*Friends and relatives have been diagnosed with the malady and his father died of the disease years ago.
That’s one of the reasons the 32-year-old crooner is participating in the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Los Angeles County kick off of its new music series, “Voices for the Cure,” set for January 26 at R&B Live in Studio City.
“I’m doing the show for a lot of reasons,” said Avant, who is currently enjoying the success of his latest CD, “The Letter.” “The cause is near and dear to me. Cancer is a serious situation. I have family members that suffer with the disease. Too many people are suffering or dying. Something has to be done. I hope everyone comes out to support the show.”
The event, hosted by comedian Chris Spencer and featuring Rahsaan Patterson, Margo Thunder, N’dambi, Abraham McDonald and the Supa Lowery Bros., will celebrate the start of Black History Month [February], highlight the significance of breast health in the African-American community and inform the audience about Komen’s initiative for women of color called “Circle Of Promise.”
At the event Avant will sing a song he wrote for people struggling with cancer.
“I wrote a song called “Never Give Up The Fight,” said Avant during a recent interview. “It’s an inspirational song for people undergoing cancer treatment. I wrote it because I was having all these tragic moments in my life. It was a way to give back to the people I lost, since I can’t talk to them anymore. It was also to give people strength. Just because you’re diagnosed doesn’t mean you can’t win or get better. All we do is fight in life every day anyway. Don’t give up. We gotta get a grip on this cancer thing.”
Like so many others, Avant is perplexed about what seems to be a cancer epidemic.
“There truly seems to be an outburst of cancer,” he said. “I have friends and family suffering. It could be the food we’re eating. I’m not so sure. I do know that back in the day when people grew their food in their backyards, there didn’t seem to be as many instances. Maybe we need to go back to growing our own food. We seem to have lost the sense of taking care of ourselves.”
For his part, Avant said he is eating right and teaching his seven-year-old son, Chase, to do the same.
“I try to eat right,” said Avant, whose latest CD (The Letter) debuted at #2 on iTunes R&B chart. “I’m a turkey and chicken kind of guy. I’m also trying to instill eating right in Chase. It’s a process. He’ll understand later.”
Regarding tonight’s “Voice for the Cure” performance, Avant has only one thing to say to his fans.
“I’d say come out and support this worthy cause. We’re all in this together.”
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Los Angeles County “Voices for the Cure” music series is being hosted by R&B Live, a weekly music series that showcases live music in a jam session format. RnB Live is donating a portion of their admission fee to Susan G. Komen For The Cure L.A. County.
The “Voices for the Cure” music series will be a recurring concert series featuring various musical artists across all genres of music.
This event will also help promote the 15th Annual Race for the Cure® on March 6, 2011 at Dodger Stadium.
R&B Live is located at 12229 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA. Doors at 9 p.m.