Quencie Interviews The First USA X Factor Winner, Singer/ Songwriter Melanie Amaro [VIDEO]

On Saturday, November 6th I interviewed the first winner of X Factor USA, Melanie Amaro on my For The Love of Whitney Facebook page. I recently posted an amazing video of her singing “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston, which garnered over 400,00 views. As I was reviewing the comment section of the video I saw someone accuse Melanie of lip synching. I was so outraged that I asked if her if I could interview her on the page. I wanted to discuss the ridiculousness of anyone thinking she was lip synching after she won a national singing competition, which was solely based on how great her voice was.

Melanie was so much fun to talk to. We addressed all of those insane lip synching comments and then she shared her incredible story of meeting Whitney Houston 2 days before she passed away. She even sang The Greatest Love of all at the end of our interview, which is my favorite Whitney song.

Check out our conversation below!

Opening Night of #TheBodyguardTheMusical at The Hollywood #Pantages Theater [VIDEO]

Last night, Tam and I (Studio Q) covered LA's premiere of the hit musical, THE BODYGUARD at The Hollywood Pantages theater.  It is an award–winning musical based on the smash–hit film of the same name. Who could forget Kevin Coster as Frank Farmer, the former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard hired to protect superstar Rachel Marron, played by the late great Whitney Houston? It was Whitney's first film, so I was super excited to see this show.  

Judson Mills and Deborah cox

Grammy® Award-nominated and multi-platinum R&B/pop recording artist and film/TV actress Deborah Cox stars as Rachel Marron. In the role of the bodyguard Frank Farmer, is television star Judson Mills. I am such a huge Whitney Houston fan so I am very biased when it comes to other people singing her songs, but as soon as Deborah Cox opened her mouth - I was sold! Based on Lawrence Kasdan’s 1992 Oscar nominated Warner Bros. film, and adapted by Academy Award-winner (Birdman) Alexander Dinelaris, THE BODYGUARD featured songs recorded by Whitney Houston including: One Moment in Time, I Have Nothing, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Saving All My Love, Run to You, So Emotional and her cover version of Dolly Parton's I Will Always Love You.  What I loved most about this show is that Deborah Cox was not trying to be Whitney Houston.  She made the songs her own all while celebrating Whitney at the same time. If you love Whitney Houston, then this is a MUST-SEE! If you love the film, The Bodyguard then you are going to like how they adapted it to the stage. If you love and appreciate musical theater and amazing singing - this is a MUST-SEE! And if you are a Deborah Cox fan, you will be in heaven from beginning to end. You will find yourself singing along and celebrating Whitney in a positive way. 

Quencie (Host, Studio Q) and Tam (Producer, Studio Q)

Tam and I had a great time at the show and on the red carpet. The long list of stars who came out to see Deborah Cox in THE BODYGUARD include: Angela Bassett, Courntey B. Vance, Margaret Cho, Bill Bellamy, Mary Mary (Erica and Tina Campbell), Erica Ash, Loni Love, Loretta Devine, Yvette Lee Bowser, Kym Whitley, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Dawnn Lewis, Michael Costello who designed her red carpet gown, plus many more. Scroll down and check out my interview with Deborah Cox and some of the celebrities who attended the event. Add me on snapchat (StudioQTV) to see footage from the whole night!  

Angela Bassett

Erica Ash

Loretta Devine

Photo courtesy of Yvette Nicole Brown Instagram 

Watch below. 

Follow me: @quencie on Twitter | Quencie Thomas on Facebook | @quencie on Instagram

Watch our Whitney Houston Fan Documentary, 'For The Love of Whitney'

Four years ago I relaunched my celebrity interview show, Studio Q online with my bestie, Tam Anderson and our very first red carpet was Whitney Houston's last. I was so happy to get one last hug from the singer I loved so much growing up.  If you're not aware, I interviewed Whitney on an MTV show called Fanatic many years ago and to my delight she never forgot me and always showed me love. 

Quencie and Whitney at MTV Studios in NYC in Nov., 1998

A year after Whitney passed, Tam and I decided to create something that would honor Whitney in a positive light. We all know she had struggles but we were tired of hearing about them and didn't want to focus on that. We launched a successful Kickstarter campaign and created a tribute that we are very proud of.

Even though we've never put together a documentary before and had no idea what we were doing we jumped right in there and gave it our all. Once we were done, we were even bold enough to give a completed copy to director of Dark Girls, Bill Duke to view. He actually called us afterwards and said it was 'Brilliant!' Mission accomplished. With an endorsement like that, we were confident we had served Whitney, our backers and fellow Whitney fans well. Shout out to Emmanuel Lewis, fellow Whitney fans and to all of our Kickstarter backers for helping us bring this piece of love to life.

We'd love it if you could support our documentary by watching it and sharing it far and wide. Tam and I were able to get some awesome interviews with Faith Evans, Brely Evans, Cedric the Entertainer, Wayne Linsey, Dawnn Lewis, Jenifer Lewis, Dennis Haysbert, Mikki Taylor, Dawn Richard, Monifah Carter, Miki Howard plus so many more!  Watch the best thing you never saw about Whitney below! 

The Best of Quencie in 2015 - A Year in Review

Today is New Year's Eve, and I have gathered all of my Studio Q highlights from 2015 to share with you.  Studio Q is an online show that I created to interview the stars you love.  If you have ever watched one of my celebrity interviews, re-tweeted one of my tweets, or liked one of my posts on Facebook or Instagram, I thank you and appreciate your support.  I am so grateful that I experienced yet another amazing year of doing what I love.  I look forward to becoming better at my craft and taking Studio Q to the next level in 2016.  Scroll down and check out my 2015 year in review below. Happy New Year!  I'm wishing you everything you want in 2016!

I Appeared on HuffPost Live and Asked a Question to Regina King, Dascha Polance and Salt N Pepa

I was thrilled to be invited to ask Emmy-award winning Regina King, Orange is The New Black's, Dascha Polance and the legendary Hip-Hop duo Salt N Pepa a question on HuffPost Live. Cheryl 'Salt' James even remembered me from an interview I did with her and Pepa in LA.  I was grinning from ear to ear about that. Watch all of my questions below. 

My Huffpost Live Question to Regina King

My Huffpost Live Question to Dascha Polance of Orange is The New Black

Watch Cheryl 'Salt' James remember me from my Studio Q interview with her from earlier this year

Me and Salt in the buffet line on the set of Family Time before our interview

Missy Elliott Followed Me on Twitter

I was so excited that the legendary Missy Elliott followed me on Twitter this year.  I was even more excited when she tweeted about missing Whitney Houston (which I do too by the way) using my interview with Whitney.  Now that's dope!  Shout out to my Facebook friend Jimi Whitneylover Te nana who let me know. Facebook is great for a good tag.  Interviewing Missy Elliott in 2016, would be the icing on the cake. Let's claim it, shall we?  So happy Missy graced us with some hot new sounds and a dope new music video this year.  Make sure you cop her new music.  We gotta keep supporting futuristic legends like her.

Awww I miss Whitney Houston aka Nippy so much!😢 She will always be The Voice🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/VAZ8pEt4M8”

— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) December 26, 2015

I Interviewed The Legendary Chaka Khan and her daughter, Indira Khan

I was so honored to interview the legendary Chaka Khan and her daughter Indira Khan at the launch party for 'Daughters of Soul' at Maverick's Flat in Los Angeles.  We talked about motherhood, honesty and Indira playing her iconic mom in the upcoming Miki Howard biopic, which will debut on TV ONE in June 2016.  We also talked about what it was like to grow up as Chaka Khan's daughter. Watch my interview below.

Me, Chaka Khan and Tam

Chaka Khan even posted my interview with her to her Facebook page and thanked Studio Q on Twitter for capturing her playing the drums that night. 

Chaka Khan's Facebook Post

Check out video that we captured of Chaka Khan playing the drums

I Covered The 'Daughters of Soul' Launch Party

I was asked to exclusively cover the launch party for 'Daughters of Soul' at Maverick's Flat in Los Angeles. Founded by singer, Sandra St. Victor (The Family Stand) in 2004, Daughters of Soul include daughters of six soul legends: Lalah Hathaway (Donny Hathaway), Lisa Simone (Nina Simone), Indira Khan (Chaka Khan), Kori Withers (Bill Withers), Syleena Johnson (Syl Johnson) and Sylvette “Phunne” Stone (The Family Stone’s Sly Stone and Cynthia Robinson).  These ladies performed to an intimate crowd and had everyone grooving with a jam session. Click above to watch my interviews with the Daughters of Soul.

I Interviewed Yo Yo at her Private 'Unsung' Screening Event

I was invited to Yo Yo's private screening of her 'Unsung' episode which appeared on TV One.  I interviewed Yo Yo, her mom, grandma, cousins and friends on the red carpet about her amazing career in Hip Hop.  I even periscoped live from the event.  I loved being able to interview one of the legendary west coast women in hip hop.  She's a role model and a legend. 

I Interviewed Paula Jai Parker

I loved that I had the opportunity to interview Paula Jai Parker on the set of Bounce TV's hit sitcom, 'Family Time.'  She was open and shared a lot of wisdom about acting.  We also talked about her TV One reality show, Hollywood Divas, her acting career and the new role she played on 'Family Time.'

I Interviewed Syleena Johnson

I interviewed Syleena Johnson and watched her perform for the first time at the Daughters of Soul launch party at Maverick Flats in LA. This R&B Diva is as cool and down to earth as they come. Watch my one on one with her above. 

I Interviewed Bounce TV's 'Family Time' stars Omar Gooding and Angell Conwell

I had so much fun interviewing Angell Conwell and Omar Gooding during a set visit on Bounce TV's hit sitcom, 'Family Time.'  Family Time chronicles the lives of the Stallworths, who have recently relocated to the suburbs.  High school sweethearts Tony Stallworth (Omar Gooding), a struggling general contractor, and Lisa Stallworth (Angell Conwell), an energetic stay-at-home mom, lovingly quarrel with each other and their mischievous children, Devin and Ebony, as they make up their own rules for love, marriage, and family along the way.  Family Time comes on every Tuesday on Bounce TV at 9pm/8pm central.  You can watch full episodes of the show here http://www.bouncetv.com/video/. 

Check out my interview with Omar and Angell below. 

I Interviewed TheLegendary Hip Hop Duo Salt N Pepa

I was so honored to get the opportunity to interview legendary hip hop duo, Salt N Pepa on the set of Bounce TV's hit sitcom 'Family Time'.  I also interviewed the cast of 'Family Time' and they were all as excited as I was to be hanging out with Salt N Pepa. The episode they were filming that day was all about the group. Watch the trailer for my interview with Salt N Pepa who were both mad cool by the way.

I Interviewed Kirk Whalum

I interviewed the amazing saxophonist Kirk Whalum, who has worked with top artists like, Barbara Streisand, Al Jarreau, Luther Vandross, Larry Carlton, Quincy Jones and most notably, Whitney Houston.  It’s his sax heard on the mega-hit, “I Will Always Love You."  Check out the trailer for my interview with Kirk, which you can watch exclusively on VHX. Visit StudioQ.vhx.tv to learn more.

I Interviewed The Cast From 'Sweetie Pies' and 'Raising Whitley' at a Press Event at OWN TV

I interviewed the stars of the two top-rated OWN series (Sweetie Pies & Raising Whitley) including Miss Robbie Montgomery, Tim Norman and Kym Whitley.  Watch my live periscope of the press event below and see me ask the cast a question.  

Watch My Periscope Interview with Tim Norman about Sweetie Pies

I Became Obsessed with Periscope and Created "Q's Celebrity Scope," "Q Tips," and "Behind The Interview"

In the summer of 2015, I discovered the periscope app and became obsessed with it.  I wasn't the only one too because it was named the #1 app of the year.  I learned so much from watching other people's broadcast.  It kept me up many nights just watching my phone screen.  My first periscope show was "Q's Celebrity Scope," where I showed all of my red carpet interviews with celebrities.  In 2016, I will bring my shows "Q Tips" and "Behind The Interview" to periscope which will feature my red carpet tips and the stories behind my interviews.  Watch some of my periscopes below by clicking on the picture.

Live Streaming

I Co-Hosted a Blab Show with my Bestie and Producer, Tam

I launched a weekly blab show called "Black Girls Talk" which later evolved into "Studio Q LIVE," and co-hosted it with my producer and bestie, Tam.  Blab is an exciting and new platform in which you can join via live stream video, or simply chat while watching.  It was fun to chat with friends and strangers about pop culture. We did a lot of laughing on blab. Shout  out to everyone who joined us in 2015 on our blab show. 

Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to me on blab by visiting Blab.im/Quencie. To learn more about Blab, visit: Quencie.com/howBlabWorks.  Watch all of our past episodes by clicking the pic below.

Zendaya Shouted Me Out!

How cool was it that the super dope Zendaya shouted me out on video in 2015.  She is only the darling of the fashion world who has her own personalized Barbie doll.  Zendaya has to be one of the best role models that we've seen come out of Disney in awhile.  I think she is a class act and on her way  to being a huge superstar.  Now I have proof she knows me, uh well at least my name, lol.  This video was made possible by her sister Kizzy who is friends with my bestie and producer, Tam. They were co-workers once upon a time and out of nowhere Kizzy surprised me with this video.  Kizzy is such a sweetie. Thanks Kizzy!  Love you, longtime. 

I covered Kiki Shepard's 12th Annual Celebrity Bowling Challenge for Sickle Cell Disease Awareness

In September I attended the 12th Annual Celebrity Bowling Challenge to ‘raise awareness of Sickle Cell Disease’ hosted by  KiKi Shepard and The K.I.S Foundation.  The event was held at PINZ Entertainment Center in Studio City, CA.  I had a blast doing red carpet interviews with celebrities, Gabrielle Dennis (Rosewood), Rocky Carroll (NCIS), Tonya Banks (Little Women), Dawnn Lewis, Richard Brooks (Being Mary Jane), Elise Neal (Hollywood Divas), Omar Gooding (Family Time) and Affion Crockett.  Check it out below. 

 RIP Bobbi Kristina

I'm so heartbroken over the passing of Whitney Houston's daughter, Bobbi Kristina in 2015.  I'm praying hard for her family to deal with two such tragic losses.  Before Whitney or her daughter died, I put together a video that celebrated the mother-daughter bond that was so strong between them.  Bobbi Kristina has watched and re-tweeted my video on a few different occasions. It now has almost 2 million views. I pray that Whitney and Bobbi Kristina are reunited in heaven.  You can watch my tribute video below.

T-Shirts & Hoodies Are Now Available

 

You can now get your Quencie & Studio Q shirts on Quencie.com! Click here http://bit.ly/StudioQStore to start shopping. All shirts come in several colors and sizes, and will arrive in just a few days! 

My Bestie and Producer Became a New Mom and Relaunched Quencie.com

Tam and my Godson, Jayden

Shout out to my best friend Tam who became a new mother in the midst of helping me with all things Studio Q.  She adopted this adorable little boy in 2015, who has also became my new Godson.  Even with this amazing life transforming event taking place in her life, Tam has still went above and beyond for Studio Q and I am forever grateful for her.  We all need a team, and Tam is that plus 2.  She relaunched Quencie.com on Squarespace without even knowing what Squarespace was.  Every time I came up with a new way to win she was right there to support me.  She created my media kit, co-hosted the blab show with me and has literally filmed every Studio Q interview I have done since 2012. The only difference now is we have to find a babysitter after we say yes to an event or an interview.  What a difference a year makes!  Thank you Tam for everything you contributed this year along with being a full time mommy! Jayden is already an amazing addition to the Studio Q family. We even taught him the theme song that Tam sings to the Studio Q show. He now randomly sings it in line at grocery stores. Don't believe me? Watch below.

Studio Q show now ya know!

Posted by Studio Q on Tuesday, September 22, 2015

I Bought QuencieThomas.com

I also own QuencieThomas.com which is my full government name.  Please visit and sign up for my Studio Q newsletter.  Be the first to see my celebrity interviews as well as the behind the scenes exclusives with the stars you love! Join us for all the excitement coming in 2016.  Visit me by clicking here http://www.quenciethomas.com/ or on the button below.