'X Factor' Contestant Stacy Francis Accused of Lying About Past Success
We've witnessed it for years on 'American Idol': as soon as audience voting begins, past scandals concerning the contestants start rearing their salacious heads, and it appears that 'The X Factor' will continue that trend.According to Perez Hilton, popular "Over 30" contestant Stacy Francis hasn't been entirely honest about her musical past as she's progressed through the competition.
During the audition rounds, the single mother of two told the judges that she'd been unemployed for 12 years, but further investigation has reportedly uncovered a solid musical career that saw Francis singing alongside Madonna, Chaka Khan and Prince, as well as appearing in made-for-TV movies and Broadway shows.
According to her recently-deleted website, Francis has also enjoyed a contract with Warner Bros. Records and appeared on several television shows, including live performances on 'The Rosie O' Donnell Show,' 'Showtime At The Apollo,' and 'Soul Train.'
None of this would be particularly scandalous (since numerous 'Idol' contestants have courted controversy over past record deals) if Francis hadn't taken to Twitter to deny many of the accusations leveled at her, thereby whipping fans and gossipmongers into a frenzy.
She has denied touring with Chaka Khan, Madonna or Prince, and though her website would seem to confirm this (sort of -- we've included an excerpt below), it appears that Francis is arguing semantics rather than addressing the real issue of how much success she's enjoyed in the music industry, preferring to utilize the "sob story" angle that many auditionees use to stand out during the early rounds of singing contests:
"An ardent desire to perform in musical theater lead [sic] to a starring role opposite the legendary recording artist, Chaka Kahn in the West End production of "Mama I Want To Sing" in London. This afforded her the opportunity to perform at the Olivier Awards, Britain's equivalent to the American Tony Awards. Other noted performances include singing background vocals for Madonna and having the privilege of performing in concert beside Prince - he featured her with his band."
At this point, it seems that the outrage stems not from Francis' previous success, but from her attempts to downplay it -- but have the 'X Factor' producers encouraged her to hide her past simply to drum up audience sympathies? Would viewers be less inclined to vote for her, knowing that she's had a record deal or sung opposite renowned performers? It's impossible to say, but if Francis wants to limit the damage to her reputation, it might be advisable to acknowledge her past before asking viewers to judge her on her present situation.
'The X Factor' airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8PM ET on Fox. The contestants will sing for America's votes starting from tonight, and you can now vote via Twitter.
Do you think Francis' past music career matters to viewers, or should they judge her on her performances now?

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