Actress Of Our Generation: Brely Evans

Brely Evans is an actress, singer, songwriter, producer, author, and comedian. Born and raised in Oakland, California, her first notable film role was in the 2010 romantic comedy Just Wright starring Queen Latifah.

On television, Brely had a recurring role on BET drama series Being Mary Jane and TV One comedy series Born Again Virgin. In 2019, Evans has cast in two series regular roles. First, a female lead on the Bounce TV comedy series Last Call opposite Charles Malik Whitfield. Later that year, she began starring in the Oprah Winfrey Network prime time soap opera, Ambitions playing Rondell Lancaster, the sister of Atlanta Mayor Evan Lancaster (Brian J. White).

In 2020, she appeared in the second season of BET crime drama The Family Business and starred in the Urban Movie Channel comedy-drama series For the Love of Jason and Terror Lake Drive.

We Empower Magazine got an exclusive interview with Brely Evans.

Tammy Reese: You are an actress, singer, songwriter, producer, with such an amazing resume, and have accomplished some epic things that so many people aspire to even have a tip of the iceberg career that you’ve had so far. What inspired you to get into the entertainment industry in the first place?

Brely Evans: As a child, I sat in the pews at church watching the choir and I would cry to my grandmother telling her that I wanted to go up there. She would be like, no, you’re too little, you can’t join yet. I would make noise in the back and I would literally go to the choir stand and just stand there.

To hear the applause and see people praising the Lord because of the singing and the music is where I think I initially got bit by the bug. They allowed me to join the angelic choir by the time I turned four. I also sang my first solo at that time.

I knew that I had something or I felt something that connected me to the music and that I could move people. I didn’t know anything about God-given gifts and all that. I just knew that I can do that, I can make these people clap and be happy. That made me feel good.

Tammy Reese: Was there ever any other profession that you ever considered?

Brely Evans: It’s always been entertainment. When I was growing up, my mom would say what are you gonna be when you grow up? I would say a singer. She said, No, your real job, baby. Like where are you going to go and get a check? I could tell she was kind of pushing me out of my square. So I said, Oh, I’ll be a police officer like Daddy. She was like, Oh, that’s nice, but I was just saying words at that point.

I always tell that story and my mom knows my heart and I tell this story not to put her down, but to empower other parents. When you’re asking your children what are they going to be when they grow up, believe them because they are telling you. They know who they are. They know what they want to do.

Tammy Reese: Thank you for sharing that. It’s definitely not to put any parents down but to indeed empower them, educate them, and for them to listen to their children for sure.

What have been some memorable moments in your career that you’re extremely proud of?

Brely Evans: I’m proud that someone told me that I’m an actor. I kind of brushed it off at first. He said, “You should come with me to meet my agent,” and I went. I didn’t know this person very well. It was just weird that I got in the car with a stranger. I don’t think anyone should do that. It was my neighbor, actually. So I knew him, from the neighborhood.

I’m proud of myself that the God and someone spoke to the God in me and I heard them and I moved. Imagine if I didn’t say yes, that day. I would have probably still been at my nine to five job, trying to figure it out. Or I would probably be an attorney because I really love what an attorney does and how they think analytically. Had I not said yes, that day I wouldn’t be here.

Another proud moment I would say is the day I said no. I graduated high school early at 17 and when I was 18 years old my parents would not allow me to go off to Spelman, or Howard, or any of those schools that I wanted to go to. So I went on to college at Cal State. That’s where my dad graduated from so of course, that’s where they had me go and I was so disappointed.

In my second year of college, Dres from the rap group back in the day called Black Sheep was walking down the street. He saw me and my girlfriends and said “hey, pretty girls won’t you girls come be in our video. We’re shooting a video right over here.” We said no, and who are you? We don’t know yall. He said we sing the song “You can get with this or you can get with that”. We still said no, we’re in college, and we’re not video girls. Then someone in our group of friends said that they can sing. He said we’ll sing something.

It just warms my heart that myself, Tara Stinson, and Michael Montgomery had been getting together every Saturday afternoon dancing on one of our parent’s porches making up dances, singing songs, learning harmonies, getting songs ready. We didn’t know for what, but it was for that moment because we looked at each other and just started singing. We had harmony and it sounded good. Dres said, “I’m going to get y’all a record deal.” That’s how I actually got my first record deal.

Tammy Reese: How inspirational! You were already ready, so you didn’t have to get ready!

What was it like when you first met Oprah?

Brely Evans: I met Oprah I want to say April of 2017 or 18, at a charity event in Dallas, Texas. I met her because she said on the mic “I want to meet some people, who is going to come up here and give to this organization?  Come tell me what you’re going to give.”

People began to get in the line and were saying they will give $10,000, $75,000, $100,000, and so forth. I said, Mommy, I got to go give. My mother said, “Girl, we don’t have that kind of money.” I said, I know but there’s no way, I’m in a room with Oprah and I’m not going to meet her. I got in line and another girlfriend of mine came and got in line with me, she gave $5,000. I felt that was down in my range, I might handle that in some kind of way.

I got up and said that I will give. First of all, I called her Aunty Oprah on accident. That was before she said to not call her Aunty. I said that I would like to give $10,000 over the next 10 years to this organization that’s $1,000 a year. I knew I could do that, and I wouldn’t be lying.

Also, I told her that when I play Oprah in her autobiography, I will give that check to this organization and the crowd went crazy. Oprah looked me in my eyes and said “believe it.” My mother’s said do you realize that you would give the biggest check you could have ever made in your life back to an organization. I said yes, but I don’t know why I feel so confident about it.

When we got to the after-party, a lot of the millionaires that were in the room were like, so are you going to produce this because I would love to produce on it with you. I said, God if you let me give the acting check away, the producing check I can keep. I am still manifesting this and talking about it in this way brings that back up for me.

Tammy Reese: How did you get involved with the show Ambitions?

Brely Evans: In November of 2018 I was working on a TV show series which was my first series as a regular called “Last Call” on Bounce TV with Roger Bobbcat Films. We were on set, I was excited that I’m a series regular on a sitcom and that we make people laugh when we go to work every day. I remember walking to the lunchroom on break and someone looks at me. It was a gentleman who was handsome. He asked how I was doing, I then asked how he was doing and I just kept moving on.

George Pierre, the prolific casting director in Georgia said, “Brely somebody wants to meet you in my office.” I thought to myself who is this who wants to meet me? It was the gentleman. I was like, Oh, hi. He was like, “when you walked past me you looked like this character that I’m looking for.” I said, oh no I am that character, and asked for the sides to read for the part. I had 30 minutes left on lunch and I wanted to read for the part right then and there. He was like, Well, hold on one second. I said I’m not scared of anything, give me the lines.

Don’t even ask me why I had this kind of boldness that day. I don’t usually attack things like that. It was the Director Benny Boom. He came back the next day with Sheila Ducksworth from Will Packard’s office and I got the part in 30 minutes after reading for it. I got that part by being nice. I got the part by saying hello to someone walking down a hallway.

Tammy Reese: How has it been for you filming during the pandemic?

Brely Evans: It has been different but I came to this earth to do something and no pandemic won’t stop me from doing it. I was in the very first production to go back up in Atlanta called Terror Lake Drive. We shot that by having COVID shots and COVID tests every day.

Everybody was being super careful with one another and making sure we went back home and quarantined every night. No one got COVID on our set. I have worked every month since whether it was in California and now I’m back in Atlanta working so I have not stopped.

Tammy Reese: What are some memorable moments you had onset of The Family Business?

Brely Evans: Where do I start? Acting alongside Valarie Pettiford is a gift. If they decided not to pay me, I would have taken that gift. She’s a master class on two feet. She’s masterful at her gift and it’s so fun to watch and be a part of.

Tammy Reese: What is the best advice you ever received as an actress?

Brely Evans: From Queen Latifah, I got the first and the best advice I’ve ever received. We were on the set of Just Wright. It was my very first time being on a big-budget anything. I was doing my one scene with her that I had at the time. I went there as a co-worker one. After the scene we did like 12 times I was like, why are they making us do this over and over again? Am I messing up? Am I saying the line wrong? She said, no, that’s why they keep saying back to one. Queen Latifah told me that they’re getting it from different angles. She also told me to keep being myself because that’s how I got there.

Those words have been the most valuable to me. You’re authentic for a reason. When you realize that in any industry, you can blow. My blow-up may not look like his blow-up, but they don’t mean I’m not blowing up. I’ve worked consistently and fed myself by my gifts alone. There were times where I got scared and got a job in between. God was waiting on me to come back to myself. Every time I came back to myself, he had something for me. I said I’ll never work another nine to five again because somebody will always hire you to live their dream if you don’t go live yours.

Tammy Reese: What do you think anyone should consider before becoming an actress or actor?

Brely Evans: That is something that God told you to do. Do not do what you can do, only do what you’re called to do. Which means you will do it for free.

Just like we were practicing every Saturday with no show. We didn’t have any money, but we had a whole rapper telling us he’s going to get us a record deal and did it. Dres from Black Sheep put us on.

Tammy Reese: And the rest is history! Lastly, I would ask, what do you want your legacy to be in this business?

Brely Evans: I want my legacy to be one that put others on. That was incredible at opening the gate through a truth acting class called What They Didn’t Tell You In Acting Class. I’m all about telling people the stuff that they didn’t tell me.

I want to be the one who lit other’s candles so that I shine brighter. When I light somebody else’s candle it doesn’t take any shine from me, it actually makes me shine brighter. So I’m on the path of illuminating others.

Tammy Reese: Brely thank you for your valued time today. It was a complete honor to interview you. May you keep inspiring the world as you’ve been doing. I salute and honor you wholeheartedly.

Brely Evans: You’re very welcome and thank you!

 

Keep up-to-date with Brely by connecting on Instagram @brelyevans

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