Read Tamela Mann's Exclusvie Interview with Dianna Hobbs, Editor of EEW Magazine! She dishes on her new role in Tyler
Perry's Meet the Browns!
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Tamela Mann was just another starving artist touring with
Kirk Franklin and the Family, waiting for her big break.
Although her voice was made famous through 90's melodies like
Kirk Franklin's Now Behold the Lamb, and Silver and Gold;
behind those pitch-perfect Soprano notes was a terribly timid
singer battling a chronic case of stage fright.
"Kirk [Franklin] would always say, okay y’all we gone go out
there and sing like Jesus is on the front row," recalls Tamela.
But still, her nerves would get the best of her, making her feel
painfully nervous and unsure of herself.
So then, one might be led to wonder how the naturally timid
Tamela Mann burst onto the acting landscape, most recently
starring as “Cora Jean Simmons," a central character in Tyler
Perry’s big screen adaptation of the hugely successful stage
play, "Meet the Browns"--grossing more than $30 million at the
Box Office since its March 21st release.
According to Tamela, it took plenty of coaching, cojoling, and
convincing. As a matter of fact, when media mogul Tyler Perry
first approached her about transitioning into acting, she wasn't
too keen on the idea.
"At first I was like, I’ll sing for you, and I’ll pray, but I
don’t know about all of that acting!" Tamela laughs. But the fear
she felt was no laughing matter. She recalls, "I used to quote the
scripture, God has not given us the spirit of fear over and over
again because I would be sooo nervous every night."
So, how did Tamela Mann finally overcome her fears and take a
leap of faith? How did she manage to go from relative
anonymity to mainstream celebrity? And what has it been like
working with three of Christian entertainment’s most talked
about stars: Kirk Franklin, Tyler Perry, and David Mann A.K.A. Mr.
Brown?
Well, she opened up about all that and then some exclusively
with EEW Magazine's Editor-In-Chief, Dianna Hobbs.
EEW: You’re going to mainstream America with this movie role.
Are you excited, nervous, or all of it rolled together?
Tamela: All of the above! (Laughing) I just thank God because I
couldn’t have done it without Him. I know a lot of people in our
society believe so many different things, but my hope and faith
is in Christ. Without the favor of God I couldn’t have done it. It
feels good, but I just want to be kept. I want the Lord to keep me
so I won’t start thinking it’s about me. So, as He elevates me, I
just pray that He prepares me for each elevation, so I appreciate
it, and don’t take anything for granted.
EEW: Your voice is so powerful. When did you first know you
wanted to sing and travel?
Tamela: The singing came, I would say, it really fell on me at
like 12, beecause this other lady at my church who was a good
role model for me, had four girls, and one of her daughters and I
who are very close, Cassandra Kelly-- I went with her and her
mom to different musicals and workshops and sang-- and by me
seeing Sister Robinson go to all of these different churches and
towns singing, I really tapped into my desire to sing being with
her. They would come and pick me up and just take me over the
week-end and feed me because my mom didn’t have it. The
social security check for my other two brothers that are next to
me was basically what we were living on besides food stamps,
because I didn’t get any income. I didn’t have any income
coming in to help contribute.
EEW: You grew up in a single parent home with 14 children. What
was that like?
Tamela: Actually, it was kind of easy because I came in during
the shifting. My older brothers and sisters had married off and
moved away, so when I was coming up, it was probably maybe
five [of them at home]… I guess I was so small… there may have
been like six or seven people left. But during that process it was
kind of fun, because I was spoiled (Laughing).
EEW: Exactly where did you fit into the equation?
Tamela: I'm the baby.
EEW: Oh, no wonder you were so spoiled. (Laughing)
Tamela: But sometimes as I got older and seeing friends and
family members that had both parents, I kind of wondered
about [what it would be like] having [a] mom and dad being
present, you know, but mom, she just took on the role, and the
Lord just blessed me with a lot of people around me, so I didn’t
miss a beat really; I didn’t really feel like any love was lost
because one of my uncles, my mom’s youngest brother kind of
took me in. They had two boys, so I kind of stepped in like a
daughter to them, so it was good. It was really good for me. Even
though my dad wasn’t giving my mom anything, and I had a
different dad from everybody else. Of all the 13 [of my brothers
and sisters], all of them had the same dad. And my dad, he
didn’t do anything, he didn’t do anything really to help my
mom.
Kirk Franklin and the Family, waiting for her big break.
Although her voice was made famous through 90's melodies like
Kirk Franklin's Now Behold the Lamb, and Silver and Gold;
behind those pitch-perfect Soprano notes was a terribly timid
singer battling a chronic case of stage fright.
"Kirk [Franklin] would always say, okay y’all we gone go out
there and sing like Jesus is on the front row," recalls Tamela.
But still, her nerves would get the best of her, making her feel
painfully nervous and unsure of herself.
So then, one might be led to wonder how the naturally timid
Tamela Mann burst onto the acting landscape, most recently
starring as “Cora Jean Simmons," a central character in Tyler
Perry’s big screen adaptation of the hugely successful stage
play, "Meet the Browns"--grossing more than $30 million at the
Box Office since its March 21st release.
According to Tamela, it took plenty of coaching, cojoling, and
convincing. As a matter of fact, when media mogul Tyler Perry
first approached her about transitioning into acting, she wasn't
too keen on the idea.
"At first I was like, I’ll sing for you, and I’ll pray, but I
don’t know about all of that acting!" Tamela laughs. But the fear
she felt was no laughing matter. She recalls, "I used to quote the
scripture, God has not given us the spirit of fear over and over
again because I would be sooo nervous every night."
So, how did Tamela Mann finally overcome her fears and take a
leap of faith? How did she manage to go from relative
anonymity to mainstream celebrity? And what has it been like
working with three of Christian entertainment’s most talked
about stars: Kirk Franklin, Tyler Perry, and David Mann A.K.A. Mr.
Brown?
Well, she opened up about all that and then some exclusively
with EEW Magazine's Editor-In-Chief, Dianna Hobbs.
EEW: You’re going to mainstream America with this movie role.
Are you excited, nervous, or all of it rolled together?
Tamela: All of the above! (Laughing) I just thank God because I
couldn’t have done it without Him. I know a lot of people in our
society believe so many different things, but my hope and faith
is in Christ. Without the favor of God I couldn’t have done it. It
feels good, but I just want to be kept. I want the Lord to keep me
so I won’t start thinking it’s about me. So, as He elevates me, I
just pray that He prepares me for each elevation, so I appreciate
it, and don’t take anything for granted.
EEW: Your voice is so powerful. When did you first know you
wanted to sing and travel?
Tamela: The singing came, I would say, it really fell on me at
like 12, beecause this other lady at my church who was a good
role model for me, had four girls, and one of her daughters and I
who are very close, Cassandra Kelly-- I went with her and her
mom to different musicals and workshops and sang-- and by me
seeing Sister Robinson go to all of these different churches and
towns singing, I really tapped into my desire to sing being with
her. They would come and pick me up and just take me over the
week-end and feed me because my mom didn’t have it. The
social security check for my other two brothers that are next to
me was basically what we were living on besides food stamps,
because I didn’t get any income. I didn’t have any income
coming in to help contribute.
EEW: You grew up in a single parent home with 14 children. What
was that like?
Tamela: Actually, it was kind of easy because I came in during
the shifting. My older brothers and sisters had married off and
moved away, so when I was coming up, it was probably maybe
five [of them at home]… I guess I was so small… there may have
been like six or seven people left. But during that process it was
kind of fun, because I was spoiled (Laughing).
EEW: Exactly where did you fit into the equation?
Tamela: I'm the baby.
EEW: Oh, no wonder you were so spoiled. (Laughing)
Tamela: But sometimes as I got older and seeing friends and
family members that had both parents, I kind of wondered
about [what it would be like] having [a] mom and dad being
present, you know, but mom, she just took on the role, and the
Lord just blessed me with a lot of people around me, so I didn’t
miss a beat really; I didn’t really feel like any love was lost
because one of my uncles, my mom’s youngest brother kind of
took me in. They had two boys, so I kind of stepped in like a
daughter to them, so it was good. It was really good for me. Even
though my dad wasn’t giving my mom anything, and I had a
different dad from everybody else. Of all the 13 [of my brothers
and sisters], all of them had the same dad. And my dad, he
didn’t do anything, he didn’t do anything really to help my
mom.
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Interview by Dianna Hobbs
"I left home
when I was
sixteen because
my stepfather
was so mean."
when I was
sixteen because
my stepfather
was so mean."
EEW: You moved out of
your mom's house and went
to live with your sister at
one point. Why?
Tamela: Yes, I did because
I was in torment living as a
teenager. I left home when I
was sixteen because my
Stepfather was so mean.
your mom's house and went
to live with your sister at
one point. Why?
Tamela: Yes, I did because
I was in torment living as a
teenager. I left home when I
was sixteen because my
Stepfather was so mean.
EEW: I read that there was drinking, drugs, and lots of different
men in your sister's home. How did you avoid getting caught up in
that lifestyle?
Tamela: I don’t know. I just always had a feeling like there was
something better for me, not really knowing that the Lord was
covering me, and all the prayers that my mom had prayed for
me [were working]. Something on the inside of me was tugging
like, this is not for you. But at the time I just couldn’t be at home
because of my Stepfather. I just despised him. Honestly, hate is a
harsh word, and I really, at the time, I hated him.
men in your sister's home. How did you avoid getting caught up in
that lifestyle?
Tamela: I don’t know. I just always had a feeling like there was
something better for me, not really knowing that the Lord was
covering me, and all the prayers that my mom had prayed for
me [were working]. Something on the inside of me was tugging
like, this is not for you. But at the time I just couldn’t be at home
because of my Stepfather. I just despised him. Honestly, hate is a
harsh word, and I really, at the time, I hated him.
EEW: Explain why you felt that way.
Tamela: The reason why I hated him was because he was
mean, and my mother was a very loving, encouraging type
person. And he wooed her in, which happens to so many
women, where he was doing things, helping her out, buying
things, buying groceries. But once he wooed her in and
married her, the whole thing turned. He messed up my mom’s
credit. Before she married him I could see that he wasn’t who
he said he was. [But] my mom, she was in love. You know how
love can be sometimes… people can’t see clearly. And the night
she was going to marry him I was sixteen years old. I’ll never
forget it. I told her I hope you know what you’re doing-- and
that was called having a smart mouth for a kid in a black
family for you to say something like that! (Laughing) But I
wasn’t sassy with it. She was like, well are you going with me
[to the wedding], because we were really close, me and my
mom, because she was all I had. And I said no I’m not going.
Her feelings were hurt. She cried. But in the end, things
happened like I said they would happen. I told her, he’s not
who he says he is mom, and I wish you wouldn’t marry him. [I
told her] we’re doing okay without anybody.
EEW: After leaving, you eventually went back home with your
mom, right?
Tamela: Yeah, I saw myself falling off. I wasn't getting up
going to school because I was with one of my sisters and she
wasn’t waking me up saying Tam go to school. I was a Junior
in High School. But I saw myself falling, and I said, mom
please, can I come back home just to finish school. And she said
yes.
EEW: You and your mom were so close even though she
struggled with Alzheimer’s. Is that true?
Tamela: Yes, she died this past June.
EEW: Sorry to hear that.
Tamela: You know, the funny thing is, I felt sad and relieved
at the same time, because she had been suffering with it for
over 15 years. It was a long time… my whole career basically.
Still, I’m just thankful to my mother. She will be my hero,
until I leave this world. She will be my #1 hero.
EEW: So she never got a chance to really see you flourish?
Tamela: No and it makes me want to boo-hoo because, after
all those years of her praying for me and praying over me, she
didn’t get to see it. She knew who we [her children] were, but
she couldn’t keep up with what was going on. So, that made
me cry, and a lot of times I still do. I cry. Like, last year we
were here [in Dallas] doing [the Tyler Perry play] What’s done
in the Dark. We performed here at Fair Park which is a music
hall, which is really, really big. And a lot of my family
members came, and a couple of my brothers were in the
audience, and I sung my song, and after I came off the stage I
wept so hard in the back. I just kind of went in between the
curtains and I just cried, because I was thinking, man mom,
you missed it. And it makes me tear up right now (choking
up) because her love, and her pushing me, really made the
difference. She told me always love the Lord with all your
heart. She said, Tammy, she always called me Tammy. She
never called me Tamela. She said God will take you far if you
love the Lord, God will take you far.
Tamela: The reason why I hated him was because he was
mean, and my mother was a very loving, encouraging type
person. And he wooed her in, which happens to so many
women, where he was doing things, helping her out, buying
things, buying groceries. But once he wooed her in and
married her, the whole thing turned. He messed up my mom’s
credit. Before she married him I could see that he wasn’t who
he said he was. [But] my mom, she was in love. You know how
love can be sometimes… people can’t see clearly. And the night
she was going to marry him I was sixteen years old. I’ll never
forget it. I told her I hope you know what you’re doing-- and
that was called having a smart mouth for a kid in a black
family for you to say something like that! (Laughing) But I
wasn’t sassy with it. She was like, well are you going with me
[to the wedding], because we were really close, me and my
mom, because she was all I had. And I said no I’m not going.
Her feelings were hurt. She cried. But in the end, things
happened like I said they would happen. I told her, he’s not
who he says he is mom, and I wish you wouldn’t marry him. [I
told her] we’re doing okay without anybody.
EEW: After leaving, you eventually went back home with your
mom, right?
Tamela: Yeah, I saw myself falling off. I wasn't getting up
going to school because I was with one of my sisters and she
wasn’t waking me up saying Tam go to school. I was a Junior
in High School. But I saw myself falling, and I said, mom
please, can I come back home just to finish school. And she said
yes.
EEW: You and your mom were so close even though she
struggled with Alzheimer’s. Is that true?
Tamela: Yes, she died this past June.
EEW: Sorry to hear that.
Tamela: You know, the funny thing is, I felt sad and relieved
at the same time, because she had been suffering with it for
over 15 years. It was a long time… my whole career basically.
Still, I’m just thankful to my mother. She will be my hero,
until I leave this world. She will be my #1 hero.
EEW: So she never got a chance to really see you flourish?
Tamela: No and it makes me want to boo-hoo because, after
all those years of her praying for me and praying over me, she
didn’t get to see it. She knew who we [her children] were, but
she couldn’t keep up with what was going on. So, that made
me cry, and a lot of times I still do. I cry. Like, last year we
were here [in Dallas] doing [the Tyler Perry play] What’s done
in the Dark. We performed here at Fair Park which is a music
hall, which is really, really big. And a lot of my family
members came, and a couple of my brothers were in the
audience, and I sung my song, and after I came off the stage I
wept so hard in the back. I just kind of went in between the
curtains and I just cried, because I was thinking, man mom,
you missed it. And it makes me tear up right now (choking
up) because her love, and her pushing me, really made the
difference. She told me always love the Lord with all your
heart. She said, Tammy, she always called me Tammy. She
never called me Tamela. She said God will take you far if you
love the Lord, God will take you far.
EEW: You’ve gone very far. You were the only one in your
family to graduate from High School. What made the
difference for you?
Tamela: I looked at my other sisters and the
experiences that they were going through, and I just flat
out said, I don’t want that. I don’t want that type of life
for myself. I don’t want to have to argue and fuss and
fight with a man. So, I believe that’s why when it came
to me choosing a husband, I did like the Word says. I
wrote down my vision. I really asked God for what I
wanted in a man, because I didn’t want to have to help
somebody stop drinking and smoking. And I wanted
someone that sang, so he would understand me coming
in late at night if I was singing at a musical, so I
wouldn’t have to be explaining, no, I have not been at
the club, I’ve been at church. The things that I did ask
God for, He did do it for me.
family to graduate from High School. What made the
difference for you?
Tamela: I looked at my other sisters and the
experiences that they were going through, and I just flat
out said, I don’t want that. I don’t want that type of life
for myself. I don’t want to have to argue and fuss and
fight with a man. So, I believe that’s why when it came
to me choosing a husband, I did like the Word says. I
wrote down my vision. I really asked God for what I
wanted in a man, because I didn’t want to have to help
somebody stop drinking and smoking. And I wanted
someone that sang, so he would understand me coming
in late at night if I was singing at a musical, so I
wouldn’t have to be explaining, no, I have not been at
the club, I’ve been at church. The things that I did ask
God for, He did do it for me.
EEW: How did you deal with being the only one of 14 children
with a different father--one who just so happened not to be a part
of your life?
Tamela: That was hard. It was hard for me growing up. You
know how they say the black sheep of the family? But I was the
light sheep. You know, basically, I was so light skinned and
there were always those rebuttals from other people [saying]
that is not your sister. And then, I was [a] chunky, chubby little
girl. My brothers would always make jokes about me. I had all
kinds of nicknames. It was hard, but I just took that and turned
it around for myself to even love myself inspite of what it looked
like. It just all kind of worked for my good.
with a different father--one who just so happened not to be a part
of your life?
Tamela: That was hard. It was hard for me growing up. You
know how they say the black sheep of the family? But I was the
light sheep. You know, basically, I was so light skinned and
there were always those rebuttals from other people [saying]
that is not your sister. And then, I was [a] chunky, chubby little
girl. My brothers would always make jokes about me. I had all
kinds of nicknames. It was hard, but I just took that and turned
it around for myself to even love myself inspite of what it looked
like. It just all kind of worked for my good.