Page 11 - ION Indie Magazine MARCHAPRIL 2020 Issue

LH: You've had quite the personal journey. I know you've talked about it on
your YouTube channel. Would you touch on that for our readers?

MD: Yeah. I’ve been through a lot in the past 10 years. When I was a freshman in
high school, my mom was sick. She was in and out of the hospital and eventually,
they told her she had endometriosis, which is a disease that affects her lower female
organs. I remember trying to fit in and find friends at the time because I just felt
alone, and I seemed to become a target for some of the kids. I started getting bullied
daily. In gym class they would call me ‘fat’ in the locker room or pick on my dry skin
I had like I was a disease. That really caused a lot of confidence issues for me and
I ended up getting invited to a homecoming party one weekend. I was very hesitant
on going, but I was so desperate to make friends and fit in, that I went.

At the party, I was introduced to Oxycontin for the first time -- and man, all my
problems and issues I was facing just were gone! I was so numb to everything
around me, and I remember waking up the next day and craving more. I just wanted
to be numb to everything. I ended up finding more and that’s where my addiction all
started. I started using opiates daily and just partying non-stop. I was arrested for
possession my first time and was placed on a 6-month ACD. During that time, I found
a fake drug called ‘Pump It.’ It was a fake methamphetamine that was hidden from
drug tests. So, I used that for my 6 months…until my ACD was up and then I went
back to using again. I ended up dropping out of high school and just used 24-7 with
my best friend at the time. I continued to use until I was arrested my second time in
2012 for possession of narcotics. This time, the judge ended up placing me in a 6
months rehab treatment where a week in, I found out I was pregnant. I knew I wasn’t
hurting myself anymore…I would be hurting my child. I ended up cutting ties to all
people in my past. I graduated my 6-month treatment program and went on to have
my daughter Arianna…which she saved my life! She motivated me to start really
pushing for this career. I want to show her that no matter what she wants to do in
this life, she can do it by working hard and pushing for it.

Dreams can come true! I started releasing music about my life, my past, as well as
struggles, and so many people related to it. So, I just started spreading my message
and doing public speaking about addiction and the effects bullying has on people. I
started touring and writing more and more. I ended up releasing an anti-bullying
song called ‘Morgan’s Song,’ which is based on a true story about a girl named
Morgan who was a victim to bullying to the point of wanting to end her life. I ended
up meeting Morgan in person and decided to release the song after I received a ton
of messages from people saying they were victims of bullying and where they could
get the song. So, I decided to record and release a music video to raise awareness
on bullying. That video actually caught the attention of Nathan Walters and lead to
us recording at Capitol Studios in Capitol Records. I’m 7 years sober now and
impacting more and more every day. Very grateful and blessed!