Davis Mallory wasn’t prepared for the instant fame that came from starring on MTV’s The Real World.

"I  felt like I lost my last name because everyone referred to me as Davis From The Real World," he laughs.  "It was also strange having people ask me for photos all of the time.  It happened in the airport, at malls, and most nights when I was out at clubs and bars. Online messaging was especially tough because I wanted to be nice and message everyone back but if I did, then I often got stuck in never ending conversations with strangers."

In addition to losing privacy, there were serious downsides to the notoriety, explains Davis.  One of them being that people would post harsh comments about him online and sometimes even say them to him in-person.

"I went on The Real World hoping to be a role model for gay men, and an encouragement for those struggling with coming out," he says. "I guess I was slow to realize the price of fame."

It wasn’t all bad, though.  He recalls how after episodes of The Real World would air, he would receive thousands of new Myspace followers and hundreds of messages from people offering support or writing how he helped them come out.  "I knew I was gay in 1994 but I didn’t come out until 2006.  Part of the reason was because I didn’t see any openly gay people that represented who I was.   It felt good to be that for others."

After appearing on The Real World in 2006, he went on to star in two season’s of MTV’s The Challenge.  By 2009, however, his MTV days were behind him.   "I never felt famous from the experience," he reflects today,  "and that’s probably a good thing.  I don’t feel fame is a particularly positive thing.  It’s all about attention and people wanting or expecting something from you."

He says fame is not the goal for him.  Having people hear his music, sing along, go to his shows — that’s the end goal.  Oh, did we forget to mention that Davis is now pursuing a singing career?  His first EP, Loud, is scheduled to be released July 17, 2017.

He’s already released two singles from the EP,  "Under Your Spell," a lush, heartfelt love ballad that released on Valentine’s Day and the title track, a seductive R&B track with a funky, chilled, head-swinging vibe and sex-soaked lyrics that came out this spring.  "I wrote most of the album in 2016 when I was going through a break up," Davis explains.  "Many of the songs are about that relationship."

In "Be Without You," Davis sings about his boyfriend moving away from Nashville, leaving him shell shocked and alone. "Distance" is about trying to make the long distance relationship work and "Under Your Spell" is an examination of how much power love has over people, Davis included.

"I have been under someone’s spell a handful of times in my life," he admits.  "‘Loud’ is about a guy I had a major crush on that I suspected might be gay but he ended up dating a girl."

Davis decided to release his first album independently so that he could maintain control.  "Doing it without a label meant I got to select the songs. I chose the music producers, remixers and video directors.  I casted the music videos, scouted locations and even edited some of them."

He did have some help.  "I am blessed to have my manager, Christian Barker, and my publicist, Jeff Dorta, in my corner working with me," he says. "They’’ll make suggestions on directions I should consider.  I remember when I was going into my co-write for the song that became "Loud," Jeff suggested I look to George Michael for some influence, specifically, "I Want Your Sex".  It was before Michael had passed, which is kinda eerie thinking about it now, but the point is, he made the suggestion.  It wasn’t a demand.  It was my choice to follow it."

If fame does strike a second time for Davis, he says he’ll be more ready this time around.  "I won’t feed into negativity. Life is too damn short."

"I just want to be true to my self.  For me, that means believing that being gay does not mean I will go to hell.  It means stepping out on my own, as a man now, following my own dream to be a singer, breaking the chains of my parent’s belief systems, and going after my throne, so-to-speak, as a pop singer."

He points to Adele as someone he emulates.  "She seems to be an authentic person and I think I’m a lot like her, in that way.  I’m pretty silly and naturally myself. She also reveals a lot about herself in her music but for the most part, she’s able to maintain boundaries and privacy in her life.  That’s what I hope for."

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Contributor Casey Arasa |

Person Davis Mallory |

Topic Celebrity Interview |