMV music scene, she stated, “We need to be doing more, and I’m speaking for myself as well." De’ja is aware of the immense amount of talent we have, but in her opinion, there’s not a lot of opportunities here compared to other areas. “We need to gain more attention, and there need to be more opportunities to showcase talent in the DMV.”
Regarding why we haven't produced our own, she stated, “It’s us, I traveled a lot for music, and I notice here we don’t build each other up. Everyone's for themselves instead of building and helping one another.”
Two years from now, she plans on gracing the stage of several grand events, such as the BET Awards, expanding her career in entertainment, and continuing to build her brand.
Aside from music, De’ja is a crafty fashionista and can dazzle anything, peep her creations @dejamulandotcom. She also loves food and has thoughts of becoming a food critic and creating a food blog. Fun fact, she eats pizza all day, every day! You can also catch De’ja hosting, acting, mentoring, and being an advocate in her community.
When it comes to advice for aspiring artists, she would tell them to be open to criticism and accept it. “Of course, I would say don’t give up, but if you want it bad enough and it’s meant for you, you won’t give up.”
Read more about De’ja Mulan with a closer look below.
What’s a song you currently have on replay?
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“Yummy” by Justin Bieber
How has your style changed over the years?
Well, now that I have bills, I can't shop as much, but I do go thrifting to save me money.
I’ll go into a thrift store with an open mind, and just come up with a look!
If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?
I’ll watch YouTube to learn new things, I’m currently learning how to cornrow haha.
What’s one thing you wish you didn’t have to pay for?
I wish I didn’t have to pay for food. I hate spending money on food, but I love to eat!
What’s one of your biggest pet peeves?
Honestly, I have a lot, but my biggest pet peeve is when people call me late at night!
I’m an early bird, so I don’t hang out late; If it’s not an emergency, don’t call me, I’ll be asleep.
Magnified Topic of the Week: De’ja Mulan single “No Time” ft. K’ron
Childhood friends, De’ja and K’ron, linked up to create a wholesome girl’s anthem! Although De’ja was just getting her feet wet the day the song was recorded in her home. With the help of K’ron, the two ended up working their magic and creating a hit, No Time.
In recent light, De’ja recently released a heartfelt serenading single “Together”, check out both!