Frenchie Davis, the name brings many things to mind, after stealing the national spotlight on the first season of NBC’s “The Voice” as a Top Four Finalist, as well as season two of “American Idol” her single “Love’s Got a Hold On Me” is currently a Billboard Dance Hit Smash.
She is currently working on her debut LP “Just Frenchie” a collection of original material written specifically for her. Having conquered Broadway as a cast member of “Rent” and the Grammy nominated revival of “Ain’t Misbehavin” Ms. Davis has it going on.
With a Christmas single due to drop and her recent “coming out” Frenchie is a force of nature, not to mention a vocal powerhouse to be reckoned with.
Frenchie truly desires only one thing: “I want to live my life to inspire people to be brave and courageous, to believe in themselves and never take no for an answer.”
MS: I was playing “Love's Got a Hold On Me” right before you called, when I was listening to it, not that you sound like her, but you remind me a lot of Donna Summer.
FD: Oh my gosh, that's a huge compliment, I love her!
MS: The reason for the comparison is Donna was the only Disco I could stand as vocals were the focus, not just the music and the beat.
FD: Exactly! That's what I've been wanting to do with my upcoming album and this single. Bring good strong vocals back to dance music. I grew up listening to dance music, people like Jocelyn Brown and Martha Wash, so the dance music I grew up with featured singers with big voices.
MS: Not to get too personal, but you sort of kind of, pseudo came out recently.
FD: It wasn't something that I planned on doing, because far as I was concerned everyone who needed to know, knew about my sexuality. My friends, my family, my loved ones, the person I am sleeping with. At the end of the day those are the only people whose business it is really. It's interesting when someone uses the phrase coming out when in actuality I had already been out. I do recognize the significant difference between being open and honest with your loved ones and allowing media scrutiny into your personal life. So, did I allow the media into my personal life? “Yes” I was doing a media interview and I answered a question honestly and that answer ended up being a headline: “Frenchie Davis Comes Out”.
MS: Yeah, I read about it on The Huffington Post just before you called, I think it being out there helps other people.
FD: It was important to just be honest and not give ambiguous answers in interviews to me. I like to tell it like it is.
MS: You still consider yourself bi-sexual and I know there is a lot of animosity towards that in the Gay Community.
FD: One of the things that made it so important to me to be who I am, is not only to combat Homophobia in the straight community, but to also help combat Bi phobia in the Gay Community. I have the same take on Homophobia in the Black Community that I do on Bi phobia in the Gay Community, I think it's apalling that a group of people that know what it's like to be discriminated against can justify bigotry towards another group of people. I get certain groups of people may not understand it, but unless you are screwing me, you don't need to fucking understand it.
MS: So, you really didn't come out, you got real.
FD: Exactly!
MS: Hows your album “Just Frenchie” coming along?
FD: Yes, I am “Just Frenchie” (laughs) I decided to name it that because I have been on all these reality shows and people are familiar with my voice, but they are hearing me sing other people's songs. This will be the first time I am singing songs that haven't been sung by anybody else, they are just me. It's going to be mostly dance music I definitely will throw on a few power ballads, but knowing me, there will probably be numerous dance mixes for those power ballads. It's exciting to be able to merge my love of soulful singing with my love of dance music.
MS: You are also releasing a Christmas single really soon.
FD: I want the single to be perfect, I meet people all the time that say” “My Mother loves you” we watched you on “The Voice”. So I am doing this for all the Mom's out there that love me.
She's “Just Fenchie” at: http://www.frenchiedavis.org/
