Kaya Jones: Speaking My Mind Cost Me a Lot. It Was Worth It. | Stories of Us

the only bad I really saw in the music industry was in The Pussycat Dolls getting calls about what you ate that day who you date who you speak to you're controlled my name is Kai Jones and this is my story I'm a daughter I'm a believer I'm a singer songwriter producer my mother was a single mom my biological father due to mental health was not in the home stepfather came in at six years old and then ultimately losing my stepfather to incarceration at the age of 12. I think that gave me a lot of understanding of the world my mom being an artist everything was very creative so if I you know said I wanted to do music or dancing or acting she was like that's amazing what are you feeling what are you thinking so she's she's a super creative in my life I knew I wanted to perform I knew that it was 1991 Dallas Cowboys are playing I have my big bowl of popcorn in front of me and Whitney Houston came on and sang the national anthem I just remember wanting to be able to do that Pussycat Dolls itself was already an institution that would bring in top headlining singers and entertainers to be a part of it I hear about this audition on MTV and the first audition at Center Stage was with 2 000 women then there are 3 000 that were brought in for Invitation Only audition which was then decided by Dr Dre Bono Gwen Stefani Eve 50 Cent then myself Melody Thornton and Nicole Scherzinger were brought into the Pussycat Dolls five thousand girls down to the top three my experience with the Pussycat Dolls initially was great here's your dream now it's coming true the great part was the discipline being able to work with some of the best writers and producers on the planet going back to my Whitney moment I was asked to sing the national anthem for the All-Star Race for NASCAR that for sure was the highlight this was a deal by the owner of the dolls and the record company so we're hired cast members getting calls about what you ate that day who you date will you speak to you're controlled don't say no because there's someone that's younger thinner prettier better if you're not willing to your disposable that doesn't really work for someone like me I gotta do me I'm gonna say what I think I'm gonna say how I feel and this is you know BS the high points were good but I I didn't want to stick around for many of the low so I made sure I found my way out quickly and it was hard to make that choice to want to leave because I knew I was walking away from a 13 million dollar record contract that's how much it cost for that first record and then people that were like my family the only bad I really saw in the music industry was in The Pussycat Dolls and really towards the end where I was leaving Diva's live with the Pussycat Dolls I'm supposed to enter with Melody we're coming through the audience and Nicole and the girls are coming up behind and there's these two little girls in the front row and she looked up at me the young one as I'm like standing there getting ready for my cue to start and she goes oh excited and I just knew that feeling of wanting to be a Spice Girl and like here it is and she now wants to be this and I was like oh no way am I going to sell this to kids because I refuse to let more children think this is the right thing I didn't fit in what I was selling because I also didn't agree with everything that was going on our name is Sexy when we think of Pussycat Dolls and we looked so sexy and we're singing about sexual stuff it's Overkill you're sexualizing a kid and you're trying to sell that to people that's disgusting we've all kept too silent for a long time and I think that's why most of the world is where it's at now in our world or in our industry of entertainment it's like you know for the shot for the film for the song at some point it becomes really Sinister when you think about it are people aware that Eating Disorders are happening when you're forcing people to look a certain way are you aware that their addictions to drugs do I think that Hollywood is pro-women no but I think the more that you talk about it the more you take your power back start talking about it stop this idea of like everything's fine and we don't need to talk about it the reason why we're here is because we haven't talked about it [Music] Tommy lahren who's now a friend but at the time I didn't know her I'm on her show and she said what does it mean to be a conservative I mean I didn't really know I just knew that I believed in God I didn't think that was a conservative thing necessarily and I remember actually saying I pray to Jesus and the heat that ran through my body when I said that because I understood that this was going to be seen and it was the first time that I was actually saying who I believed gone to be and I got phone calls that day actually from industry people saying I hope you know you can't walk that back when I came out as a conservative January of 2017. I'm opening up for Calvin Harris as a DJ by February I couldn't get a job as a singer or a DJ so that's how serious it is I never thought that I wouldn't be able to work and I think that's the problem if you have artists that are like if I don't do it I'm going to be replaced and then you have the industry that's like this is what sells and we're not going to deviate from it like Tupac one of the best poets who's ever lived would never be able to say what he was saying the people that inspired me would they have been able to get a deal now I don't know I don't think so my mom used to say like oh my gosh you know your mouth is either going to make you very rich or get you into a lot of trouble it's gotten me into a lot of trouble thus far I was always a Christian I really wasn't walking with the Lord I feel like he was chasing me and I was running away from him but I think we all understand that because he's constantly trying to get your attention and in the worst times in my life he was so present because there's no way I would have gotten out of it if he wasn't there Jada Marcus calls me from the Rascal Flatts and it's like okay so I'm working on this Jason Crabb record if I had said well my manager thinks because my manager did not want me to sing a gospel record the album that won a Grammy for roots gospel that is the best song I've ever done to date because I sang for the Lord my whole life I felt like I didn't fit now with everything that I'm doing in like full time working for the Lord like I finally feel like I fit true Freedom comes from feeling like you can be you and not be silenced you start to realize you're enough your gifts are enough what did I find from God that I couldn't find in Hollywood is myself advice I'd give to Hollywood is stop being so fraud and fake allow people to actually create what they want to create my advice for young people don't compromise Who You Are for fame ever popular people almost never become significant but significant people will become popular so focus on being significant and being yourself hey if you enjoyed this video and all of the content that prageru creates make sure to donate it's much appreciated