Dondria

Dondria Nicole Fields never had to send a demo tape to an A&R. She never stood in line to audition for “American Idol,” nor has she ever joined a girl group to get her foot in the door. Nope. Dondria, So So Def’s newest R&B singer with a stunning voice, got her big break in the music biz with the help of a $15 webcam and YouTube, the popular video-sharing website. But if you ask her, all of this – her online discovery, record deal and newfound music career – happened simply by accident. “Before 2006, I had never heard of YouTube,” says the Texas native, who was introduced to the site by a friend. “I went up there to watch a fight that had happened at my school. I didn’t know people were singing on it.” On a whim, Dondria bought a webcam and decided to upload a singing video of her own.