Grammy Winner Miguel Gives Private Concert for Woman Turning Life Around

R&B singer Miguel performed a concert at a Farmington Hills woman’s home last month after he was touched by her efforts to turn her life around. (All photos by Sasha Arutyunova, via Make Room)

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Grammy award-winning R&B singer Miguel made a move as smooth as his music last month when he brought his “Wildheart” tour to a packed Royal Oak Music Theatre.

He stopped by Farmington Hills, where he gave a command performance for Devona Rollins, 46, a single mom whose tough back story touched his heart.

The private concert was part of the “Concerts for the 1st” initiative under a partnership with Make Room, a campaign that works to “end the rental housing crisis in America,” according to its website.

One in four renters in the United States is a paycheck away from homelessness, according to Make Room. That represents 11 million families.

Rollins’ family is among them.

In a video on the Make Room website, she recalled a happy childhood that soured when her grandfather died.

“When he died, the family kind of fell apart,” Rollins said.

She admitted to “stumbling” and living in a “dark place” for many years as she began using drugs easily obtained on the street and became an addict. She did time in prison for money laundering.

“When I came home, I thought, ‘What do I do with my life?’ ” Rollins said.

“Then I really got it together,” she said. “She definitely changed my life.”

Working a nine-to-five job meant too many hours away from her family, so she started her own business, Efficient Business Solutions, which provides accounting and marketing services to small businesses.

But money is still tight for the single mother of three. Besides Jade, Rollins also has custody of a niece and nephew.

She moved her family from the inner city to Farmington Hills. The neighborhoods are safer and the schools are better, but the financial challenges are daunting.

More than half her income goes to rent in Farmington Hills, Rollins said.

“My income is based solely on me,” she said. “It weighs heavily on me. If I don’t work, I don’t eat – and not just me, the kids.”

Between the rent, utilities, car, groceries and insurance, “there’s not a lot left over,” Rollins said.

She said she hopes that her children can learn from her missteps earlier in life.

“More than anything, I would really like for them to know that they control their own destiny,” Rollins said. “They can leave here and be and do anything they want.”

Make Room created a donation page on CrowdRise to help Rollins and her family.

Below is a clip from the concert.