We already threw 10 names your way a few weeks back that we saw surprised some, was a refresher course for others, and got folks talking in general. Fortunately for you, there are a great deal of celebrities with interesting names that they tried to keep on the low-low. After doing some digging and reading, we’ve got 10 more names to share. Some that are very exotic, some that are just completely different from their stage names, and some that just don’t make any kind of sense. No matter what though, they’re interesting indeed. Let’s check them out shall we?

Photo Credit: FayesVision/WENN.com

Frank Ocean – Christopher “Lonny” Breaux

I know you didn’t think Ocean was a real last name like that (apologies for anyone who truly was born with the surname, Ocean)…? Even singer Billy Ocean was actually born Leslie Charles. I know, I know, we’ve clearly been bamboozled for way too long, folks. Maybe it’s the fact that the name is just as calm, cool and collected as what it actually represents, but the New Orleans-born singer liked it enough to not only make it his stage name, but to also legally change his own name from Christopher “Lonny” Breaux to Christopher Francis Ocean. He once talked about his excitement over giving himself a new name in 2010, while talking with Complex:

“I went on LegalZoom and changed my f**king name…On the change Ocean adds: “It just felt cool. None of us are our names. If you don’t like your name then change your name. I’m only a few steps into the process, so I probably shouldn’t even be talking about this, but by the beginning of summer I’ll be straight. I’ll be boarding planes as Christopher Francis Ocean.”

Source: WENN

Song remakes have been the norm in contemporary music since Bad Boy invented the remix back in the ’90s, but Macy Gray is taking remaking and remixing to a whole new level with her latest project. The 45-year-old decided to recreate Stevie Wonder’s entire “Talking Book” album which coincidentally is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Macy talked about how the project came about, saying:

“We were talking about ideas for cover songs and [Hal Wilner, the producer] goes, ‘You know what you should do is a whole album. Everyone remakes movies, but no one remakes albums.’

“I thought that was a wild idea so I was like, ‘Yes!’ I picked ‘Talking Book’ ‘cause that’s one of my favorite records and I know it inside out.”

“Talking Book” is the 15th album from Stevie that brought us favorites like “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” which earned the Motown singer his first Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocals. Other hits were “You and I,” “I Believe,” and of course, “Superstition.”  You know people will disown you if you ruin a classic by one of their favorite artists, not to mention singers will shade the mess out of you if you eff up one of their songs. Macy said she was definitely conscious of that when taking on this project.

 “I was just really nervous [about] if [Stevie] was going to like it or not,” she confessed. “I don’t know how he feels about it yet. I’m scared to ask him.”

A rep told The Hollywood Reporter that Macy’s camp has since reached out to the Motown Legend to get his thoughts but so far they haven’t gotten a response.  As of yesterday the “Talking Book” remake hit shelves so even if Stevie doesn’t respond to the track remakes, his fans, and Macy’s, now have a chance to weigh in on the project. Hopefully her take on Stevie’s songs measured up to the original. Do you think Macy has what it takes?

Source: avantgardeparis.com

When you think of Macy Gray, mother isn’t exactly the first thought that comes to mind, but that’s what the eclectic singer says she is first and foremost. You may know it, but she’s actually a mother to three teens, Aanisah, 16, Mel, 15, and Happy, 14. Being divorced from her children’s father and having a profession that takes her away from her children is tough on the single mother, but she doesn’t believe her circumstances are any worse than any other woman out there.

“I think motherhood is hard for any mother,” she told Yahoo in their Jam: Spotlight on Music Stars series. “I’m gone a lot so I’ve missed a few things. But they’re older now, we’re all very used to each other and each other’s lifestyle, so it’s one of those things where you just work it out. You don’t really know how you did it — it’s just part of life.”

Drugs are a topic every parent has to address with their children at some point or another, but when you produce songs with titles like, “Smoke 2 Joints,” those discussions become quite different, as Macy explained in her interview.

“I talk to them about it a lot, but, ya know, kids are going to do what they’re going to do,” she shruged. “It’s been a challenge to keep them on the right path — but I really think that is for any mother. You have parents who have never touched drugs and their kids are completely methed out. Then you have parents who are strung out and their kids haven’t touched it. Everybody has their own path and their own journey and as a mom you do your best, but your kids have minds of their own.”

Macy talked about how her children influence her music, saying they’re now old enough to give her honest opinions on her songs, but they also influence her body art. Pointing out a few distinctive tattoos on her body, Macy explained the inspiration behind each one.

“Well, this one says ‘motherhood.’ I wrote that one night when my son made me cry. I got it to balance out my pain — from the inside to the outside. I have another one with my kids’ names on it: Happy, Mel, and my [eldest] daughter’s nickname is Boopy. The last one, on my calf, says ‘Daddy’ because my father died a few years ago. I got this before he died.”

When it comes to her kid’s thoughts on her music, they don’t get quite as much creative expression.

“I don’t go out and change my songs to make everything based on what they say, ” Macy said, “but I do listen to what they have to say. They have really good taste.”

She does too, although I’m a little concerned about her naming her child Happy. Are you a fan of Macy Gray?

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I’m sure I’m not the only person who used to get soooo much crap for liking a certain musician or group who weren’t big with family or friends. For me, back in the day, if it wasn’t hip-hop or R&B, my brother used to get on me about digging pop musicians like Christina Aguilera, Fiona Apple, and Celine Dion. You listen to unique bands and singers today that don’t fit the BET mold and you look more cultured, deep and well-rounded, but back in the day, I just used to get called weird. Ah, well. Were you fans of any of these folks years ago? Well, now you know you weren’t the only one…

Source: marcellachamorro.com

The White Boy Bands

I used to say I liked the Backstreet Boys to my family, and often times, they would assume I was talking about BLACKSTREET. Uh, no boo boo, there’s a big difference. I couldn’t help it, “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys, “Bye, Bye, Bye” by N’Sync, and “Step By Step” by New Kids on the Block were THE jams. But if you played them around my folks, or asked someone to turn the radio back to the one of these tracks, folks would treat you like you were trying to listen to Insane Clown Posse. Shame…

Macy Gray tried — and failed — to get the hottest producers to work on her new album. But she says getting dissed by today’s hitmakers actually made her CD better.

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Not to be mean, but the recent spectacle of a certain 40-ish singer writhing around in a catsuit and being photographed in some truly unfortunate ensembles just seemed desperate and a little sad. She was just trying way too hard.  Unfortunately, you see a lot of that these days. Macy Gray, whose new album The Sellout features a song titled “Beauty In The World,” sheds some light on what drives stars to such antics. 

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(BlackVoices.com) — Singer Macy Gray has decided to jump back into the fashion industry. The artist has revitalized her fashion line for plus-size women called “Humps.” The line will be released next year. Gray put out a similar clothing line in 2008 that didn’t sell very well, but she claims that she has been “re-inspired” since her appearance at the Esprit store in New York City earlier this month.

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