After flip-flopping on the issue, Diddy recently announced that he’s actually changing his name to “Love.” Based on the first episode of Fox’s new singing competition show The Four, though, it’s the tough kind of love that Diddy believes in.
From the very first episode, it appears that Diddy is taking on the Simon Cowell role, that of the no-nonsense critic who will speak his mind even if what results isn’t what you were hoping to hear. Case in point: One of last night’s episode’s competitors was Valentina (full name Valentina Cytrynowicz), who, as she notes in her introduction package, was hailed by Vogue in 2016 as a “rising pop star.” After her performance, though, Diddy was not on the same page as Vogue, saying, “I think that it’s a cold, cruel world out here, and the truth will set you free. And I have to always speak the truth: I didn’t like it one bit. I think that you could do better.”
This made Valentina teary-eyed, and after some interjections from his fellow judges (DJ Khaled, Meghan Trainor, and Charlie Walk, who all praised Valentina’s performance), he continued, “What are we here to do? We’re here to take somebody’s spot, and you have to deliver a great performance in order to get that. It just wasn’t a great performance.”
At this point, the audience turned on Diddy and started to boo, and he responded in kind. “Boo! Boo, boooo,” he said. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You’re all liars, because you know, you know when you see a great performance and when you don’t, and that’s it.”
He even directly addressed Valentina’s tears, saying, “I’m going to tell you right now: Crying’s not fair. This show is not called Second Chances. This show is called The Four.”
Valentina posted her response to the episode, sharing a screenshot of the show and writing on Instagram, “What an experience, The Four. I appreciate all the love, but for all the hate — this is my game face and it’s not going away. Work towards your dream no matter WHO tries to bring you down!!!” She also took to Twitter and wrote, “When someone tries to break you down, or doesn’t understand who you are, you get stronger and louder!!!!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BdjuTaihNQa/
https://twitter.com/valentina_sings/status/949112784217714688
If, unlike Diddy, you enjoyed Valentina’s appearance, she has some videos of herself performing original songs and covers on her YouTube channel, so watch her rendition of Elle King’s “Ex’s & Oh’s” below. Also, let this be a lesson to you aspiring singers: If you’re looking for some easy praise, The Four might not be the right platform for you.
