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LIFESTYLE The Champion, Thursday, March 31 - April 6, 2016
by Kathy Mitchell
Chimere Scott, a featured performer in the Atlanta Lyric
Theater production of Dreamgirls soon to open in Marietta, started
pursuing her personal dreams as she was growing up in Decatur.
Scott said she loved to sing even as a child. “I would sing
around the house. I had a cousin who babysat me; we would sing
together. After a while people started saying to my parents, ‘She
can really sing. She has a voice; she has a gift.’”
Scott said both her parents served as support and inspiration.
“My dad, Clarence Scott, played professional football. He showed
me how to have the courage to pursue a dream. I knew if he could
come from Decatur High School and have a successful career with
the NFL I could do whatever I set my mind to.”
Her mother, Regina Scott, who died in January, was a constant
source of encouragement, she said. “Anything I wanted to do,
she would help me with from the time I started entering talent
competitions and performing in pageants as a child. I was in my
first talent show when I was 10.”
Scott, who continues to call Atlanta home, said she was still a
child when she started writing music and had her first experience
in a recording studio at age 10.
A graduate of Redan High School, Scott said while performing
during her school years she extended her skills beyond singing.
“Performing at area parks and venues such as Six Flags Over
Georgia and Stone Mountain Park helped to shape me as an all-
around performer. In those shows you not only have to sing, act
and dance but you have to know how to capture an audience.
People who come to those performances come ready for a show
and you can’t disappoint them even if you’re doing five shows a
day.
“Singing came naturally to me, even though I have had some
vocal training, but I’ve had to work harder at acting and dancing.”
Scott’s acting credits include television appearances in episodes of
Vampire Diaries, and Halt Catch and Fire and in The Bessie Smith
Story, an HBO biopic starring Queen Latifah. “My favorite shows
are ones like Dreamgirls, where I get to showcase all my talents,”
she said.
Scott said her first big break came when she was featured on
a Ludacris album. From there, she has gone on to perform with
such artists as Outkast, Johnny Lang, Lyle Lovette, India.Arie,
Anthony David, Sleepy Brown and other major label artists. “I
remember being asked to record background vocals for Earth
Wind & Fire. It was an unbelievable honor,” she recalled.
Touring with famous artists, among other benefits, has given her
opportunities for international travel. Scott has appeared on stage
in Sweden, Norway, Spain and various African countries. “Visiting
Nigeria and Ethiopia have been my most momentous experiences
abroad. I was actually stepping on African soil, something I had
always dreamed of,” Scott said.
Describing her musical style as “eclectic,” Scott said she seeks
to appeal to a wide range of ages and ethnicities through such
musical genres as R&B, jazz, pop and gospel.
Still, Scott said her journey as a performer hasn’t been an easy
one. “The music industry is tough; it’s very unpredictable. You can
be all set to record for a production company only to have them be
bought by another company that wants to record different artists.
I’ve had that happen to me—not once, but twice. I’ve had days
when I thought about quitting, but this is my passion, my gift and
my faith keeps me going.”
She said she wants to use her talent to create a Christian
music ministry. “I feel I have an important purpose beyond
entertainment,” she said. “I want to be remembered for something I
did to make this world better. I want to be bigger than me.
“I realized at some point I had to create my own idea of
success. My success may not look like someone else’s success. I
wake up every morning knowing that that day I will get to do what I
love. That’s success to me,” Scott said.
A graduate of Redan High School, Chimere Scott shows off her musical talents in
Dreamgirls.
Dminilirls performer talks about her personal dreams