No, it’s not Ryan Seacrest Songstress, Frenchie Davis has come out the closet. The “ American Idol ” and “Voice” alum has revealed to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that she’s been dating a woman for the past year, though she offers no other details on the relationship. “I wasn’t out before the relationship, but I wasn’t in,” she told the publication. “I dated men and women, though lesbians weren’t feeling the bisexual thing. Now I’m in love with a woman I think I can be with forever.” The singer, who performed in Broadway’s “Rent” and toured with a production of “Dreamgirls,” also professes her love of gay men in the interview. “I love the gays,” she says. “I love the gay boys. They have that awesome, masculine energy, but there’s also something else going on as well.” It’s shaping up to be a banner year for Davis, who performs this weekend at the Chicago Pride Fest and is also working a new album, which she described as dance-oriented. “I love coming to Chicago for Pride,” Davis told GoPride, noting that she plans to perform her new single during her concert there. “I’m so excited!” Good for her! But we have to wonder, why does anyone need to make “an announcement” to others about their private life? Maybe Frenchie should take a page from the Raven Symone School of Quietly Living With Your Sexuality. Source
‘My wife has been my rock,’ Against Me! frontwoman says, but adds her new life ‘has completely ended’ her relationship with her father. By James Montgomery Laura Jane Grace Photo: Last month, Laura Jane Grace very publically came out as transgender in a Rolling Stone feature, bringing to close 31 years of living with a carefully guarded secret and effectively beginning a brand-new life. Of course, things weren’t quite as simple as that: Laura’s revelation only came after an intense year-long period of self-evaluation and open, often painful honesty. And when she and her Against Me! mates sat down with MTV News for their first on-camera interview since the Rolling Stone story broke, they spoke at length about just how she came out to the band . But that’s only part of the story. Because before Laura shared the news with her friends, she had to come out to her family, including her wife, Heather. And, as is often the case with life-altering events like this, there’s been some collateral damage along the way — including the unwanted attention Laura’s transgender life has brought on Heather and their daughter, Evelyn. “I mean, my daughter is my biggest worry of it all. Heather, my wife, has been my rock; she’s shown me support and love beyond my wildest expectations. On this tour in particular, it’s our first family tour, and she has, from the get-go, made sure people realize it’s Laura, to use the correct pronouns, and has been my biggest advocate and supporter. And whenever I’m feeling like I need any kind of strength, I look to her for that,” Laura told MTV News. “For my daughter, I’m hoping it doesn’t affect her in any negative way, as far as kids can be cruel to each other, once she starts school. It’s already weird enough when your dad is in a band, explaining that to other kids, but when your dad is transsexual as well … I just hope people are kind to my daughter.” In the Rolling Stone piece, Laura also expressed doubts over just how Heather’s parents would handle the news — they’re described as “somewhat conservative” — though, as she revealed, she’s been overjoyed by the support they’ve shown her. “I saw them actually, for the first time [since the RS story published] when we played in Chicago,” she said. “I woke up on the bus and they were all in the front lounge, and I came out wearing last night’s makeup, my hair was all disheveled, and it was like, ‘OK, here’s everybody! Good morning!’ But they all couldn’t have been more supportive and couldn’t be cooler about the whole thing.” Sadly, the same can’t be said for Laura’s father, a retired Army major with whom she’s never truly been close. At the conclusion of the RS story, Laura said she still hadn’t told her father she was transgender — though obviously, since the news came out, he’s aware, and he’s had a difficult time coming to terms with her new life. Though, tellingly, Laura isn’t letting that stop her on her new path. If anything, it’s inspired her to continue — if not for her sake, then for her daughter’s. “It has completely ended my relationship with my father. It is what it is,” she said. “For me, there were so many things leading up to this decision to come out to this publicly. Having my daughter, like, I had never had that close of a relationship with my father, and when I had my daughter, my father tried to become more a part of my life, because he obviously wanted to have a relationship with his granddaughter. And as I saw that develop, and as we became closer, because of that it was something that started to tear me up inside. “It was like, ‘OK, here we are, I’m building this relationship and setting this example for my daughter, and what are the ramifications of that if this person doesn’t even accept their son? And then they’re going to develop a relationship with my daughter; what kind of example is that setting to them?’ ” she continued. “I wanted this in so many ways to be a line in the sand with people, as far as ‘This is me. If you have a problem with this, then get out of my life.’ And if that’s the way it is. It’s unfortunate, but what can I do about it?” Related Artists Against Me!
2 Chainz, who is currently touring with Drake, will join the Young Money queen for the North American leg starting in July. By Rob Markman Nicki Minaj Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images When 2 Chainz and YMCMB hook up, good things are bound to happen. With only two more dates left on Drake ‘s Club Paradise run, it was announced on Tuesday (June 19) that Drizzy’s tourmate, 2 Chainz, will be joining Nicki Minaj on the North American leg of her Pink Friday Tour . The two first hooked up on Nicki’s “Beez in the Trap” single earlier this year, but their relationship actually dates back to around 2008, when the both were on the road with Lil Wayne. “I’ve known Nicki for a minute; I met her on the I Am Music Tour, the first leg with Wayne,” 2 Chainz told MTV News in April. “It was cool, we had a great relationship, we used to talk, trip out here and there.” “He’s an amazing dude, very hard worker,” Nicki told us in April. Their camaraderie was evident in the “Beez in the Trap” video as Minaj shared a dance with the Atlanta MC. Nicki has been known to give lap dances to guests during her shows, so don’t be surprised if she and Tity Boi share a special moment or two when they hit the road in Chicago on July 16. The news comes a day after 2 Chainz and Drake dropped their video for “No Lie.” The rising single is the first off his upcoming solo debut Based on a T.R.U. Story, which is slated to drop on August 14, two days after he and Nicki wrap up their last scheduled date in Vancouver, B.C. Are you planning to catch Nicki Minaj and 2 Chainz on tour this summer? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Nicki Minaj 2 Chainz
T.I. admits to courting the 16-year-old Chicago MC, but supports his decision to sign with Interscope. By Rob Markman T.I. Photo: Chief Keef has had a hell of a weekend. Not only did the 16-year-old Chicago MC sign a record deal with Interscope, he also got a chance to perform at Birthday Bash in front of 20,000 ATL rap fans. Keef was one of T.I. ‘s many special guests, which included Usher, Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy. Backstage, Tip gave the youngster the ultimate co-sign. “Chief Keef, I feel like he represents a part of America,” T.I. told MTV News. “He represents a part of the youth in America that ain’t really got a voice right now. We looking at ’em, and we’re seeing the results of their actions, but we ain’t really listening to ’em, and I think you gotta have a representative of each generation in order to understand what they dealing with.” Because of his power in the rap game, Tip feels it’s his responsibility to try to understand and help young rappers. Keef garnered a ton of attention thanks to underground standout tracks “I Don’t Like” and “3 Hunna.” The former is a gritty street track that denounces snitching and fake True Religion jeans. The song’s video has already amassed more than 6 million views on YouTube and caught the attention of Kanye West, who, along with Keef, Pusha T, Big Sean and Jadakiss, remixed the track. A number of industry executives have expressed interest in signing the young rapper. Birdman was vocal about courting the young spitter, but it was Interscope that presented the best offer. “They was talking good to me,” he told RapFix. “They was talking like I was talking, and I liked that. All these other labels, I was talking to ’em, but it’s time anyway for me, and I’m going with Interscope.” T.I. said there was an opportunity for Keef to join his Grand Hustle family, but he respects the young rapper’s decision. Tip is just happy that the go-getter was able to make a way for himself. “The opportunity existed, but I never put my own personal wishes before the best interest of the next person,” T.I. said. “I’m just happy that he’s able to do whatever’s best for him and his family and to move forward as a person and to progress in life. As long as he’s doing that, I’m happy.” What do you think Chief Keef’s signing to Interscope? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists Chief Keef T.I.
Wepa!!! President Obama Announces New Policy To Stop Deportation Of Illegal Immigrants In a scene unfolding in many Latino communities throughout the country, the graduation ceremony at Garcia High School in Chicago was especially celebratory Saturday: 20 percent of the graduating seniors are illegal immigrants who can now put their education to use with work permits authorized by President Obama’s new immigration rules. “What the president did this week was an amazing gift to me and other students who are undocumented,” graduating senior Andrea Labra, 18, told CNN. “It’s just an emotional thing to have the same opportunities that other students have and that we didn’t have just because we didn’t have papers,” added Labra, who was born in Mexico and came to the United States at age 5 with her family. For the class of 2012, the routine tossing of mortarboards in the air was more emotional than anticipated, said classmate Rodrigo Espinoza, 18, who’s also an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. His family brought him to the United States when he was 3 months old. “It’s so unexpected,” Espinoza said of Obama’s executive order, announced Friday. “It’s like a dream. I can finally do something with my life now.” Espinoza is going to study bio-engineering on a scholarship at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He wants to find a cure for cancer, he said. “I’m determined to do it now that I have a chance to do it,” said Espinoza, who will be the first one in his family to go to college. As an honors graduate, a yellow sash topped his blue cap and gown. “This is going to change my life. It was a life-changing experience for all of us and for my family,” he added about the new immigration rules announced Friday. Juan Rangel, the leader of Chicago’s largest Hispanic advocacy organization that runs Hector P. Garcia High and 10 other city charter schools, said the White House announcement was “a high note for the graduating ceremony.” Ol’ Barry O is pushing the right buttons to get those votes as we get closer to the election. Your move “Money Makin” Mitt… Hit the flip to find out exactly what the POTUS’ new executive order means for these hard-working immigrant students. Source Image via AP
On this week’s episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, “True Love, True Lies,” we saw plenty of both as the gang partied both in Chicago and down at the Shore. We break down all the love, laughs, and lies in THG’s +/- recap! Teresa is on the cover of yet another magazine?!? But really, is anyone shocked. If Teresa’s in this for any reason it’s certainly the fame…and the money.
German DJ tells MTV News of creating big new sound on song’s re-edit to play for summer festival crowds. By Nick Philippou Moguai Photo: Thomas Niedermueller/ Getty Images EDM fans worldwide know Moguai as one of the most diverse and prolific music-makers on deadmau5’s Mau5trap label, an epicenter of EDM creativity. MTV News caught up with the German DJ recently, and he gave us all the details on his latest album, MPire, and on his synth-centric collaboration with Tommy Trash called “In N’ Out,” including their revved up re-edit that’s available on iTunes and is hovering high up on the Beatport charts. “We did [the track] three and a half years ago in Germany. I know him only from touring of Australia, and in Germany or Europe nobody knew him at that time,” Moguai told MTV News. “We did it, but it never came out. So I put it on the album, and right now it fits perfectly in the time.” Moguai said that “In N’ Out” landing on his album is the kind of happy coincidence that always happens when DJs tour together. He added that including the track on his album was even more exciting after Trash had a huge year in 2011, with tracks like “The End” and “Cascade” becoming staples in DJ sets around the world. “In N’ Out” works well with MPire ‘s melting pot of sound, which ranges from the quintessential progressive sound in “Lyme” to electro-house euphoria on the album’s title track. Moguai told MTV News that they wanted to have a really big new sound on their edit of “In N’ Out” for the huge festival crowds over the summer. Moguai’s adding more U.S. tour dates this summer. He’ll be making his first summer tour stop on June 8 at Level in Kelowna, British Columbia. Then he’s off to Chicago on June 9 to play Vision before hitting a plethora of festivals and nightclubs. “I think EDM has found a new home here in America, but it’s like the beginning, like hip-hop and R&B,” he said. “It’s a cultural thing right now. It won’t disappear anymore.” Moguai has seen EDM grow into the mainstream in his native Germany, and he sees many parallels between the explosion of EDM in America and what Europe experienced nearly two decades ago. “We had it in Germany,” Moguai told MTV News. “We’re still having it, but it feels like back in the days, back in the early ’90s, you know, when we started with Love Parade and with the Mayday. It began with 500 people around Berlin, around Brandenburg, and from there the next year it was 5000, then 50,000, then 500,000, then 1.5 million, then 2 million, you know, and it grew up. [It] feels quite the same [energy] here.” Related Artists Moguai
Australian singer also prepping U.S. tour and re-release of his 2006 album. By Gil Kaufman Gotye Photo: Eleven Gotye has scored the longest-running #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Somebody That I Used To Know.” So if one hit is good, 10 must be better, right? That seems to be the logic behind the upcoming release of a “Somebody” remix album, which, according to The Hollywood Reporter , is scheduled to drop on iTunes June 8 and feature reworkings of the song by Adrock, Tiesto, Gang of Colours, Bibio, M-Phazes, Faux Pas, 4Frnt, Sneaker For, Dan Aux and Miami Nights 1984. “Somebody” just marked its seventh week at #1, passing the year’s other inescapable single, fun.’s “We Are Young,” which held the top spot for six weeks. And if you’re psyched about that Gotye bounty, you’ll be even more excited to hear that the singer’s Australia-only 2006 sophomore album, Like Drawing Blood , will get re-released in the U.S. in July. But wait, there’s more! Gotye will kick off a 33-date North American tour on August 22 in Denver, Colorado at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre with support from Chairlift, Missy Higgins and Zammuto, but, alas, not Kimbra, the other voice heard on “Somebody.” Along the way, the tour will take Gotye to a number of landmark events and venues, including the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival, Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre, New York’s Radio City Music Hall, Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and Austin, Texas, where he’ll wrap things up on October 13 with a slot at the Austin City Limits festival. The dates for Gotye’s North American tour:
We’re back! Hope you all had an enjoyable MAM-orial Day weekend- record high temperatures here in Chicago brought out hordes of hot bodies in short skirts, shorter shorts and our favorite, bikini tops with cutoffs, prompting Skin Central to salute more than just our troops. There was also plenty to see on the boob tube this weekend, with some welcome nudity from Hall-of-Famer Nicole Kidman in the HBO original movie Hemingway & Gellhorn and British porn babe Sahara Knite sending the boys off to war with her fully nude form on Game of Thrones . Give a one-handed salute to these flesh veterans with more pics from Hemingway & Gellhorn and Game of Thrones after the jump!
