DOE has seen a lot in the music industry.
Now 36, DOE has grown up in the limelight, specifically for the last 14 years after “He Wants It All” when she was a part of Forever Jones.
Now as a solo artist, DOE released another album, Heart of a Human. The project consists of traditional praise and worship with hints of R&B and soul in it.
The singer discussed the album, marriage and her current pregnancy.
How do you feel about the album finally being out?
It’s like a big exhale. It’s out there. There’s nothing more you can add to it, nothing you can take away. This portrait is out.
Now, I’m just waiting to see if it hits home with anybody or if anybody’s blessed by it. In some of the other interviews, we’ve had some great feedback — and that’s awesome.
In the album, you have tracks that emphasize how much you value peace and silence, which shows how much you’ve grown and matured.
It’s so funny because you don’t realize what you put into your art until people start digesting it. So I didn’t know that frustration came through so clearly when I put the tracklist together. We didn’t even think about that; that’s so true. We’re grown, but we don’t feel like it. I feel like “grown” comes in stages, and then you realize, “Now, I’m grown.”
I don’t know if we ever are grown.
Yeah. For me, there are childlike parts of myself that I enjoy. So hopefully, there are parts of myself that don’t ever bend to the idea of “growness.” Different sides of me have had to grow up in this season.
You just got married?
Sort of. We tied the knot for real on Aug. 22, 2023. Then, we recently had our reaffirmation service and wedding deal on June 26.
Congratulations.
Yeah, thank you. Right after that, we announced we’re pregnant.
What does becoming a mother mean to you?
Boy moms have been telling me to get my heart ready because he’s about to steal your heart. After all, boys love their mamas. I’m excited. I’m nervous. I’m trying to do as much as I can before the baby comes.
When you get married, you can still maintain some sense of individuality. When you get pregnant, your body becomes a host to another human being. It’s not yours anymore. I’m beautifully processing through all of that. And you hear that on the album.
Actually, you don’t?
Because I found out I was pregnant [after recording the album]. So no, you’re not going to hear it — but maybe on the next one.
What is your message to Black women in their 20s who are scared of their 30s?
Just live your life. I have said that more in the last two years than I’ve ever said before.
I got married at 35. A lot happened to me late, according to society’s timeline and even the industry’s timeline. But I think it happened right on time for me. Find a way to shake [those timelines] — which is so much easier said than done.
Stay out of conversations that feed that message to you constantly. If that means that you have to program your algorithm on social media to make sure that you don’t see anything that you could compare yourself to, then do it. If you get off [social media] altogether to minister the message of love living your life — living and being present to yourself and healing and becoming whole, as much as you can — then do it.
