Too many reality shows are just not real, Love & Hip Hop star and R & B artist K Michelle tells the Grio.
Ratings for shows like Love & Hip Hop are soaring but some predict they could go the way of Jerry Springer, an explosive show that focused on “ratchedness” similar to the plethora of reality shows peppering television today. Springer’s initial strong ratings eventually plummeted.
“As long as people are nosy I think reality TV will be OK,” K. Michelle says. “The mistakes that a lot of reality shows are doing. It’s not reality. As long as they can try to function and focus on reality I think it will be around for a while.”
Some fans have accused Love & Hip Hop of being highly scripted, a charge its producers deny. Currently Michelle is enjoying the success of her first headlining tour and her album Rebellious Soul that debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts.
“My favorite record on the album is “Sometimes.” It’s kind of like an Etta James feel, really soulful. I love her. It’s about losing a love and you hope they come back. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I think that’s the story of a lot of women,” says Michelle.
Her new show No New Friends will debut next year and for the first time the audience will get a look at her 8-year-old son Chase.
K. Michelle, who was known as the most volatile member of the Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta cast, became a lot less confrontational after a session with celebrity strategist Dyana Williams who cautioned her that the constant “popping off” on people could harm her brand just as her music career was taking off.
“A lot of things that happened to me made me angry, made me pop off and I be ready to knock somebody out but now I am trying to avoid situations with a lot of conflict and just trying to work through it,” Michelle tells theGrio.