When Astro let his frustration get the better of him on Thursday’s “The X Factor” results show, it seemed Stacy Francis, who had appeared destined for elimination this week, had a chance. Would the judges really save someone who ripped on the crowd for its lack of support and claimed he did not feel he should have to perform his survival song?
Coupled with the fact that Astro is a rapper, not a singer, Francis confirmed in a media call Friday that she had reason to believe she would, perhaps surprisingly, get pushed through to the next round.
But that was not to be, and the 42-year-old singer carries no ill-will towards the contestant.
“I know why they saved him,” confirmed Francis, who put over Astro as an “extraordinary talent” who “has The X Factor.”
And though she cannot help but admit he responded the way a child would respond in the results situation Thursday, she also cannot fault him. After all, she admits she, at 42, could have reacted more favorably to the judges’ comments while on stage Wednesday night.
She also put over his confidence in standing up for himself at such a young age; she would never have been able to do that as a teenager.
Throughout the call, Francis discussed Simon Cowell’s role on the show, noting that she would have preferred him as a mentor. She feels Simon is playing the game competitively, praising his three girls while throwing other contestants under the bus. And giving the power of his voice and his influence over America, she would have much preferred he be in her corner.
Case-in-point: Simon seemed to defend his girls for singing “soft rock” yet did not extend the same privilege to contestants like her. (For the record, Stacy feels the theme should have been about taking a rock song and singing it in one’s true style, rather than spending the two minutes pretending to be a hard rocker)
She was also complimentary towards his song recommendations earlier in the competition, noting that when tension between him and the other judges (including her mentor Nicole Scherzinger) picked up and they were no longer collaborating over strategy, she lost a valuable creative consultant.
Song choice, in fact, had been identified as a consistent problem for Francis, who, on the live stage, was never able to recreate the magic of her audition and early-round performances.
In fact, when asked to reveal the song she hopes fans most remember, her choice was not one from a live show–it was the rendition of “Natural Woman” that Simon called one of the best auditions he has ever heard. Going forward, she admits she needs to control her own crying, but she wants to make the kind of music that makes others cry.
Stacy Francis finishes in tenth place. Next week, the final nine perform on Tuesday–two acts will be eliminated on Wednesday.