D’Angel Opens Up About Finding Love Again After Divorce From Beenie Man
Dancehall singer D’Angel is back on Jamaican soil after a brief stay overseas and wasted no time to hop on an Instagram Live, two days ago, to catch up with her fans.
While cooking up some callaloo and saltfish, the Stronger singer spoke about her upcoming EP, life as a single mom, dating, and finding love after divorce from King of the Dancehall, Beenie Man.
It has now been two years since her official divorce from the Old Dog deejay after the two filed an annulment back in 2011. They’ve remained separated all this time with D’Angel playing the role of a single mom, raising their son Marco Dean.
“When you broke up with Beenie and had Marco, did you think you’d ever find love again?” asked one of her very curious IG followers.
“Of course mi haffi find love again… it’s not like Beenie was the everlasting man for D’Angel and man nuh run pon mi,” she said. But for now, the singer says, “I am not rushing to find any love …or a relationship, I’m not desperate. When the right person comes along we see how that goes.”
The anointed Lady of Dancehall has admitted that her divorce, though difficult, didn’t break her but made her stronger. “There’s this saying, ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’, I live by that word and that whole situation definitely made me stronger,” she also told the Jamaica Gleaner recently.
It was during some of the most difficult periods of her life that she produced some of her best work musically. As her marriage was falling apart, music became her escape, she explained.
“That time in my life was hard but that’s when I got one of my biggest songs to date titled, Stronger. That song was like therapy for me and to this day, it still gives people goosebumps because it was real. I didn’t hold anything back,” she admitted.
Fast-forward to a decade later and D’Angel, whose real name is Michelle Downer, has managed to lock in a few more hit songs and has gotten a grip on being a single mom and juggling dating from time to time.
“After my divorce, starting a new relationship was far from my mind, especially as a public figure. I am judged a lot and it’s hard to date trust mi,” she said. “My main priority then and still is right now as a single mother is to continue raising my teenage son to the best of my ability so that he can evolve into the man that can definitely make an impact in this world.”
The I’m Blessed singer said she’s not seeing anyone at the moment and is in no rush to get serious with anyone.
In her Gleaner interview, she added, “I’m not rushing into any relationship. I’m single at this point by choice because being a mother I have to be very careful who I bring into my space and around my child. My son and I talk a lot he knows he’s my priority and he’s first in everything I do besides God.”
“He’s smart and mature enough to know that if I choose to be in a relationship it won’t be forced and it will be the best for us because I consider my son in every decision I make.”
“My happiness counts but I won’t bring anyone around my child that will cause discomfort. That will never happen,” she added.
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She did however enlighten her IG fans as to the type of guy she’d like to date. For her, the right guy must be fun and be able to make her laugh. He shouldn’t be “nuh boring man.”
She also digs the old fashion type who will treat her like a ‘woman’, and very importantly he must be a good conversationalist, “If the conversation not right you’re clearly not my type.”
As for having more kids, she said, “I always say never say never.” If she was to meet a man that is ‘deserving,’ D’Angel said she would consider it. However, being a single mom was not an easy journey and she doesn’t want what happened to her and Beenie to happen again.
That aside, she did have some advice for other single moms who were considering taking the plunge into the dating world. She noted that as a public figure, however, that her experiences might be different from others, as men tend to fascinate with her celebrity. “Me as a single parent it hard for me because I am a public figure, suh dem judge right away and dem a try date D’Angel and not Michelle.”
In all, the game is still the same she says, and finding the right person to bring into your life with children comes with caution. “So as an overall single parent, whether yuh a public figure, private figure, any figure, we are humans, we go through the same things. Don’t rush into anything, take your time to get to know that person, and don’t rush to carry man roun’ yuh children.”
“Because some a dem fadda yah, dem a sperm donor dem nuh make no sense and we always trying to find that person to be a father figure to our children. Do not rush to find it, you be the father and mother…”
The 43-year-old said she has held several positions in relationships so she knows a thing or two about finding the right guy.
“When the right person come along you will know, worse if you been there done that understand, [for instance] married and dem som’n deh like all me, wear you white dress and walk down the aisle – I do – and so forth, yeah and be common-law wife and so to. So when you been through all of that, you know what you want, you know what you looking for. Problems come when you rush. Always believe in compromise, [men having] good values, and spirit-take [a spiritual connection],” she said.
D’Angel says she will be releasing her debut EP entitled, Exposed this year, which she described as “grown and sexy.” Until then she will not be releasing any new songs, so the next release will be off the upcoming EP.
She does, however, have a new joint with Dancehall singer Relevant called, Emotions, that is out now.