2022 Year in Review: Macy Gray Bounced from NBA Backlash to Anti-Trans Controversy

Be it for the good, bad, ugly, or downright shocking, 2022 was full of memorable moments!

Now, as the year draws to a close, That Grape Juice is reflecting on the occasions that rocked – and to some degree maybe even reshaped – the Urban and Pop cultural landscape as we know it.

Next, we’ll revisit how 2022 became Macy Gray‘s most controversial year yet.

*Click the links below to revisit the stories*

Although her 3x Platinum debut studio album, ‘On How Life Is‘ (1999), may have signaled that Macy Gray was set to be a force to be reckoned with on charts, the nine projects that succeeded it over the following 20 years all failed to match its critical and commercial acclaim.

Hoping for a career ‘reset,’ the 55-year-old aptly christened her first new LP of the decade, ‘The Reset,’ and was set to launch it in summer 2022.

This, after kicking off the year with the most press she’d garnered in years in response to a polarizing performance of the U.S. national anthem at the 2022 NBA All-Star Game.

‘Sounded Like Marge Simpson’: Macy Gray’s NBA All-Star National Anthem Rendition Gets Mixed Reviews

The unconventional NBA showing courted mixed reactions, with some complaining she "sounded drunk" while others compared it to Fergie's epic 'Star Spangled Banner' butchering on the same platform years prior.

Headlines swirled around LeBron James seemingly holding in laughter from listening to Gray's unique take on the historic tune. He would later clarify it was all a misunderstanding, however.

‘Suck It!’: Macy Gray Addresses LeBron Laughing At Her & Drug Abuse Rumors in Rant Against NBA Performance Critics

As hoopla from the performance cooled in the months that followed, a rebounding Macy seemed poised to capitalize on the heightened press by redirecting attention to her forthcoming album.

That was, until she took to 'Piers Morgan' just one month ahead of the project's slated August release to issue a damning statement about gender identity.

Macy Gray: ‘Just Because You Go Change Your Parts Doesn’t Make You A Woman’

Revealing she believed being a woman requires being born with “boobs” and a “vagina,” she went on to say, “Just because you go change your parts doesn’t make you a woman.”

The backlash was seismic and led to unceremonious criticism on social media from LGBT organizations, supporters, allies, fellow celebrities, and former fans.

Macy Gray Says Her Transphobic Comments Were ‘Grossly Misunderstood’ As Backlash Continues

Once the uproar reached a feverish pitch (and even included threats to her safety), she defended her initial statement by suggesting it was taken out of context. That didn't stop the critics from lambasting the 'I Try' singer, however. And while some celebrities like J.K, Rowling and others attempted to come to her aid, the damage was done.

Gray ultimately opted to push her 'Reset' album to 2023, and issued an apology to the LGBT community.

Macy Gray Changes Stance on Gender Identity After Backlash: ‘You’re Whoever You Believe You Are’

[main photo source: Getty Images/AP Photos/NBA/NBC]