LaTavia Marie Roberson is a 2x Grammy Award winning artist known as an original member of multiplatinum group Destiny’s Child. An entertainment industry veteran since childhood, LaTavia landed her first national campaign as the face of “Just For Me” at age 8! That same year she became fast friends with a young Beyoncé Knowles whom she’d met during auditions for an all girls ensemble performing in Houston, TX. After both girls made the cut, they were encouraged to invite friends to rehearsals for additional tryouts. Overhearing her classmate Kelendria “Kelly” Rowland singing a Whitney Houston tune one day, found a wide eyed LaTavia instantly encouraging her friend to audition.
Several months later Beyoncé extended similar invitations to her classmate Letoya Luckett, and the rest became history. As the ensemble developed quite a bit of evolution followed: lineup, moniker and management changes eventually morphed the group into a foursome the world would come to know as Destiny’s Child. The girl’s years of hard work and determination paid off in the form a major record deal with Sony/Columbia Records. Destiny’s Child’s first 2 albums earned LaTavia extensive singer/songwriter credits & garnered #1 hits like “Bills, Bills, Bills” & “Say My Name.” As the group began to ascend into super stardom, some concerns regarding clarity of management practices arose. A decision to request a meeting for 3rd party mediation unfortunately found LaTavia on the outside end of abrupt replacement proceedings. Following her exit from Destiny’s Child, Roberson & Luckett formed another group “Anjel” with 2 additional vocalists. After months of recording however, the collaboration decided to part ways in pursuit of solo endeavors. Deciding to take a break from music LaTavia moved forward into the world of acting co-starring in a number of stage play adaptations. Suddenly the untimely news that her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer brought LaTavia’s world to a heartbreaking stand still. Without hesitation she made the conscious decision to forego her budding career & rush to her mother’s side.
Thankfully, after a tumultuous battle the war was won & the cancer remains in complete remission to this day. Experiencing the importance of providing a support system during those times made LaTavia deeply passionate about advocacy for regular screening and early detection among women. LaTavia continues to align herself with several national breast cancer awareness organizations to aide in the continued fight. While living life out of the immediate spotlight, a literary passion also sparked within LaTavia. She began writing and is presently in the final stages of completing & choosing the best publishing home for her self authored memoirs. The forthcoming body of work chronicles her entire life, bravely touching upon deep personal experiences she hopes will provoke dialogue and inspiration for young girls in the midst of similar situations. Today we find LaTavia living her best life yet, in August 2013 she welcomed “the joy of her life” her first child, a baby girl named Lyric. Since then the young mom has returned to the acting stage, the music studio and in front of the cameras citing her daughter as her “greatest inspiration and motivation.” Destiny’s Child is a staple in pop culture history and LaTavia Roberson’s story has often been likened to “a sort of Florence Ballard tale of our generation.” Naturally, fans & supporters have been eager to reconnect & start anew with the star. Today’s sensationalism of reality television showed itself as an exciting medium for people to get to know LaTavia sincerely.
In November 2013 announcements came that she’d officially chosen a home to invite the world into. Entrusting her present day story with the growing TV One Network, LaTavia signed onto the 3rd season installment of their hugely successful R&B Divas Atlanta franchise. “For the first time I’m confident enough to live my life on my own terms and it’s exhilarating.” With scripts on the table, talks of solo music & a number of entrepreneurial endeavors in the pipeline, it’s clear to see that LaTavia Roberson is a multifaceted diva, in complete control of her destiny!
Amps: How was your childhood growing up before you got intothis industry?
LaTavia: Well, I grew up in a middle class neighborhood my parents devoiced when I was three years old, and I lived with my mom. At the age of five she put me into the acting world I got signed with an agent, and I started doing commercials, acting, and doing print work and things like that. So I’ve been in this business pretty much all of my life.
Amps: How old were you when you auditioned for Destiny’schild?
LaTavia: I was eight years old.
Amps: Did you play any sports in school, and if so whatsport?
LaTavia: Yes I did I play volleyball and I ran track. In track I ran the four by one, the one hundred hurdle, and the high jump.
Amps: It took you eight years to get a record deal. How didyou feel when you got your first record deal, and what or who motivated youguys not to give up?
LaTavia: Well, the first thing that I want to say about us noting giving up is that I always loved is by the time that all four of us got together we were friends we were sisters. The one thing that we did all the time was we prayed together all the time about us getting a record deal and having strength to go through because we rehearsed a lot. Mathew would have summer camps, and things like that. Really God kept us grounded together, and by us being four young we really wanted it. Achieving something like that with your friends, your, sisters, a family has got to be created, and I think it’s the best thing that could have ever happened. I’m really elated that it happened that way.
Amps: You are a single mother. How do you juggle the two?
LaTavia: I wish that there was a hand book, or some kind of manual or something on how to not only being a mother in this industry, but being a mother period. You never know what’s going to happen from day to day. An obstacle might get thrown your way, but you know what I just have to stay humble and keep my feet on the ground and just put one foot in front of the other. I spend as much time with my daughter as possible, because I’ve always wanted to be a mother, and when I became pregnant with Lyric it changed my life. It made me look at things in a different way, so I do whatever it is that I have to do. Now Lyric’s dad is in her life, but I’m a single mother, and is not easy. I don’t have a job where someone says ok here is your schedule, so I just have to roll with the punches, and ask God for guidance, and invite the Holy Spirit in to guide me through the days that I have to have her on set with me, days when I have to take her on a road trip with me. I don’t have a nanny it’s just me, so there you have it.
Amps: Can you tell our readers a little bit about yourmemoir without giving it away?
LaTavia: Well, sometimes God tells us to sit down and be still. The book is not released yet, but it’s a memoir of my life. I kind of disappeared for ten years, and I was being transparent I call my fans my lovers, and I’m being transparent about the things that I have gone through and the life experiences. The life experiences that has happened the adversity that has made me become this woman who likes to become the philanthropist that I am. I go out and speak to young women and encourage them to be entrepreneurs, love yourself be who you are, and stand firm in that. I’m adding more to the memoir now, and I’m at the end of the editing stage right now of my book. I actually finished it, but then I decided to add some more to it.
Amps: There was a period in your life where you were goingthrough a rough time that caused you to go into a depression. What was it thathelped you get through it?
LaTavia: When I took my hiatus and got down and out the one thing that I heard God say was give back, and me wanting to do that and strive through the things that I was dealing with internally in my life. By me giving back helped me get through. Even with the times that I was feeling down and out I could actually inspire someone and help them, so it started to build my confidence back up it started to help me love myself and realize who I was. In real life with everything that has happened to me happened for a reason, so instead of being mad at the situation I embarrassed it. I looked in the mirror and told myself that God wouldn’t have put this on you if couldn’t handle it, and it just made me stronger and stronger every day. When I wake up every day I don’t know what life if going to through at me I just step out on faith every day and take one day at a time, because that’s the only thing that I can do. I found out that when I try to take control of things that’s when things go awry, and so when I learned to lean back and trust the Lord as uncomfortable as it might be sometimes you put that blindfold on and step out on faith. It’s always better for me in the end, because it’s in God’s hands anyway, and I can’t control it.
Amps: What message do you want people to get out of yourmemoir?
LaTavia: I want people to just be yourself, love yourself, and know that we’re not all the same we all have different paths in life and we take different paths in life, but know who you are, and stay true to who you are. Never take any wooden nickels be yourself, and if people don’t like you for who you are then that’s on them. Love thyself no matter what through the good, bad, and the ugly.
Amps: With everything that’s going on in the world today alot of people can’t handle or deal with depression. Some think it’s better oreasier to just commit suicide, instead of dealing with the problem head on. Whatadvice would you give someone who has fallen into a depression?
LaTavia: Well, the first thing that I would suggest is to seek help. To this day I go to therapy faithfully every week, and I have a life coach. There’s nothing wrong with going to therapy to have somebody outside of your family or close friends to talk to, to give you a different perspective who can deal with things. What I love about going to therapy is that it helps me figure out my own problems, and the main thing that I do outside of that more than anything throughout my whole day is that I stay in contact with my creator. Whoever your higher power is I most definitely say to seek them, and by me going to therapy it just expands and makes everything a lot more comfortable for me. Like I said early there isn’t much you can do, but suicide is not the answer. The Lord created us all for a reason, and he wants us here for a reason. The more that you love yourself the more you will be able to give love to the world, to your spouse, to your children, and to your family.
Amps: What can we expect in the future from LaTaviaRoberson?
LaTavia: Well, I’ve gotten the green light to executive produce two shows with me being behind the scene which is something that I’ve always wanted to do, and I’m very excited about that. I have a radio show that’s about to start, I’m also in process of starting my own collection in clothing as well, and that’s something that I’ve wanted to do since I was fifteen years old. To be able to making that dream come true now is a true blessing. No matter how long it take as long as you don’t give up anything is possible.
Everything is on God’s terms, and being patient is a virtue, so I’m patiently doing the things that it is that I set out to do for years, years, and years. You always find yourself when is it going to happen, and right now is the best time for it to start happening to me.
Contact info:
http://www.instagram.com/iamlatavia https://www.facebook.com/pg/OfficialLaTavia/about/?ref=page_internal
