Macy Gray on Dancing with the Stars ‘I Thought We Did Really Good!’

Though her waltz didn’t wow and Macy Gray and partner Jonathan Roberts failed to make it to Week 2, the Grammy-winning singer still sees a sequined lining in the dark cloud of Dancing with the Stars elimination. Gray spoke to People about why she did DWTS, what she takes away from her experience and who she thinks is going to win Season 9’s mirror-ball trophy

Some say you weren’t that into the show in the first place. Have you gotten over the disappointment of being the first female off the show?
Not yet. I think there are different parts to disappointment, and I have a few more to get over, but then I’ll be okay. I was really, extremely disappointed, but at the same time, I think I’m going to be okay.

You said, “We need to revolutionize the waltz.” What did you mean by that?
It’s too rigid, and you have to hold you neck and shoulders and arms in a certain way. The thing about dancing is that it’s so much about self-expression, movement, and letting go. I just thought that we could incorporate that in the waltz, maybe bring it into this century.

Was it harder than you expected?
No, because I thought we did good! I honestly don’t think we deserved the score that we got, and I thought we did really good. We were really pressed on time, but that’s not an excuse because we were ready, and I was actually really excited about coming back and doing better the next week. But it wasn’t meant to happen.

You have a new album coming out early next year. Will there be a ballad dedicated to either Len or Bruno on it?
(Laughs) No! Maybe there’s something there. I doubt it, but you never know!

You mentioned that you did the show for your mom. Is she a big fan of the show?
I didn’t actually do it for her, but she’s the one that talked me into it. She always tells me to be adventurous and to try new things and grow and have fun. She just thought it would be good for me on a spiritual and mental [level], and would be another opportunity for a life lesson, and she was right. I learned a lot and I lost a ton of weight. I even learned a little bit about ballroom dancing.

What life lesson did you take away from DWTS?
Just to keep challenging yourself and trying new stuff. It’s about doing things that you never thought you would ever do. I never thought I would do Dancing With the Stars, and I ended up doing it this year. You’re going to get older but you don’t want to grow old, so you need to keep trying new things.

Have you had a chance to talk to Jonathan since you left the show?
We’ve talked a couple of times. Jonathan and I have actually become pretty good friends. That’s another great thing about doing the show, because I met a lot of great people that I normally wouldn’t have met. I didn’t think I would be around forever, maybe two to three weeks, but for the time that I was there I got a whole lot out of it.

You did the Viennese waltz and the cha-cha-cha. Was there a dance that you were looking forward to learning?
Yeah, we were going to do the tango next week and I really wanted to do that one. I just told Jonathan that the week we had to do the quick step was going to be the week that we got fired. One thing that the judges told me was that my technique was horrible, so I was really excited about focusing on my technique, and not so much on the choreography.

Now that you’re out of the Mirror Ball mix, who do you think is going to win this season?
It’s either going to be Mya or Aaron Carter. It just seems like they’re both dancers and they have great partners, especially Mya. She’s got a beautiful partner. He is so fine!