Meet Camo Camille

Camo, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started writing small silly poems at five, which turned into composition notebooks full of actual songs by 4th grade. In 6th grade I was playing around on FL Studios and a horrible microphone but it was enough to inspire me. I kept learning, writing and evolving until I invested in some fairly decent gear my sophomore year of high school, I’d say that’s when I started taking music more seriously. My junior year, I got very ill and diagnosed with a 1/1M blood disease, PNH, that almost cost me my life. I fought for 3.5 years before receiving a bone marrow transplant at Duke hospital in North Carolina. In my time of being ill the Make-a-Wish foundation granted me one wish, I asked for a home studio and they did not disappoint – I had the best gear and the latest MacBook which really kickstarted everything for me!

Fighting for my life, I managed to stay grounded and keep focused, I knew I was going to be a miracle and was determined to make it though all the odds were against me!

Years later I am healthy and thriving, still staying true to my dream – hoping to find a team to produce me.

Has it been a smooth road?

I’ve struggled with a positive self-image for as long as I can remember. The majority of my life I have been over weight, with magazines and social media’s unrealistic beauty standards it’s been hard to find acceptance within but thankfully plus size people are finally being represented and recognized which has really given me a lot of confidence!

My illness, PNH, almost robbed me of my life which definitely put a kink in my chain. I spent 3.5 years getting weekly infusions of a chemo like drug ‘Solaris’ as well as blood transfusion after blood transfusion, surgery after surgery before finally undergoing a bone marrow transplant in 2014. Even after that I was still living in and out of hospitals for another year before they gave me the okay to live a “normal” life again.

I live in the Bible beating south, full of cookie cutter people. Being “different” with no shame typically rouses up conversation. Most people just want to fit in, they lack authenticity – when they see a 6 foot man with long locks in makeup, strutting around in a crop top, eyebrows tend to rise. I’ve always been a loaner but truthfully I appreciate and embrace my solidarity!

I’ve always stuck up for myself and those around me – some may say I never back down or turn the other cheek which over time gave me a bad name because everyone knew me for getting into internet altercations, even though I was really only defending myself but I have restored my image a lot since my high school days, still staying true to myself however – I’ve learned that delivery is the key, haha!

Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I have always prided myself on having no co-writers. Lyricism is my greatest strength, it’s the whole message of a song, so it’s hard for me to let someone else narrate the story in my music. I write from personal experience as well as experiences of those close to me.

I’ve been promoting my personality more on TikTok. I’m a firm believer that if people like you they’ll be invested in everything you do. These days everyone is an artist so you gotta bring something more to the table, it’s hard to get your name out there just posting singing clips so I use my humor and sass to bring engagement to my music!

Some of my greatest influences are Drake, Jhené Aiko, SZA, The-Weeknd, Banks, Summer Walker, Lana Del Rey and Sam Smith though my biggest role model has always been Lady Gaga, that woman saved my life!

I’ve met with many A&R’s, producers, labels, agencies but nothing ever came of it because I’m too headstrong, I will never be a puppet, I know what I want and if I have to do everything myself until the right people see the vision, that’s what I’ll continue to do.