EDGEWATER, Fla. -- Tia McDonald is not a rich girl in real life, but she has had some rich experiences with the likes of Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers. Recently, the 17-year-old junior at New Smyrna Beach High School starred in a Hollywood video for the boy band Down with Webster and its debut record, "Rich Girl$."
It's a remake of the 1977 No. 1 Hall & Oates classic, "Rich Girl," but with new lyrics and some rapping.
McDonald plays the role of the rich girl in the video, who hosts a wild party after her socialite parents take a trip.
So how did McDonald land the role?
"Well, It all started when I heard their song on the radio, and being a friend of Tyler Armes, who plays guitar, I texted him saying 'congratulations!!!' He then asked if I would like to be in the music video and the next morning, I was on my way to California. That's when the journey began. The taxi driver got us to set a bit late so I didn't think I would be able be in the video, but when I got there, the producer then asked me -- which there were about 35 other models there -- if I wanted to be the rich girl."
So how did McDonald land the role?
"Well, It all started when I heard their song on the radio, and being a friend of Tyler Armes, who plays guitar, I texted him saying 'congratulations!!!' He then asked if I would like to be in the music video and the next morning, I was on my way to California. That's when the journey began. The taxi driver got us to set a bit late so I didn't think I would be able be in the video, but when I got there, the producer then asked me -- which there were about 35 other models there -- if I wanted to be the rich girl."
McDonald paid her own way out there for the three-day shoot that was actually done in 18 hours.
So how was the experience?
"It was amazing, it was one of the coolest experiencves I've had," McDonald said.
Hooking up with the teen-elite is nothing new to McDonald who has met the Disney likes of Miley Cyrus and her Hannah Montana crew, the kids from the "Suite Life of Zack and Cody," the cast of "That's So Raven," and of course, the Jonas Brothers.
McDonald is no stranger to the stage and the spotlight. She's performed locally with the New Smyrna Beach's own Beu Sisters, and held several pageant titles, including Miss Daytona Teen, Miss Volusia Teen and culminating with Miss Teen Florida, with her one-year reign ending a week ago Saturday. McDonald, though, has not had an easy life. She's never known her father and her older brother, Ben, died of an accidental drug overdose several years back. Her mom works as many hours as she can as a registered nurse to provide for her only daughter.
"My mom's a single parent so he raised me when she was working," McDonald recalled. "When he died, we all kind of fell apart. Things have gotten a lot better, though."
McDonald said she's enjoying her teen-age life, with her first priority being her studies, for which she has an "A" average with her dream to become a broadcast journalist. She's heavily involved in community projects as well, having raised $48,000 for special needs children and starting up a mentoring class to keep sixth graders on track. She also wrote a teen blog for NSBNEWS.net.