Gaye Magazine Covers Exclusive Season 2 Screening of Deb’s House R&B, Contestant AJ Quates Talks Competing on the Show

On Thursday night, Aug. 22, the Williamsburg Music Hall transformed into a sanctuary of rhythm, power, and legacy as We TV unveiled an exclusive screening of Season w of Deb's House. Gaye Magazine got the distinct honor of covering the event, and, the energy in that room was not just about television, it was about testimony.

With the official premier Landing, Friday, Aug. 22, fans were given a first look at what promises to be deeper, fiercer, and more soul-stirring journey into music mogul Deb Antney’s search for the next female R&B superstar.

If Season 1 set the foundation, Season 2 arrives with a sharper edge and an even bigger arsenal. Ms. Deb, revered for her honesty and unwavering ear for talent, has enlisted some heavy ways to sit by her side this season.

• Waka Flocka Flame, rapper and entrepreneur, whose straight-no-chaser perspective on the music business remains unmatched.
• LeLee Lyons, of the legendary R&B group SWV, who carries with her not just experience but a legacy of Black women reshaping the music industry.
• KeKe Wyatt, platinum-selling vocal powerhouse whose voice alone can baptize a crowd, bringing the kind of hard-earned wisdom contestants can’t find in any textbook.

Together, they form a council for the show –tough but nurturing, critical yet deeply invested in the futures of the young women who dared to step into Deb’s house.

The screening of episode 1 wasn’t just a passive watch party. To celebrate the unveiling, the contestants – each fighting for a chance at R&B immortality –delivered a live performance of En Vougue’s iconic anthem, “Don’t Let Go (Love).”

When those harmonies hit the ceiling, the Music Hall shook with recognition. It wasn’t just nostalgia; it was beauty personified. These women carried the weight of a song that defined an era and spun it forward into this moment, their voices weaving both homage and defiance –firmly declaring that R&B is not dead.

The performance stood as a reminder of why Deb’s House matters –not just as reality TV, but as a cultural intervention. Black women, queer women, and women often told to dim their brilliance took the stage and made it undeniable: they are the now, they are the future of R&B.

Season 2 is not only more vocal acrobatics but also the raw and unfiltered personal journeys behind the talent. Contestants will be pushed into vocal drills, emotional reckonings, and eliminations that sting. But under the gaze of Ms. Deb and her judges, the show continues to carve itself as more than a competition –it is an incubator for survival, confidence, and artistry.

One contestant who immediately caught attention is AJ Quates (@ajquatesofficial), the only white contestant in the cast and a masculine –presenting lesbian. AJ not only turned heads with her stage presence but also offered a refreshing reminder that queerness and music have always been intertwined, even when industry narratives try to erase it.

After the screening, Gaye Magazine have a chance to sit down with AJ for an exclusive conversation. What emerge was a glimpse not only into her artistry but into the vulnerability courage it takes a step into Deb’s house as both an artist and a queer woman forging her own lane.

Exclusive Interview: AJ Quates

Saint Trey: AJ congratulations on being a part of Season 2 of Deb’s House. You are amazing during your performance with the rest of your cast mates.

AJ Quates: Thanks! I appreciate that!

Saint Trey: As a queer, masc-presenting artist, who are the queer or masc-presenting artists (past or present) that inspire your artistry?

AJ Quates: Amanda Perez all the way [and] since I was a kid. To be real with you, every time I sing, I am real big on TikTok [people tell me] you sing and sound just like Amanda Perez. I think its the neck tats and the short hair, and I’m short – I don’t know her music just speaks to me, I know every one of her songs through and though. And, she put a big light on people like me and made me believe that I can make it. So I’m gonna make it.

Saint Trey: What has been one of the most informative lessons you’ve learned since being on the show and in Deb’s House?

AJ Quates: Most informative thing that I learned so far is that you can’t trust everybody and thats a given. And, really it’s not about how you look. I went into Deb’s House thinkin’ I’m the only white girl, I’m a lesbian, I’m tatted, they gon’ look at me like I’m different, which I am but I use that to my advantage.

Saint Trey: What does masculinity mean to you within R&B—a genre often associated with sensuality and vulnerability?

AJ Quates: My masculinity, I tell you it like this – I’m a big lover, R&B is a big love thing to me, and I think it got lost over the years. I’m a big 90s [R&B] lover, and I am still believe in romance, so as it relates to my masculinity, people kinda surprised by me when they hear how well I sing and and see all my tattoos, and think that I am a hard ass, but I am really a lover. That’s why I love R&B music, it’s for all of us no matter if you’re masculine or feminine. It’s for all of us.

Saint Trey: R&B has traditionally leaned on very heteronormative love stories. How do you carve out space for queer narratives in your music?

AJ Quates: Everything is possible. It’s a first time for everything. Amanda Pereze is kinda doing it as I mentioned a little earlier, she’s diving more into music now, there is more queer leaning, because I know a lot of her past stuff wasn’t. And, I feel like if you listen to my music its all carved out that way. And, I am going to make a way for myself no matter what. Umm, I believe love isn’t about men or women, you love who you love, and I am going to make that known. I love women without a doubt. Women love me and I am going to sing about it. I’m gonna write songs about it.

Saint Trey: What’s next for you?

AJ Quates: The gym! hahahahaha. No, I need to keep my health write, and on some serious shit I am going to put out hella music for homos. Women on women.

Saint Trey: AJ! It’s been a pleasure talking with you tonight and best of luck. I am going to be looking out for some bangers.

AJ Quates: Saint T! I appreciate you my boy. We definitely have some heat coming soon.

Why Deb’s House Still Matters

There is no shortage of reality music competitions. But few do what Deb’s House does: center the voices and struggles of women, particularly Black woman, with the level of authenticity and rigor rarely seen in mainstream entertainment.

Deb Antney is not just building stars; she is building survivors. In a world that chews up talent and spits out bodies, Deb’s House insist that greatness is born of both brilliance and resilience. Season 2 looks to prove this truth once again.

As a light dimmed last night, I left the Williamsburg Music Hall thinking about the ways we watch women fight for space, fight for sound, fight for recognition –and how deeply necessary it is that we honor them not just with applause, but with appreciation.

Season 2 of Deb’s House is more than a show. It is a reminder to those still daring to sing and reach for their dreams.