Catching up with Frenchie Davis is difficult these days. She has kept herself busy earning a college degree, beginning her film career, recording music and, in general, performing her ass off.
Frenchie’s career began officially, in the nation’s eyes, when she competed and was later disqualified in 2003 from one of the early seasons of American Idol. Yet even that professional hiccup catapulted her towards her Broadway career, and again into the national spotlight with another television show: The Voice. Having a sense of self, and positive outlook on life, has allowed Frenchie to achieve greatness from both the hiccups, and the successful events in her life.
David Atlanta: Your scheduled to perform tonight at the GLAAD Atlanta awards, are you excited?
Frenchie Davis: I’ve been running around Atlanta getting ready for it. Getting my hair cut and figuring out what I’m going to wear. Cause you know, it’s kind of black tie. I have this beautiful blue Ralph Lauren long flowy number that I think will be perfect.
DA: What do you have in mind to perform tonight?
FD: I do! I am going to sing “Home” from The Wiz, which is always a number they always seem to request for these kinds of things. I’m also doing a rendition of Firework by Katy Perry with an R&B spin.
DA: I love your name Frenchie, but it comes from your real name Franchall. How did the name Frenchie evolve?
FD: I am name after my maternal grandmother, and my college friends just starting calling me [Frenchie] on their own. It just kind of stuck as a stage name.
DA: You just recently graduated from Howard University. What made you go back to finish your degree?
FD: I went back in the fall of last year and graduated in May. I was just accepted into the MBA program at the University of Interpol in London. Now I’m just trying to map out how all that is going to work. Education has always been important to me. I actually was a junior in college when I got my first job doing Little Shop of Horrors at a theater company in Germany, and that was about a year or so before I auditioned for Idol, and then after Idol I went to Broadway and started working non-stop. Going back to finish my degree was never far from my mind.
DA: What do you like about Atlanta and the people here?
FD: I have so many friends from college here and even have some family here, so it’s growing on me. I mean, I’m a California girl, through and through. I miss my power walks on the beach, but Atlanta has a lovely landscape and there’s a growing artistic community here that I find myself drawn to. Particularly on the music side. Obviously my theatrical stuff takes me to New York, my TV and film stuff and behind the scenes production work is in L.A. Musically though I tend to end up in Atlanta a lot. The recording studio that I am working with on my album is here is Atlanta.
DA: You’re talking about Just Frenchie?
FD: Yes
DA: Oh wonderful! I am so happy you’re working on that again. I loved the single “Loves Got a Hold On Me.”
FD: Thank you so much. Yeah, when you’re an independent artist a lot of the funding for these projects comes from your own pocket. I think at some point I might even explore that whole Kickstarter avenue.
DA: That would be a great avenue for you because you already have such a strong following.
FD: Fingers crossed (laughs).
DA: Later next month, you are scheduled to headline at Vena at Vinings. It’s like dinner theater. Do you enjoy the occasional smaller venue and more intimate performance?
FD: For this particular style of show, yes. A lot of the arrangements will come from the French and Kat show, which is my cabaret show that played in New York earlier this year.
Kathryn Lounsbery, she’s my piano player and co-star in the show. She and I kind of created the French and Kat show one drunken night in a piano bar. We just made up our own soulful arrangements of everything from “Lollipop” by Lil’ Wayne, to “Crazy On You” by Heart – everything from Hip Hop to Trash Metal. It started off as just kind of a joke and us being silly, and then before you knew it people were saying that we should do this as a for real show. So this show definitely works best in a more intimate space. Katheryn [Lounsbery] will not be able to make this show, but I have a great understudy that will be playing piano for me.
DA: You described Kathryn as your “musical soul mate and non-sexual life partner,” how did that come about?
FD: Yeah, we’re friends for life. We just get each other. Our humor is so similar, and our musical taste is also so similar. She’s like this little white girl from Milwaukie, Wisconsin who has a naked Liberace in a bubble bath hanging over her bathtub, and Nina Simone hanging over her piano. She’s amazing, and one of the most musical people I know.
DA: You also participated in a documentary about queer music culture. What can you tell us about that?
FD: You know what’s funny is that I didn’t even know that I was in a documentary. They didn’t get our permission for any of that. So that was interesting news to me (laughs).
DA: Well you’re in there with Dolly Parton, so you’re in good stead. I’m just curious to see what Dolly has to say about queer music culture.
FD: Right! I’m curious as well.
DA: You had your film debut in a comedy called Dumbbells a little while back. Did you enjoy exploring your comedic acting?
FD: That was with Carl Reiner and Tom Arnold, and it was a hysterical experience. I was with Jaleel White, who everybody knows as…
DA: Eirkel!
FD: Right, from Family Matters. I think that once I tapped into my funny-bone, I really found who I was as an actress. After that I got to do Herlarious with Wanda Sykes. Key and Peele called me about being on an episode of their show, but I was working and couldn’t make it. I was so bummed. So…shout-out to them, hoping that they’ll keep me in mind for future episodes.
I’ve also been working as a producer for an Indi-film called Follow. That film has to do with queer issues and families. It’s a beautiful film. It’s about interracial gay couples that are struggling to plan their wedding, and adopt their son, and dealing with all of the social issues surrounding everything that they are. It’s just a beautiful, beautiful film.
DA: When is that slated to begin?
FD: Next, after Café Vena, I am going to start production for the film Follow. And I’m going to finish my album. The follow-up single should be coming out after the New Year. In addition to the dance album, I am working on a soulful pop, R&B album as well.
DA: So you’re working on two albums now?
FD: Yes, I’m doing my dance stuff because I want to keep my gays twirling on the dance floor. I’m also getting back to my roots, you know, the music that made me fall in love with singing in the first place.
DA: You had stated in 2012 that you were going to throw in a few power ballads into the dance album, but I guess that kind of evolved into its own album?
FD: Yeah, we’re like six songs in on the R&B project and we’re almost done with the dance album. It just came together that way.
DA: You are such a positive person and that obviously comes from within. Who do you lean on when you’re feeling low?
FD: Oh, my friends and family. I’m really blessed to have had the same friends since I was 15 years old. Not a lot of people in this business can say that. I am a positive person, but I have my days when I feel down. That’s when having that support system really comes in.
DA: How has your life been since coming out publicly as bisexual in 2012?
FD: Well, luckily for me, the LGBT community makes such a huge part of my fan base that it didn’t change anything negatively for me. If anything, it has made me more liberated. I even feel liberated by the scandal around American Idol. I’ve already been publicly shamed, so what can they do to me now? I’m who I want to be, and the rest doesn’t matter.
DA: That’s a great outlook. Maybe we should all be shamed publicly on some level.
FD: Yeah.
DA: Queen Latifah even spoofed you a little bit on Saturday Night Live.
FD: I think I’m a little bit more well spoken than the way she portrayed me, but hey, an Oscar nominated actress played me on Saturday Night Live. So, you’re welcome (laughs).
DA: So are you dating anyone right now?
FD: Um, I kind of am, actually. It’s kind of new. I’m still healing from the breakup with my ex-partner. We were together for three years, so that’s kind of a long time. In lesbian years that’s like a decade. It’s been six months now since the breakup and I’m still healing a little bit, but I have been going on a few dates, and I’m seeing someone I like.
DA: Now the personal question: Is the person a boy or a girl?
FD: It’s a girl. Actually she’s a woman. My ex was a girl, this one’s a woman (laughs).