Combining the blunt bravery of Rihanna, the genre-hopping beats of Gwen Stefani, and the feisty perspective of P!nk, singer and songwriter Jessie J has made a name for herself in the music world. Born Jessica Cornish, in London, England, she made her way into the entertainment business early on writing songs for artists like Chris Brown, Alicia Keyes, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera. She also wrote Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the USA”, which was considered one of the best-selling singles ever in the United States.
In 2010, Jessie J began her solo career introducing “Do It Like A Dude”, a song originally written for Rihanna, as her first single. It immediately hit UK Singles Charts at number two. “Do It Like A Dude” is full of attitude, double standards, and a seriously sick beat. “I was getting a bit fed up with the way women have to sell themselves to be noticed,” she said in an article for entertainment magazine Mirror. “Do It Like A Dude was sticking my finger up at that. You’ve got to have balls and go for things, feel confident not just be girlie.” Her second single, “Price Tag”, which features rapper B.o.B., became Jessie J’s first number one single in the UK Singles Charts.
Jessie J’s style of music is different from other prominent female artists because she draws her inspiration from all types of music; no genre or artist is excluded. At an early age she found light in listening to soulful music that had beats similar to her unique singing style. “Growing up, my mom and dad had an amazing taste in music, thank God,” she said in an interview with Rockbackfeed Session. “I grew up listening to a lot of soul-funk music, a lot of ’80s like Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Prince, Bob Marley…I grew up with very strong emotional music around me and to be honest it is my biggest influence.” The singer’s style of music is not only different but it’s enjoyable for people of all music genres because everyone will find a connection to her lyrics.
The great thing about Jessie J’s music is that she sings about real things. Her mix of earnestness and naivety is belted through her lyrics that speak of struggle, life, love for yourself and for others, equality, and dreaming. Her song “Who You Are” entails a message to all to be happy with yourself instead of trying to be what others think you should be. She stated to Rockbackfeed, “I write from the heart… to heal people… my music has no limits.” Jessie J’s vocals truly make “Who You Are” an emotional song as she hits every note that will leave you with goose bumps all over.
She is one of those artists who has natural talent unmasked by studio technology. Some people sound good because of the beats and the instruments; Jessie J‘s vocal abilities improve the instrumental parts of her songs. During an acoustic session with Rockfeedback, Jessie J stated, “I’ve always made sure that for every song I write I can strip back to just me and a guitarist ‘cause I think it’s really important that people know that [those] kinds of songs should stem from an organic place… I’ve always wanted people to be able to just hear the voice and the melodies.”Jessie J’s debut album “Who You Are,” is set to release in the U.S on April 12th. Having already put herself on the music radar with her single “Price Tag,” this British artist will be making big noise now that she’s crossed over the Atlantic.
“The song is basically about how we’re all colors of the rainbow and how we need to share the pot of gold,” she explained. “We all may be different, but we’re all the same really. Everyone bleeds red and we all get blue sometimes. The lyrics are a play on words with colors, but my delivery is very like yup, yup, still very Lil Wayne-y. It’s one of my favorites.”
