Steph Lecor on facing colorism for being light skinned, Young Hollywood’s ignorance and defending Amara La Negra
The Love & Hip Hop Miami star says she never turned on Amara La Negra
You may know Steph Lecor as the blue-haired beauty on Love & Hip Hop Miami, but soon, you’ll know her for her music.
So far, we have seen her at the center of dustups between Amara La Negra, Veronica Vega and Young Hollywood, and she doesn’t seem to say too much when things get rocky between her friends.
The music
The Haitian-American singer is signed to DJ Khaled and insists the hit reality show is just a launching pad for her music career.
“I felt like this could be a great platform to showcase that I am an artist and to have my music played,” she told TheGrio in an exclusive interview. “It was definitely about me recognizing the platform and knowing that it is a good space to be in, especially after the success of Remy Ma, Cardi B and K. Michelle. When the opportunity came around it felt like a no brainer.”
The songstress, who grew up in Miami, is no stranger to the music scene. She spent five years as part of an EDM pop group that toured the world opening for stars like Jennifer Lopez and Calvin Harris before she decided to fly solo.
“I recorded a song called “Saturday” that my manager really wanted me to do. I wasn’t sure it was my style because it was more rap than singing. I tried it and he told me he wanted me to meet with somebody. When I showed up to the studio, it was Khaled. He said he loved it and said I had a dope vibe. Ever since then we have been rocking with each other. He put that chain around my neck and that was it,” she explains.
“I have been working on my EP for the last two years because I’m a perfectionist and I’m kind of crazy about my music. I just never feel like it’s ready or good enough so I’m still working on it. The next record I am releasing is very melodic and it has a reggae vibe to it. I always say I have music ADD so you never know what to expect from me. You may get a pop song or you might get a rap song.”
READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Laz Alonso on Amara La Negra’s ‘afro-latina’ issues, Janet Jackson & more
Fickle friends
Steph Lecor has been featured in several memorable scenes on the Miami edition of Love & Hip Hop, and some fans aren’t sure how to feel about her friendship with Amara La Negra.
When Amara revealed how hurt she was by Young Hollywood’s digs about her hair and appearance, Steph Lecor showed her support and demanded an apology from the producer when she met him at a club.
“I can relate and I know how it feels in this industry. You are always being told to look better and lose weight or change your hair, change your clothes, change your sound. It’s hard and it affected her so deeply. I have been there and cried so many times. Trust me, I’ve cried more in this industry, I couldn’t tell you how many times. I felt like she deserved an apology and I wanted him to give her one,” she says.
Steph was the first one to demand that Young Hollywood apologize to her friend badmouthing her hair, but later, she seemed to throw Amara under the bus when her other friend, Veronica Vega, took a liking to the shady producer.
“I never turned on Amara. She has always been someone I spoke highly about, and to this day, I think she is an amazing artist and she’s a beautiful person. I never turned on her,” she insists.
“I just feel like at some point, we are either going to not let negativity hold us back and you decide that you aren’t gonna rock with him and move on. We’re still gonna continue to be great because we don’t have a choice. You can’t let one person’s opinion hold us back or weigh us down. You have to keep going.”
READ MORE: The Breakfast Club’s Amara La Negra FAIL was colorism gaslighting at its best
According to Steph Lecor, Young Hollywood’s comments about Amara’s afro didn’t stem from racism. She also reveals that viewers didn’t get to see everything that went down when he apologized for hurting her feelings.
“Young Hollywood is a good guy who does the wrong things. He just said things that are uneducated and when you sit and talk to him, he gets it because he is really compassionate. That scene where we demanded an apology, what was not seen was that as soon as we told him, he was very sympathetic and apologetic and compassionate and said he would never want her to feel like that,” says Lecor. “Later on, when more drinks were passed and he was flirting with Veronica, it turned into that [trading the apology for a date]. I don’t think he’s racist, he’s just an asshole. He’s an industry guy.”
The other side of colorism
Lecor can relate to the colorism issues Amara La Negra brought to light on the popular reality series, and she says she has faced tons of criticism for her own complexion.
“Being a Haitian- American woman, I couldn’t tell you how many times people have said, ‘Oh my God, you’re Haitian? Wow, I would have never guessed that. I’ve never seen a light-skinned Haitian.’ Or, ‘You’re so pretty, and you’re Haitian?’ It is so disrespectful and it’s not a compliment. It’s a back-handed compliment,” she explains.
“In the music industry, I have been told that I was too urban and that I was gonna get replaced by a white girl. And that was hurtful.”
Luckily, all the drama around Young Hollywood hasn’t hurt damaged the ladies’ friendship too much.
“My relationship with Amara right now is positive. I wish her nothing but the best and I think that she’s doing amazing things. I love that she has used Vh1 as a platform to speak on something that really needed to be heard. I just think she is growing and it’s amazing. She has been at this since she was four and to see where she comes from and where she is going is amazing and inspiring.”
