{Images Removed As Requested}
Former Danity Kane star Aubrey O’Day recently opened up to Global Grind about her experiences following Diddy‘s disbanding of the Platinum-selling group more than two years ago.
The 26 year old talked in some depth about Diddy’s handling of Danity Kane, her struggles (not having a manager, an agent nor a publicist), her regrets, her ‘comeback’, her new Oxygen reality show, and much more. A very insightful read…
On The Hard Days:
“I’m never going to front like there has never been hard days, there have been many hard days and I think for anyone in this industry there’s ups and there’s downs. I just quoted one of Jay-Z’s songs the other day, the Hollywood song. It said something like the only thing that matters in the industry is where you’re sitting when it stops and there’s a lot of reality to that. And not even just in like a physical way, but in a mental way. You really have to be able to handle the ups and the downs and you have to be able to get yourself right.”
On Diddy and Making The Band:
“I never realized how much Diddy and that entire Making The Band situation shielded us from and took care of us. I mean I had no idea what was going on until I had to step out there on my own with nobody protecting me. It is a whole other ball game. I mean we had everything handed to us in that situation and we really mostly could focus on our talent and focus on the enjoyment of what we were doing even though we (Danity Kane) still found ways to not do that.”
On Life After Getting Fired:
“Until you’ve hustled on your own or been completely on your own… I don have an agent, I don’t have a manager, I don’t have a publicist, I don’t have any of that. I’ve done everything since being fired on my own. You know, like I said. I do it on my hardest days for the fans. There are people out there that grind every day. There are single moms out there that have two kids that are trying to figure out how to put food on the table every night. My struggle is no different than anyone else’s struggle and I’m lucky enough to be enough of a public figure to have a forum to where people listen to what I have to say and if anything, at the hardest point I want my message to be keep going, keep fighting.“
On Having Regrets and Thinking It Was Over For Her:
“For so many interviews in my career I always said no I have no regrets, you know everything is all good you’ve got to learn from your mistakes and blah blah blah. And, genuinely my heart believed it to be true but um I was watching Kevorkian the other day on HBO and he said the most interesting thing. They asked him that same question… and he said “Of course I do, who wouldn’t. If anyone told you they didn’t have regrets they’re lying.” Everyone has regrets there are things that everybody wishes they could have done different or understand what they understands now, it’s just a part of life but you find a place where you’re happy with the decisions you’ve made and you’re happy with where you’re at and you know it’s just one big lesson learned. And did I ever think it was all over, yeah I had my moments where I really was fighting for every last inch. I used to listen to Al Pacino’s speech that he gives the football team on Any Given Sunday where he talks about how you have to fight for every inch, nothings handed to you in life and it’s all those little tiny moments that make the big picture happen and it’s like getting through something as small as an inch, it’s fighting for just one inch. And I say that little speech to really get me through the bad days.”
On Working Hard On Her Comeback:
“It doesn’t matter where you’re at when the jobs don’t come or the jobs get taken away from you or you have to fight to find them yourself. I mean I was watching this thing on Sunday where he talks about how you have to fight for every inch you know and nothing’s handed to you in life and it’s all those little tiny moments that make the big picture happen and its like getting through something as small as an inch it’s fighting for just one inch.”
Now that’s more like it. Ms. O’Day comes across markedly more mature here; seemingly understanding her faults and missteps – both of which appear to have humbled her. As an on-and-off Aubrey advocate, I can only hope she brings this new perspective into her solo journey and leaves the trashiness of yesteryear in the past. More power to her.