*Talent provided by Left of Center Productions
Known as the Queen of Bounce music, Big Freedia is New Orleans-based hip-hop artist and worldwide ambassador of bounce music. After a series of cult hit singles during the mid 2000’s, she was tapped for a reality show, Big Freedia Bounces Back on Fuse TV. The docuseries followed the life of a choirboy turned bounce rapper and remains the highest rated original series on the network.
It was only a matter of time until Big Freedia caught the attention of iconic artists including Beyoncé and Drake. She was featured on both Beyoncé’s Grammy-winning single, “Formation” and Drake’s “Nice For What.”
Big Freedia released the critically acclaimed album, ‘3rd Ward Bounce’ (which featured Lizzo among others) on Asylum Records in 2018. In the summer of 2019, the Queen of Bounce debuted her limited run ice cream flavor ‘Big Freedia’s Bouncin’ Beignets’ with the ice cream giant Ben & Jerry’s. She graced the cover of Billboard Magazine, and was invited by Vogue Magazine to be the official host of the Iive Instagram stream for the Met Gala.
In October 2019, Big Freedia and multi-platinum pop artist Kesha released their new pop single “Raising Hell.” The song remains on the pop radio charts and the two performed the hit song on Jimmy Kimmel LIVE!
Big Freedia’s latest single “Louder” from her forthcoming project dropped in November. She is also the author of the critically acclaimed memoir, Big Freedia: God Save the Queen Diva! on Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster.
Cris Dee is a true Jill of all trades. She’s a playwright, writer, actress, pop artist, lip-sync aficionado and host, that hails from Dallas, TX! At age 18, she began choreographing dance shows, planning events for entertainment organizations and doing lip-sync performances of songs by top female artists in the industry. She is penned one of the hottest performers in DFW! She naturally transitioned into a pop/hip hop artist! She signed with Moscato Music Lounge Entertainment in 2012 and released her 1st solo album “Unfinished Chapter" in Fall 2013. -
With the drop of her first single "Gone Get It," she quickly made a name for herself in the industry and opened for national recording artists Monifah, Siya, Keke Wyatt, Big Freedia and Love & Hip-Hop star Rasheeda! As she grew as an artist, she developed a love for writing and founded Cris Dee and Company under which she produced the stage plays "The Worst Kept Secret", The Book Club", and "Out of Me". She further developed her craft by working as a Stage Manager and Set Designer for other playwrights. While also writing and creating short films "Flashback HIM and Unconditional". -
She is a talented and budding actress starring in “Gayborhood Dallas” Web Series, and films Ghost Pains, American Unbeautiful, Bermuda Triangle, Tatted Souls, and Love Torn Between Two. Having just about every art form in her arsenal, she has appropriately been coined “The Entertainment Diva”, and she has no plans to stop. In 2020, she will be starring in a new web series entitled “Vanessa Strong” and will be unveiling her nonprofit “QueenShyt” set out to empower women who battle depression and mental illness. She recently moved to Atlanta, GA to further her career as an entertainer. Be on the lookout for more to come, she says her life is an “unfinished chapter” and her options are limitless. -
David Hernandez gained national attention with his powerful voice and affable personality as an American Idol finalist.
He began acting and singing at age six, starring in musicals and performing with various theatre companies throughout Arizona. As a teenager David began writing original music and recording his material. A Phoenix native, Hernandez recently moved to Hollywood where he is writing new songs, working in the recording studio producing his newest music, and pursuing his passion for acting. He has already completed his first feature film as the lead in the movie Synthetic Truth.
In addition to American Idol, David has showcased his talents on The Ellen Show, The Today Show, MTV’s TRL, EXTRA, Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, Teen Choice Awards, TV Guides’ Sexiest Stars 2008, Idol Tonight, Idol Gives Back and FOX-TV.
A once-in-a-lifetime invitation came to David when he was asked to sing at the Inaugural Kick-Off Celebration ball for President Barack Obama. He was honored to share the stage with Jamie Foxx, John Legend and Maroon 5, along with event hosts Jessica Alba and legendary TV producer, Norman Lear.
Scottsdale, Arizona’s most exclusive restaurant/show club, Barcelona, was David’s performance home for nearly a year, performing three nights a week with his band Generation. Featured several times on FOX-TV, David’s high energy stage presence and flawless vocal delivery kept the club packed every night. During holiday season 2008 and 2009, David traveled throughout the US, singing for over 250,000 fans, as the star of a twenty-four city tour entitled Idols at Christmas.
Las Vegas was home for David over the July 4th weekend 2009, where he headlined three sold out shows in the showroom at the South Point Casino in Las Vegas. Vegas called again when he was asked to be the featured performer in a major Las Vegas Casino’s showroom for their 2010 New Year’s Eve Show.
David recently starred in the national & international-tour of Ballroom With A Twist, which is a spinoff of TV’s hit show Dancing with the Stars. It’s directed and choreographed by Dancing with the Stars’ own Louis van Amstel. This show was a non stop music and dance extravaganza. And if that wasn’t enough to keep David busy, he also performed in Motown Memories, Jersey Rocks and the Celebrate Motown tour
David just released his debut video (and single) for the song “Beautiful”. The video was directed by Printz Board (producer of the Black Eyed Peas).
David counts Stevie Wonder, Ne-yo, Donnie Hathaway, Alicia Keys, Luther Vandross, Michael Jackson and David Foster among his musical influences.
David lives in Los Angeles, CA.
Ty Herndon is a master of the ties that bind. The Grammy-nominated and Dove award-winning recording artist has the ability to connect with an audience far beyond his onstage performance.
More than 20 years into his career, Herndon has a passion and commitment to his music that continues to play out in his lyrics. “If I haven’t lived it, I haven’t sung it” as Herndon says.
Having a career spanning two decades, 20 Billboard charted singles and five million albums sold, Herndon sees no signs of slowing down. For those who know him, his passion and commitment to music is not surprising. He continuously performs shows and withholds a heavy appearance schedule; proving Herndon as unstoppable.
Raised in Butler, Alabama, Herndon has been a professional entertainer since his teenage years. At age 17, he performed at OPRYLAND USA as a cast member of “Today’s Country Roads.” He went on to be a finalist in the first season of the now iconic television series, “Star Search” and was a winner in the male-vocalist category. This accolade led to appearances on numerous television shows and commercials.
As a live performer, he gained popularity while playing the honky tonks in Texas, and in 1993 he was named Texas Entertainer of the Year. That honor led to interest from Music Row and a record deal with Epic Records. Herndon made his chart debut in 1995 with “What Mattered Most,” which became his first No. 1 song and garnered a Song of the Year award (Music Row Magazine). It was also the title track to his debut album, which debuted on the Billboard Top Country Albumschart and had the biggest first-week shipment in the history of Epic Records’ Nashville.
Between 1995 and 2002, Herndon charted 17 singles, including his three No.1s and numerous top 10 hits, such as “I Want My Goodbye Back,” “Loved Too Much,” “A Man Holding On,” and “Hands of a Working Man.” He topped the charts in 1996 with the single “Living in a Moment” and again in 1998 with “It Must Be Love.”
In 2010, Herndon released his album,Journey On. The album was heralded as the most personal project of Herndon’s career, due in large part to the fact that the CD represented his first foray into songwriting. The songs on the project reflected the personal challenges and struggles Herndon faced and conquered, as well as brought the listener the promise of hope and new beginnings. The album received critical acclaim and earned him a Grammy nomination and his first Dove award nomination and win.
Returning to his original style that delivered him success and demonstrating his growth as an artist, Herndon released Lies I Told Myselfin 2013. With the album, he found a new platform for bonding with fans. He invited the public to participate in his album launch via a well-publicized Kickstarter campaign that allowed fan investors to be involved both financially and emotionally. The end result was a testimony to Herndon’s affinity for connection; devotees more than doubled the original funding goal.
Shortly after, in November of 2014, Ty Herndon was the first major male country artist to publicly come out as gay. Shortly after, he made history when he hosted the first-of- its-kind country music event, titled The Concert for Love and Acceptance. The event, designed to bring attention and support to at-risk youth and acceptance, received national attention from Boston Globe, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Tonight, and more. Herndon received an outpouring of support that only strengthened his relationship with fans. Since the launch of the event, Herndon has partnered with GLAAD to produce the event each year. Using his celebrity influence for the better good, GLAAD announced that a grant, named after Herndon, was being offered to support young people for their commitment to enhancing LGBTQ inclusion and representation in music. The recipient of the Ty Herndon Rising Stars Grant receives $2,500 to further fund their work and initiatives. A philanthropist at heart, Herndon has also donated his time to organizations such as the Trevor Project, Make A Wish, St. Jude, GLAAD, HRC and Feed the Children.
One of his most recent acts of giving was lending his vocals on the tribute track, “Hands.” The single, released through Interscope Records in conjunction with GLAAD, is a musical tribute to the victims of the recent shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Herndon was among a star-studded list of artists, including Mary J. Blige, Jason Derulo, Selena Gomez, Imagine Dragons, Jennifer Lopez, Kacey Musgraves, P!nk, RuPaul, Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Meghan Trainer and more,voicing support for the LGBT community in the original song. Proceeds from the trackbenefitEquality Florida Pulse Victims Fund, the GLBT Community Center of Central Florida, and GLAAD.
In 2017, Herndon released a much-anticipated, full-length album, titled House On Fire. The album received rave reviews from critics and journalists all over. The album is a collection of 12 new songs, co-produced by Herndon and Nashville stalwart Erik Halbig, that shows a deeper, greater strength from a man who has been there and back and lived to tell about it. Herndon is credited for co-writing six of the 12 tracks.
In 2018, Herndon was honored with the HRC Visibility Award at the HRC Nashville Equality Dinner. The HRC Visibility Award, awarded by the nation’s largest LGBT civil rights organization, Human Rights Campaign (HRC),recognizes the outstanding efforts of those who use their talent and visibility to help better the lives of LGBTQ people.
Herndon is gearing up for the release of a new album, titled “Got It Covered,” this year (2019). The 10-track album, released through BFD/The Orchard, is a compilation album featuring reimagined hits and covers of some of Herndon’s most favorite songs. In addition, an alternative version of his 1995 debut single and his first Number One, “What Mattered Most,” is also on the highly-anticipated new release.
Keep up with the latest on Ty Herndon and his music at www.tyherndon.com or follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
BIO COMING SOON
Kristine W takes music fans back to the dance floor with Love and Lies, the first part of her three-episode Issues double-album that includes the #1 single “Stars” and her brand new single, “Barracuda”. Being distributed globally through The Orchard, all eight songs on Issues Episode 1: Love and Lies deal with love in its complexities: the deception from others as well as the lies we tell ourselves. Kristine W’s Issues Episode 1: Love and Lies album is available now at https://orcd.co/episodeoneloveandlies.
“This album is all about real songs and stories,” explains Kristine W. “They tell tales of real stories of love, lies and loss that happen to us all. Nothing is held back because my ultimate hope is that these songs help others to confront their own issues head on and with less fear knowing that they are not alone.”
Kristine’s previously released single, “Just a Lie,” depicted her painful experience with divorce. In “Barracuda,” a remake of the classic rock track first released by Heart, Kristine W takes aim at a record industry that hasn’t always been fair to her. “The song fit perfectly with the "Keeping It Real” vibe of the Issues Episode 1: Love and Lies album,” she says.
Kristine W hails from Pasco, Washington. After winning titles as Miss Tri-Cities and Miss Washington and placing first in the talent competition at the Miss America pageant, she went on to pursue her educational and musical dreams in Las Vegas. There, she found success headlining her own show at the Las Vegas Hilton, winning several 'Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year' awards and being officially sanctioned as the entertainer who performed more live shows at the Las Vegas Hilton than any other performer in its history, including Elvis. The award led to June 28th being officially sanctioned Kristine W day in the state of Nevada.
She began recording pop, R&B and dance tracks in the nineties and was whisked to London to record her first album which would go on to become an iconic house record. “Feel What You Want” reached #1 and since then, Kristine W has had a steady flow of chart toppers. “Stars,” the first release off Issues Episode 1: Love and Lies, is her 17th Billboard #1. She now ties Mariah Carey for the sixth-most No. 1s since the chart’s August 28, 1976, inception. Madonna leads the chart with 46.
“We all have our issues,” Kristine reflects, “but music has a way of helping us cope with our heartaches, connect with others and celebrate the gift of life.
“I feel very blessed to have a great team of talented people working with me on Issues Episode 1: Love and Lies. We are a family with lots of music coming out this year and so much to be grateful for.”
“Rayvon Owen smoothly, and seemingly effortlessly, brings authenticity and emotion to his lyrical narrative and melodies. USA TODAY once said of Owen, “He developed a reputation for a singer willing to sacrifice technical perfection for a moment of authentic emotion.” Each song in his catalogue is a glimpse into who Owen is as a person, and a testament to the joy that can only come from being yourself.
His newest single, “Honesty,” will be released in April 2020; it will be the first song from his forthcoming EP, Las Virginia, which he recently wrapped recording. “I feel like with this new EP I am redefining who I am and showing the world that I’m not just a singer, but an artist and songwriter with a perspective and story to tell.”
Las Virginia reflects Owen’s journey of growth, as well as the combination of where he came from with who he is now. “It’s all about my internal yin and yang, growing up in the east but now living in the west, and the battle of who I was taught to be versus who I am becoming.” Owen has also coyly said, “What happens in Las Virginia . . . ended up on this EP,” in reference to a troubled romantic situation from his past. “I’m proud that I can freely sing about what I’ve been through now. All of the lyrics on my last EP seemed like they were about a girl . . . but they definitely weren’t.”
Authenticity is a common theme within the native Virginian's music; past EPs delved deeply into themes of personal authenticity, self-confidence, and love. It took awhile to get there, however.
Following his journey as a Season 14 Top 4 finalist on American Idol, Owen embarked on a 38-city tour as part of American Idols LIVE! He had garnered national recognition but felt like he was “living a lie.” After finding himself in a serious relationship with a man, Owen made the brave decision to come out—through his music, of course.
On Valentine’s Day in 2015, Owen released the music video for his first post-Idol single, “Can't Fight It,” along with an exclusive Billboard interview that publicly shared Owen's story as a gay man. In spite of some negative backlash, “Can't Fight It” went on to have over 1 million YouTube views and over half a million Spotify streams. Later that same year, after releasing his EP Air, he also earned the moniker of L.A. Music Award’s “Rising Star.”
Owen’s glowing collection of pop gems—layered with textures of soul, R&B, and incandescent synth—have earned attention from the likes of People Magazine, Huffington Post, USA Today, and Billboard. Recent singles have included: “Flexin’ My Vibe,” with a feature appearance from the “Selfie Kid,” Ryan McKenna; “Tonight” with a feature from Matillo; “Like a Storm;” and “X,” which Owen credits for inspiring the vibe of Las Virginia.
Onstage, Owen has appeared with some of the most prolific and prominent recording artists, including Jamie Foxx, Ricky Martin, Boy George, and Frankie Grande. He toured with Postmodern Jukebox all over the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South America, and has sung the National Anthem for several major sporting events, including at games for the San Francisco 49ers, San Diego Chargers, Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Clippers, and Phoenix Suns.
Additionally, Owen is honored to have performed at over sixty colleges nationwide and has been a featured performer at LGBT Pride Festivals in Columbus, Ohio, Richmond, Virginia, Louisville, Kentucky, and Los Angeles, California—a particular honor for him. “People experience and hear countless negative things every day. I think you can get really down when you’re only hearing negative things about what people are saying about you, or what people are doing to you. I think that the best thing you can do is to be yourself and I hope that people find that message through my music.”
Other significant appearances and accolades have included being Elvis Duran's “Artist of the Month” (Jan/Feb 2018); performing his single “Gold” on the TODAY Show; winning the “Rising Star” award at the 2015 L.A. Music Awards; having “Gold” featured as Nylon Magazine's “Best Releases of the Week” (Jan 2018); and receiving nearly 3 million YouTube views combined of his covers of “Ignition” and “Don’t Let Me Down” with Postmodern Jukebox.
Whether onstage, in the studio, or deep into the songwriting process, Rayvon Owen strives to entertain his listeners, while also creating an immersive and inspirational experience. “I love singing about love, life experiences, and my journey growing up to be the person I am today.”
Brody Ray was born and raised in small town Kearney, NE where he grew up with 2 sisters. In 2017, Brody made the move the move to Nashville TN where he is working hard everyday to make his dreams become a reality.
Ever since Brody could remember, music has played a major role in his life. Brody learned his first guitar strum pattern from his mother and started taking guitar and cello lessons at age 8. These were only some of the things his parents supported him in doing at such a young age.
Brody’s life started out different from most. Brody, born female, knew that his body didn’t match what he felt on the inside, as young as a toddler. Brody’s mother remembers him kicking the back of her seat in the McDonald’s Drive Thru until he got the boy toy in his happy meal, and jumping around in diapers and cowboy boots with a guitar singing at the top of his lungs, doing all the things boys did.
As Brody got older his love for music grew as well as his desire to become the man he always felt he was on the inside. He worked towards a music business degree at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, but after 3 and a half years, something struck him and he knew that it was time to make some serious changes in his life if he was ever going to be happy. Brody dropped out with a semester left until graduating and started his transition to male and focusing on making his dreams of being a performer a reality. Brody got the top surgery and hormones he needed to complete the male image he had always seen himself having. During this process, TLC got in contact with Brody and they captured some of his most trying times going through this journey to become who he was inside, struggling with relationships, hormones, surgeries and family. Brody’s episode was featured on a show called Strange Sex, on May 8th 2011 and they named his episode “Right Guy, Wrong Body”. You can find his episode still airing on the Oprah Winfrey Network, Discovery Fit and Health, TLC, Netflix and YouTube.
Shortly after the airing of the episode, Brody lost his voice due to his body and voice trying to adjust to the testosterone injections once a week. Brody worked hard daily retraining and trying to recover his singing voice. After two years of dedication, Brody was able to sing again and sound like he's always imagined with a deeper, more fitting voice. He then found the confidence to audition for American Idol, making it through 4 auditions and earning a chance to sing in front of the celebrity judges, Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson. Over the last several years, Brody had put together several bands, started writing and recording music with his new, deeper voice that fit him better than ever, giving him the courage to keep auditioning for as many opportunities as he could. Brody auditioned for The Voice and made it to the Blind Auditions for season 7 but was unable to make it to LA, and again for American Idol singing for Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr. for the final season before the comeback.
Over the last several years, Brody has traveled to Belgrade, Serbia four times with supportive members of his family, completing 4 separate surgeries and now has the full male image to match the man Brody has always felt he was on the inside. Brody speaks, advocates and educates for the LGBTQ+ community, sharing his stories of transitioning, hormones, surgeries and the struggles and discrimination faced in everyday life. He speaks on College Campuses, for Law Reviews in South Dakota, Counseling Conferences across Nebraska, for TV, local Newspapers and radio stations.
The Nashville recording artist released his first EP worldwide in 2013 called "DETOUR" that has a new Alternative Rock and Pop sound that’s full of life and energy. The EP was written and recorded on Music Row in Nashville, TN and produced by Ben Flanders. 'Detour' can be downloaded on iTunes and streamed on all digital platforms like Spotify.
At the beginning of 2018, Brody auditioned for America's Got Talent, earning a chance to sing in front of the Celebrity judges Howie Mandel, Mel B, Heidi Klum and Simon Cowell. After shocking the judges and crowd with his story of transitioning, he then went on to sing his stunning and moving rendition of "Stand In the Light" by Jordan Smith. Simon commented by saying he was "A force to be reckoned with." His first performance aired on June 26th, 2018, earning him 4 yeses from all of the judges. Brody moved on the the 'Judge Cuts' where he got to perform an original song requested by Simon called "Wake Your Dreams". The episode is on Season 13 and can be found streaming on Netflix and YouTube.
Brody has been traveling and performing all over the US and Canada singing at some of the nation's largest Pride Festivals. Some past festivals include: Palm Springs CA Pride, Ottawa, Ontario Canada Pride, Kalamazoo MI Pride, Spokane WA Rainbow Pride, Roanoke, VA PrideFest, Mid-South Pride in Memphis, TN, Heartland Pride in Omaha, NE, Kearney, NE Pride, Milwaukee, WI PrideFest, Washington DC Capital Pride, Lexington KY PrideFest, Central PA Pride Festival and Atlanta GA Pride.
Brody is set to hit the road with his band for the 2019 Tour starting May 30th. He will be sharing the stage with Artists such as TLC, Neon Trees, Lee Brice, Daya, Daughtry, Ty Herndon, Cody Alan, Steve Grand, Chely Wright, Brandon Stansell, Big Freedia and tons more amazing acts!
Ron Corning is the co-host of Morning After on CW33.
Before Morning After, Ron spent the last 8 years at Dallas’s ABC affiliate where he anchored the early morning and midday newscasts, and special events. During his time in DFW he has emceed and contributed to more than 250 charitable organizations.
Ron is a broadcaster with 26 years of experience. He made his way on to the national stage with the WB’s ‘The Daily Buzz’ before moving on to ABC News where he anchored the network’s overnight newscasts, World News Now and World News This Morning, and served as a correspondent for ‘Good Morning America’.
Ongoing
Dallas Pride 2021
Dallas Pride 2021
