It’s something of a stretch to categorize Stacey Q as a freestyle artist, which probably explains why she opened the Super Freestyle Explosion concert I saw in San Jose a couple of weekends ago. Stacey Q kicked off a parade of artists that included Pretty Poison, Nu Shooz, Debbie Deb, Shannon, Johnny O, Trinere, Exposé, Lisa Lisa, and Stevie B.

I wasn’t aware until afterward, but Super Freestyle Explosion has become an annual event with the lineup changing every year. Freestyle Lollapalooza, as it were. That evening I was treated to the good, the bad, and the good-bad, but the real travesty was that Exposé wasn’t the headliner (and their set was absent “When I Looked At Him”).

But back to Stacey Q, whose career is indebted to a single smash, “Two Of Hearts.” What a tune. While Stacey Swain had started as a dancer, joined the circus, and done time in a band or two before being signed as a solo artist by Atlantic Records, “Two Of Hearts” is what made Stacey Q a household name.

Today in 1986, “Two Of Hearts” entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #89, peaking at #3 three months later.

Stacey Q parlayed the success of “Two Of Hearts” into guest roles on three ’80s sitcoms, The Facts Of Life (performing her hit as Cinnamon), Full House, and Mama’s Family. And quite amazingly, she’s still making it work today. Some might recall that Stacey Q enrolled in RuPaul’s Drag U, appearing alongside Jane Wiedlin and Downtown Julie Brown in the show’s final episode.

Technically, Stacey Q is no one-hit wonder. Her follow-up single, “We Connect,” a sonic twin to “Two Of Hearts,” peaked at #35 in February 1987. And like “Two Of Hearts,” Stacey Q performed “We Connect” on The Facts Of Life during her second appearance that same season.

Purchase Stacey Q – “Two Of Hearts” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.