Dvante Black invited Rolling Out to join by a roomful of indie music supporters who gathered at the Dorm Room Studios to see the new teen singing sensation, Jayla Darden (who’s limitless talent ) he’s always bragging about. Unfortunately, minutes before Darden hit the stage to break down her new songs on the upcoming LP, 1.18, she received a phone call with terrible news that one of her close friends had died. Bravely trying to press through the listening session, Darden started off with a ballad dedicated to the late Brooklyn. Filled with sadness, Darden’s eyes flooded with tears as she was determined to not disappoint the crowd that showed up to support.
After the third song, Darden managed to find her mojo with the loving support of her Grammy-nominated mastering engineer and co-manager, Dvante Black, standing by her side and co Executive Producer of her project Henny Tha Business of Now & Hen LLC.
A singer since age 3, Darden is no stranger to performing live. She’s auditioned for “The Voice,” and opened for notable artists. Not only has Darden excelled on the mic, she excelled in school by finishing high school one year early.
Relocating from Detroit to Atlanta to advance her music career was just one of the sacrifices Darden’s mom and momager Markeisha Darden made in hopes of pursuing better opportunities to get her daughter closer to living her dream. Judging on her voice and the music presented, Darden appears to be on her way to becoming an award-winning artist. The songs debuted at the listening party were all written by Jayla. The release of her project on Jan. 18 was timed to coincide not only with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, but to mark Darden’s birthday. Her debut project, 1.18, is available now on iTunes.
Check out the pictures after the break
