Stacy Francis is an American singer and actress. She is best known for being a part of the girl group Ex Girlfriend and as a contestant in the first season of The X Factor USA. Francis has also made several television appearances on various shows. She also performed for Tom Cruise at his 40th birthday. Stacy participated in the nineteenth series of the UK television show Celebrity Big Brother as a "new star" housemate.
Stacy Francis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Stacy Francis |
| Also known as | Stacy Francis-Madison |
| Origin | Brooklyn, New York |
| Genres | R&B, soul, gospel |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, actress, keyboardist |
| Instrument(s) | Voice, keyboard |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Labels | Reprise Records, Full Force |
| Website | stacy-francis |
Career
edit1991–1994: Ex Girlfriend
editIn 1991, Francis joined a female group called Ex Girlfriend. Managed by the group Full Force to be their female counterpart, the group was signed to Forceful Records; a division of Reprise Records. Ex Girlfriend released their debut album X Marks the Spot in October 1991. The first single "Why Can't You Come Home" peaked in the top-five on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The success of the single invited them to perform on various TV shows including Soul Train. In August 1994, they released their second album It's a Woman Thang. Following the poor sales and management, Ex Girlfriend broke up in 1995.
1992–2009: Broadway debut and acting career
editIn 1992, Francis starred in an off-Broadway musical production of Mama, I Want To Sing!. Francis portrayed the lead role of Doris Winter, a character whose life is based on American singer Doris Troy. Francis remained with the production until 1996. During her time with the production in 1995, a soundtrack (titled Mama, I Want to Sing – 1995 Original London Cast) was released which features Francis, Troy, and Chaka Khan.[1][2]
In October 1998, Francis starred in the Broadway production of Footloose.[3] Playing the role of "Rusty", Francis performed lead vocals on "Somebody's Eyes" and "Let's Hear It for the Boy" while also sharing lead vocals on "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Footloose (Finale)". The songs were released on the Footloose the Musical (1998 Original Broadway Cast) in 1999. In 2000, she made a guest appearance as "Val" in two episodes of the American crime drama television series Third Watch. In 2001, she played "Carrie" in the episode of "Zol Zein Gezint" for the medical drama series Strong Medicine. In the same year, she made a guest appearance as "Maureen" in the American sitcom Yes, Dear.
In 2002, Francis guest-starred in Son of the Beach, Fastlane, and movie In My Opinion. In 2003, she made a guest appearance in the American comedy sitcom Half & Half for the episode "The Big Phat Mouth Episode: Part 2" as the sarcastic receptionist "Regina". In 2004, Francis appeared as "Miss Hanks" in the first season of Phil of the Future. In 2005, she appeared as "Shelby" in the independent romance film Friends and Lovers.
2011: The X Factor
editIn 2011, Francis auditioned for the first season of The X Factor USA in front of judges L.A. Reid, Paula Abdul, Cheryl Cole and Simon Cowell. She sang Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and received four yeses. At the beginning of bootcamp, she revealed that her father had just died.[4] She made it through bootcamp and to judges' houses, where she was mentored by Nicole Scherzinger, who replaced Cole. She was eliminated in week 4 after ending up in the bottom 2 with Astro as Reid, Abdul and Cowell kept Astro. However, Francis received more votes than Astro meaning if Cowell sent the result to deadlock, Astro would’ve been eliminated.
| Episode | Theme | Song choice | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | Auditionee's choice | "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" | Through to Bootcamp |
| Bootcamp 1 | Judges' choice | "A Song for You" | Advanced |
| Bootcamp 2 | Judges' choice | "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" | Advanced |
| Bootcamp 3 | Solo performance | "Summertime" | Advanced |
| Judges' houses | Solo | "Purple Rain" | Through to Live Shows |
| Live show 1 | — | "One More Try" | Saved by Nicole Scherzinger |
| Live show 2 | Judges' choice | "Up to the Mountain" | Safe (6th) |
| Live show 3 | Songs from Movies | "Queen of the Night" | Safe (8th) |
| Live show 4 | Rock | "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" | Bottom two |
| Final showdown (live show 4) | Sing-off | "Amazing Grace" | Eliminated by judges' votes (10th) |
2015–2017: The Stacy Francis Show and Celebrity Big Brother
editIn February 2015, Francis began her own talk show "The Stacy Francis Show". The episodes are uploaded via the show's YouTube account.[5] She also joined the cast of the third season for the TVOne series R&B Divas: Los Angeles.[6]
In January 2017, Francis became a new star housemate on Celebrity Big Brother 19 in the United Kingdom. She finished in 11th place.
2018–present: Recent activities
editIn 2018, Stacy signed to a global artist agency in London. She also released a single called "Into My Eyes", which featured American singer Brandy Norwood. Francis is currently working on West End in London.[7]
Philanthropy
editIn 2020 Stacy released her new song We Stand Together. In partnership with American Power and Gas.[8] The company has fed over one million meals and is now partnering with Stacy and her family's Church The Universal Church of God to feed the Brownsville community where she grew up.
In 2021 Stacy Francis and the artist Alex Righetto, her life partner founded The Stacy Francis Music, Art & Education Foundation,[9] with the purpose to give a future and the right to dream to those who have fewer opportunities. Giving food but also offering education and sustainability.
Discography
edit- Singles
- 2012: "Purple Rain"
- 2012: "I Am the Change"
- 2015: "I Still Believe"
- 2018: "Into My Eyes"
- 2020: "We Stand Together"
- 2022: "Eco Echo Earth Song"
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Bonfire of the Vanities | Gospel singer | Cameo appearance[citation needed] |
| 2002 | In My Opinion | India | |
| 2005 | Friends and Lovers | Shelby | |
| 2008 | The Club | N/A | Short film |
| 2009 | The Citation | Parking enforcement officer |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Third Watch | Val | Episodes: "32 Bullets and a Broken Heart", "A Thousand Points of Light)" |
| 2001 | Strong Medicine | Carrie | Episode: "Zol Zein Gezint" |
| Yes, Dear | Maureen | Episode: "Baby Fight Club" | |
| 2002 | Son of the Beach | Cleo Taurus | Episode: "In the Line of Booty" |
| Fastlane | Girl singer No. 1 | Episode: "Girls Own Juice" | |
| The Parkers | Choir singer | Episode: "Make a Joyful Noise" | |
| 2003 | Half & Half | Regina | Episode: "The Big Phat Mouth: Part 2" |
| 2004 | Phil of the Future | Miss Hanks | Episode: "Future Tutor" |
| 2011 | The X Factor USA | Herself | Contestant |
| 2011 | The Wendy Williams Show | Herself | Guest appearance |
| 2013 | RAI | Herself | Performance at the new years eve Italian national tv show with Paul Savino, Il Volo and Arisa[10] |
| 2017 | Celebrity Big Brother | Herself | Housemate (series 19) |
| 2019 | Sky new | Herself | Guest appearance for the launch of Bare a pop opera[11]) |
| 2021 | Expresso Morning SHOW | Herself | Guest appearance ([12]) |
| 2022 | Well TV Channel Sky 810 | Herself | Guest appearance [13] |
References
edit- ^ "Mama, I Want to Sing - 1995 Original London Cast". CastAlbums.org. May 9, 1995. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
- ^ Mama I Want to Sing > Library of Congress. Library of Congress. Retrieved on July 13, 2019
- ^ "IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information". IBDB.com 4:44 pm – December 24, 2011.
- ^ "Stacy Francis Bio". November 18, 2011.
- ^ The Stacy Francis Show. YouTube. Retrieved on September 27, 2015
- ^ Angermiller, Michele Amabile (February 6, 2015). "'X Factor' Alum Stacy Francis Joins Cast of 'R&B Divas L.A.'". Billboard. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ "Stacy Francis left in tears during rehearsals of demanding LGBT play". June 20, 2019.
- ^ "APG Teams up with Broadway Star and X Factor Finalist, Stacy Francis to Feed America". June 23, 2020.
- ^ "Homepage". MAE Foundation. July 23, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ "Stacy Francis & Il Volo Duet - The Christmas Song". YouTube. December 26, 2013.
- ^ "Sky News interview". YouTube. July 31, 2021.
- ^ "Stacy Francis on Expresso Show | 3 May 2021 | FULL SHOW". YouTube. May 3, 2021.
- ^ "Stacy Francis's interview about Whitney Houston, Madonna, Will Smith, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin". YouTube. October 12, 2022.
External links
edit- Official website
- Stacy Francis at IMDb
- Stacy Francis discography at Discogs