Lyndsanity | She’s Baaack! The Controversial Stacy Francis Returns on ‘R&B Divas’

Published On March 11, 2015 » By Lyndsey Parker » Music

Stacy Francis was the token villainess of The X Factor USA Season 1, even if that was a role she never wanted to play. She started off on the show, which was much-hyped at the time, as the frontrunner… but after Perez Hilton and other bloggers blasted her,accusing her of lying about her professional past, a major backlash ensued, and she ended up going home in 11th place.

“It was very hurtful and very disappointing. I’ve dealt with so much disappointment in my career and in my life… so it kind of put me back in a sad, depressed state,” Stacy, now 45, tells Yahoo Music. “So I had to dig into myself and say, ‘Hey, what am I doing to create this? How can I take responsibility for my condition and fix it?’ So I’ve done a lot of spiritual work, and a lot work on myself in the past couple years, and I’ve really looked at myself and changed a couple things about my thinking.”

But now Stacy is returning to the reality TV fray as a regular cast member on TVOne’s R&B Divas: Los Angeles (which also stars Lil Mo, Chante Moore, Michel’le, Leela James, and Chrisette Michelle). And while she only made her debut in the final 15 minutes of last week’s episode, she’s already bringing the drama. This time, however, Stacy seems to embrace it.

“Am I in-your-face and sort of New York and sassy and brassy? Yes. But I think the audience might appreciate it. Because there might be someone watching going, ‘Please put this [cast member] in her place, she’s being crazy,’ and I might be a person that’s representing you. And you’ll love me for it!” she laughs.

Stacy says this new show will allow people to see the real her, putting the spotlight on her charity work and actual music. But one thing that will be addressed: her nightclub altercation with Whitney Houston during 2012’s Grammy weekend, just two days before Whitney’s tragic death. It’s an understandably sore subject for Stacy, and when an R&B Divas cast member brings it up later this season, it’s sure to be a tense scene.

“I think that you didn’t hear my side of what happened because I think we should respect [Whitney’s] legacy,” Stacy says, denying tabloid rumors that Whitney Houston’s family was upset about Stacy’s involvement on R&B Divas. “It was very unfortunate what happened to her. And I loved her. I was a fan of hers. I listened to her music, and she was one of the most incredible singers. She inspired me as a singer. It left me in a very sensitive sort of situation, open to all sorts of criticism and everything. But Miss Houston is gone, and we need to respect her legacy and let her rest in peace.”

As for her X Factor run, Stacy has come to peace with that too, and harbors no hard feelings. “I love Simon Cowell so much,” she stresses. “No one else believed in me … he was the person that said, ‘Sing, just do what you do. Just sing.’ He gave me a platform in front of 15 million people every week for three months. I can’t be mad at that.”