The Masked Singer star Macy Gray went viral after storming off the ITV show over the weekend – but that was not the first time she made headlines with her behaviour
Macy Gray, the iconic singer of ‘I Try’, has previously admitted to becoming a “massive a***hole” after her sudden rise to fame led her down the path of drug use. The star recently made headlines after dramatically exiting The Masked Singer, leaving viewers and fellow contestants stunned.
The 57 year old singer, who shot to global stardom with her hit song ‘I Try’ – which earned her five Grammy nominations and a win for best female pop vocal performance – opened up about her struggles in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. She revealed that her sudden wealth and constant praise led her to drugs, admitting: “I was a massive a***hole. I probably made a lot of people upset.”
She also claimed that her English crew members contributed to her substance abuse issues, stating: “My drug use started as a result of being on tour. My crew was from England. All they did was smoke hash all day, and they knew where to get the good ecstasy. So, you start playing with stuff, and then, suddenly, it’s like a crutch.”
Her partying and drug use often resulted in awkward media interviews, unbeknownst to reporters at the time. She confessed: “I actually will admit this: I used to do press with my glasses on because I’d be sitting there falling asleep. Literally.”, reports the Mirror.”
“They’d be talking to me and I’d be asleep. They would be like, ‘She’s an enigma! She doesn’t answer anyone’s questions. When you ask her a question, she just stares. She’s very intense.’ But I would be asleep.” Gray managed to kick her drug habit after noticing things that “really scared her”, such as bags under her eyes and her skin doing “weird stuff”. However, she now believes her journey was meant to be.
The entertainer raised eyebrows last year when she shared her unique methods for maintaining her wellbeing on The Surreal Life, insisting it wasn’t “breathing classes in the mountains”. When asked how she relaxes, she quipped: “Like cocaine and a couple of shots. Get those edibles down my throat and I’m good, girl! You order me a pizza and I’m straight. I don’t need all that sh**, I’m good.”
Despite facing challenges in maintaining the success of her multi-platinum debut album, she has enjoyed a successful career, even appearing in films like Spider-Man and Training Day.