Frenchie Davis: The Comeback Queen

It’s a particularly dreary Monday afternoon when Frenchie Davis rings my phone. We happen to be in different cities, but despite the nagging weather on my end and the horrible reception on hers, she’s nothing but positive energy. That constant push for positivity is a Frenchie trademark, and most likely one of her greatest keys to success.

Growing up in Los Angeles, the 35-year-old songstress always loved music and singing. “I’ve been singing my whole life. It’s just something I’ve always done,” she recalls matter of factly. “I don’t remember a time where I wasn’t singing or in love with music.” But it wasn’t until the seventh grade that she really tapped into her ability. She spent years entertaining throngs of people, but it was her comeback of a lifetime on NBC’s “The Voice” that really pulled her away from the pack. People always knew she had star potential and her time on the show only solidified their speculation.

Soon after, Frenchie became a household name known for her vocal prowess, but in that time she also became a businesswoman, and her vocal talents only accounted for a small fraction of her grand plan. “The music industry has changed so much. It’s no longer built on artists getting multi-million dollar record deals,” she says. “It’s really about learning how to be an entrepreneur and creating your own machine.” And Frenchie is building quite the machine.

After leaving the world of reality television, she used her exposure to become a voice and an advocate against bullying for not only the LGBT community, plus-size women, and people of color but anyone who has ever felt excluded or bullied. “Since the beginning of time, there have always been bullies. Luckily the LGBT community has been able to organize in a way that has allowed bullying to be at the forefront of discussion,” she says. “But it goes beyond just being LGBT and I think it’s important that when we talk about the issue of bullying, we do it in a way that is all-inclusive.” As a bisexual, plus-size woman of color, who better to represent us than Frenchie? She is a beacon.

But the machine doesn’t stop there. Currently, Frenchie is also working on developing Phat Girl Fitness, an all-inclusive, body-positive, intimidation-free health and wellness community for women of all shapes, sizes, and fitness levels. “The reality is — and this stems for my stance against fat-shaming and bullying — some of us will never be a size two but that doesn’t negate the idea that we should live healthy and active lifestyles,” she says. For Frenchie, skinny and healthy aren’t synonymous; fitness should be for everyone. “All my fellow big girls out there who love their bodies — loving your body means taking care of it, too,” she says. “I’m really proud of this.”

Frenchie may be busy building her empire, but as a natural-born performer she will always circle back to her love of music. During PrideFest, she will be lighting up the stage for the gaggles of gays when she performs on Center Stage
Sunday afternoon.

“It’s one of the few Prides in the country that I have not performed for and my current publicist is a Denver native, so it just seems like the right thing to do,” she says. “I love performing for my gays and Denver is such a beautiful city.”

Even though she was never allowed to compete for the title of “American Idol,” that’s exactly what Frenchie Davis has become. And with a new single debuting in the fall, a talk show idea being passed around, a nonprofit in the works, and a following that easily tops previous winners of the Idol franchise, an American Idol is exactly what she will continue to be, as long as she holds steady on her burgeoning path of success.

Don’t miss PrideFest headliner Frenchie Davis, performing at 3pm Sunday on the PrideFest main stage. Learn more about Frenchie on her website, officialfrenchiedavis.com or on Twitter, @frenchiedavis.