“Before 2006, I had never heard of YouTube,” says the Texas native, who was introduced to the site by a friend. “I went up there to watch a fight that had happened at my school. I didn’t know people were singing on it.”
On a whim, Dondria bought a webcam and decided to upload a singing video of her own. Her choice: an a cappella version of Musiq Soulchild’s “Love.” Within two weeks, the video earned over 1,000 views and garnered tons of encouragement from visitors. Inspired, Dondria began searching for instrumentals that she could videotape herself singing along to. At the request of her rapidly growing online fan base, she posted various clips of herself covering songs from “Diary” by Alicia Keys to Rihanna’s “Unfaithful.”
However, it was her stirring rendition of Ciara’s “Promise” – which received over a million views – that took the budding singer from homebound diva to a complete Internet sensation.
“I thought to myself, ‘Wow, I really have something here,’” remembers Dondria of the overwhelming response to the video. “I didn’t get on YouTube to get a record deal. I was just having fun. But when I saw the feedback I was getting, I realized that a lot of people really liked my voice.”
One of those people happened to be So So Def CEO Jermaine Dupri, who tried for several weeks to connect with Dondria on both YouTube and MySpace. Thinking Dupri’s messages were from an impostor, Dondria initially ignored them. “I would get emails all the time from people claiming to be this or that. Most of the time, when I’d blow them off, they’d never hit back. But Jermaine persisted, so I called him up one day and the rest is history.”
Dupri flew the singer and her mom to Atlanta for what Dondria thought was a session with Jagged Edge to make a YouTube video. However, Dupri surprised the young artist by offering her a contract.
“JD was so extra cool,” she recalls. “He just walked over to me, and asked if I was ready. My answer was, ‘I was born ready.’” Officially signing with So So Def in 2007, Dondria, then 20 years old, had a record deal.
And to think, merely a year prior, the Southern songbird was just another small town girl from Sachse, Texas who got her start in music at the age of four by singing in church. “My entire family sang, but I didn’t get passionate about singing until middle school when my choir teacher suggested I take voice lessons.” Dondria took voice lessons, competed in talent shows and over the years studied the likes of Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and Etta James. She even spent a year at Tarleton State University as a music education major.
All of these experiences prepared Dondria for her long-awaited debut album Dondria vs. Phatfffat. Channeling her natural talent and years of training, Dondria pours her heart and soul into her first single, “You’re the One.” Written and produced by Dupri and veteran songwriter/producer Bryan Michael Cox, “You’re the One” is a timeless throwback to classic R&B and the perfect track to showcase Dondria’s range and vocal maturity.
“Dondria is like a young Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey or Alicia Keys,” says Dupri. “There is nothing that the girl can’t sing.”
Longtime Dupri collaborator and singer/songwriter Johnta Austin also sings her praises. “Dondria has a soulfulness that is just crazy,” says Austin, who recorded a duet with Dondria entitled “Crazy About Your Love.” “There hasn’t been a voice like hers since SWV. When we were working together, I was impressed by how natural she was.”
Her debut album released August 17th, 2010, Dondria vs Phatfffat – (“Phatfffat” is a nickname she picked up in college as a contrast between her skinny physique and ravenous appetite for food) – features a diverse mix of soulful ballads, real R&B and straight up dance records.
“I’m so in love with this album,” Dondria gushes. “You can play it from start to finish without stopping. I love the feedback I’ve been getting from my fans.”
If you haven’t purchased your copy of the album yet, you are missing a treat. Dondria updates a number of online pages daily with content – from a cappellas to covers to silly behind-the-scenes moments – and really leverages the power of the Internet to maintain her relevance and grow her million-plus fan base.
Subsequently, Dondria’s keen understanding of social networking coupled with her raw talent and charisma set her apart in the music industry and is a sure sign that this rising star will be around for a long time.
“As an artist, you need to utilize every aspect of putting yourself out there,” says Dondria. “YouTube made it so easy. It allowed me to show the world the ‘real me’ – my real voice, pitch and presence. Now, with So So Def, I have the opportunity to become a real R&B artist and live a dream. And I’m loving every minute of it.”
Can You Help Me
Dondria Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're like strangers in our own home
Wishin' that would change
Don't wanna place a blame
Just wanna find a way to bring love back again
Which road should we take
We can turn this around
Before its too late don't wanna be a mistake baby
Tell me
Oh, where did we go wrong?
Remember how we touched
Don't give up on us
Can you help me?
Oh, can't do this alone
Without you I'm lost
Don't give up on us
Can you help me?
Tell me what to do
I wanna make it right
How I wish we could go back in time
When you loved me like you'd never see my face again
Can't believe we're here after where we've been
The closer we get the further we push away
Don't want it to hurt boy I want it to work baby
Oh I tried but I can't do this without you
Oh, where did we go wrong?
Remember how we touched
Don't give up on us
Can you help me?
Oh, can't do this alone
Without you I'm lost
Don't give up on us
Can you help me?
I cant believe what's happenin' is real
Wanna tell you how I feel
But the words ain't comin' fast enough
Caught in my throat feels like in a dream
Is it really what it seems?
Can you help me?
Pick up the broken pieces
Put us back together again
I don't want our story to end
I'm tired of wondering
If it will be okay
Tell me
Oh, where did we go wrong?
Remember how we touched
Don't give up on us
Can you help me?
Oh, can't do this alone
Without you I'm lost
Don't give up on us
Can you help me?
Oh whoa oh oh
Oh whoa oh oh
Oh whoa oh oh
Whoa
Can you help me?
Oh whoa oh oh
Oh whoa oh oh
Oh whoa oh oh
Whoa
Can you help me?
In Dondria's song "Can You Help Me," the lyrics express the pain and frustration of a couple who feel like they have become strangers in their own home. The singer is longing for the love and connection they used to share and wants to find a way to bring it back. She doesn't want to place blame but is desperate to make things right and is seeking her partner's help to do so. The singer is feeling lost and hopeless without her partner and wants to pick up the broken pieces and put their relationship back together again. The lyrics suggest that the couple has been through tough times before but they have managed to overcome them, and the singer is hoping they can do it again.
The song's emotional lyrics and catchy melody were inspired by Dondria's personal experiences. She once said that she wrote the song when she was going through a rough patch in her relationship and needed to express her feelings. The song is relatable to anyone who has experienced difficulties in their relationship and wants to make things work again.
Line by Line Meaning
Things ain't feelin' like they used to
Our relationship doesn't feel the same anymore.
We're like strangers in our own home
We feel disconnected from each other in our own home.
Wishin' that would change
We want to fix our relationship.
Don't wanna place a blame
We don't want to blame each other for our problems.
Just wanna find a way to bring love back again
We want to find a way to reignite love in our relationship.
Which road should we take
We're unsure of what actions to take to fix our relationship.
We can turn this around
We believe that we can fix our relationship.
Before its too late don't wanna be a mistake baby
We don't want our relationship to fail and regret it later.
Oh I think that we can find our way
We have hope that we can fix our relationship.
Oh, where did we go wrong?
We're reflecting on where our relationship went wrong.
Remember how we touched
We're reminiscing on the physical aspect of our relationship.
Can you help me?
We're asking our partner for help in fixing our relationship.
Oh, can't do this alone
We need our partner's help to fix our relationship.
Without you I'm lost
We feel lost without our partner in our life.
Tell me what to do
We're asking our partner for guidance on how to fix our relationship.
I wanna make it right
We want to fix our relationship and make it better.
How I wish we could go back in time
We regret some of our actions in the past that may have hurt our relationship.
When you loved me like you'd never see my face again
We're recalling moments when our partner loved us intensely.
Can't believe we're here after where we've been
We're surprised that our relationship has gotten to this point.
The closer we get the further we push away
We're struggling to connect emotionally in our relationship.
Don't want it to hurt boy I want it to work baby
We don't want our relationship to be painful, we want it to be successful.
Oh I tried but I can't do this without you
We've put effort into fixing our relationship, but can't do it alone.
I cant believe what's happenin' is real
We can't believe our relationship has deteriorated to this point.
Wanna tell you how I feel
We want to communicate our feelings to our partner.
But the words ain't comin' fast enough
We're struggling to articulate our feelings to our partner.
Caught in my throat feels like in a dream
We're finding it difficult to express ourselves to our partner.
Is it really what it seems?
We're questioning whether our relationship can be fixed.
Pick up the broken pieces
We need to work together to fix our relationship.
Put us back together again
We want to fix and strengthen our relationship.
I don't want our story to end
We don't want our relationship to fail.
I'm tired of wondering
We're exhausted from worrying about the future of our relationship.
If it will be okay
We're unsure if our relationship can be fixed.
Oh whoa oh oh
We're expressing our emotions through song.
Whoa
We're emphasizing the emotional weight of the situation.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: MARCUS BRYANT, LEIGH ELLIOTT, CONNIE MCKENDRICK, JOHNNY MOLLINGS, LENNY MOLLINGS, NAKISHA SMITH, WRITERS UNKNOWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind