![\"Donell](\"http:\/\/www.chicagonow.com\/blogs\/message-from-montie\/assets_c\/2010\/04\/Donell%20Jones-thumb-325x260-118656.jpg\")
<\/a> <\/p>\nCourtesy of Candyman Music Inc., Photographer: Derek Blanks<\/font><\/p>\n<\/div>\n There’s a plethora of talent in Chicago, but it’s not a secret that Chicago<\/font><\/a> artists tend to go on the East Coast or West Coast to further their careers. R&B singer Donell Jones, who is most popular for songs like “Shorty Got Her Eyes on Me<\/i>” and “U Know What’s Up<\/i>” featuring the late TLC member Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, has cut ties with La Face record label after four CDs and gone independent with his label, Candyman Music Inc.<\/p>\n On December 9, 2009, Donell Jones released “The Lost Files<\/i>,” which were unreleased tracks made during the making of his first four CDs–“My Heart<\/i>” (1996), “Where I Wanna Be<\/i>” (1999), “Life Goes On<\/i>” (2002) and “Journey of a Gemini<\/i>” (2006). Now he’s back in the studio working on his untitled 2010 CD. Although in his beginning years he had to travel to Washington D.C. for a radio conference to get his career going because “if you wasn’t making music like R. Kelly, nobody was really checking for you” and loves his current home in Atlanta, which he’s nicknamed “The Baby New York,” when asked if he’s from Chicago, he proudly boasts “Oh, no doubt!”<\/p>\n From the tilted hat, crease in his pants on his Twitter page<\/font><\/a>, laid-back and sultry performances to his friendly demeanor during the interview with Shamontiel<\/font><\/a>, Donell Jones is so Chicago.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Excerpt from interview:<\/p>\n Shamontiel: What is your favorite part of being a singer? <\/p>\n <\/strong>Donell Jones: I enjoy writing the songs and going out and performing them. I love writing for myself because the stories I tell are personal experiences so for me it’s almost like getting something off your chest.<\/p>\n Since you write songs about yourself personally, what is the most memorable experience you’ve had with someone who knew the song was about them? <\/b><\/p>\n “Where I Wanna Be<\/i>” was a song about a lady I was with for a lot of years, and we turned out to be the best of friends. I don’t have any horror stories.<\/p>\n