In the cutthroat entertainment industry, having good looks and talent definitely don’t guarantee success. Three aspiring performers and the equally driven momagers have found that out the hard way… And they are now prepared to share their trials and tribulations on Raising Fame, a one-hour reality special on TLC.
Presley Ca$h and her mom have been on our radar ever since they were featured on Hollywood Complex when Presley (née Megan Haun) was 11. Read about her on-again, off-again tastes of success in this recent profile.
D’Lannie Brown, on the other hand, was a new name for us.
The 18-year-old Texas native has actively pursued a pop music career ever since her parents flew out to Las Vegas for a talent competition when she was 12.
“I came across this competition called ‘Talent Rock’ in Las Vegas, which they held at the MGM Grand. My family and I ended up going there so that I could try out,” D’Lannie told Venture Mag last March. “There were so many kids there… And I did not think I would even be noticed! Anyway, they were calling out names of who were the five finalist and I was the last name called up to stage!”
Still, her years in Hollywood haven’t been all sunshine and roses.
“My childhood was taken from me by this industry. You don’t know what’s fun because you never get to have it,” she says in the promo for Raising Fame.
In spite of her ups and downs, D’Lannie has experienced some modest success. To be sure, the girl’s talented. She’s a natural with pop songs, but she’s also able to carry the deeper vocals in ballads.
D’Lannie is no Whitney Houston, but it seems she could hold her own among the Disney alums with current songs on the radio.
In terms of buzz-worthiness, D’Lannie has more than 40,000 followers on Twitter. She also has some professionally produced videos, which wouldn’t seem entirely out-of-place on after hours MTV programming.
There’s a catch with some of D’Lannie’s early videos: Some were produced by Patrice Wilson, founder of ARK Music Factory. He’s also the one responsible for Rebecca Black’s Friday. That likely means funding for the videos was coming primarily out of D’Lannie’s pockets.
Although D’Lannie’s parents have probably invested a good bit into her career, she has earned recognition for her talents. She is now professionally represented by someone other than her mom and she is working on her first full-length album. Plus, a show on TLC is no small thing! We are certain we’ll hear more from D’Lannie.
Raising Fame premieres on TLC tonight at 9:30/8:30 p.m. CST.
