EXCLUSIVE: Shamari DeVoe on joining ‘RHOA’ cast, new music, and her “solid” marriage to Ronnie DeVoe

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It’s almost time for The Real Housewives of Atlanta to return to the small screen and the show is getting some new blood in its eleventh season by adding Shamari DeVoe to the cast.

The latest lady to nab a peach should look familiar because she has been in the business for years. As a member of the nineties girl group, Blaque, she also snagged a role on the cult classic Bring It On, alongside her bandmates Brandi Williams and the late Natina Reed. 

Now, she has her sights set on reality television and we caught up with her to find out what we can expect when she going the cast of the hit Bravo series.

5 things to know about ‘RHOA’ newbie, Shamari Devoe

“I felt like it was time for the world to know who I am as a marriage ambassador and a recording artist and a family woman It was time for a change and I decided this was a great opportunity. Of course you have some reservations but sometimes you just have to go out and look at the bigger picture. The world will get to see my family and hear my testimony,” she told TheGrio during an exclusive interview. 

Fans will get to see Shamari DeVoe balance life as a wife and mother to one-year-old twins with her mission to help couples stay connected as a marriage ambassador.

“We’re on a journey to save marriages and have healthy relationships and help to heal families which will impact the community. We don’t get paid to do it. We do it because we have a passion for it,” she explained.

“Being a marriage ambassador lets me go out and help people heal their marriages and save their families. We offer advice and provide the tools needed to maintain a strong relationship. Today, it’s so hard to stay married and there’s no one telling you what to do. We are there to help because we have gone through our own issues and trials ourselves. Now we are going out and doing events around the country like the Married For Life Walk where couples walk two miles holding hands, reaffirming their love for one another.”

Shamari says she’s not worried about the “reality TV curse” when it comes to her relationship with her husband, Ronnie DeVoe of New Edition.  

“It was never a thought in my mind. We keep our marriage on a very firm foundation and we have a bond that is unbreakable. There’s no way any reality Tv show could ever break up our marriage. There are so many issues we have to deal with but reality television is not one of them,” she said.

“We are used to being in the limelight and being in this industry and being seen. I’m constantly doing shows every weekend and so is my husband so it’s the normal routine for us. Now it’s just on a bigger platform.”

Ronnie DeVoe will appear on this season of RHOA and so will Shamari’s adorable twins. Fans may also get a glimpse of the couple working on new music together as Me and Mari.

“We have a single coming out called “Love Comes Through” and I’m so excited about that. It’s all about our journey and what we have gone through so I’m excited for the world to hear it,” she says.

Shamari DeVoe is also readying the release of new music from Blaque after securing the masters from a previously unreleased project, Torch.

“It’s just the two of us. There will never be a replacement because Natina is irreplacable. We are releasing our Torch album. It’s an unreleased album that our fans started a petition for us to release. It’s from when we were signed to Elektra Records and we just got all the masters for that project and we are going to put that out as Blaque. It’s very special music because Natina recorded the songs with us. We brought in a DJ for the show because we don’t want to have anyone else do her parts,” she said of her bandmate who dies in a car accident in 2012.

“It’s hard. Natina was our biggest cheerleader and our biggest fan. It’s really hard. She was my best friend. She’s like a sister to me. We feel like we are paying homage to her and celebrating her life by continuing to do what we love and what she loved. Every year, we host huge party on her birthday and that’s coming up on October 28. We have over 400 RSVPs so far. We have a great time. It’s getting bigger and bigger each year.”

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When it comes to dealing with the other women RHOA, Shamari DeVoe doesn’t seem too concerned about the never-ending drama.

“In this group, there are gonna be people who have things to say or aren’t so welcoming of course. You have to stay tuned and see exactly what’s going to happen,” she said. “Being around a bunch of women, everyone is not going to love each other. It is what it is.” 

Season 11 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta premieres November 4 at 8/7c on Bravo.