By SHARMILA NAIR

alltherage@thestar.com.my

LET it be known that Jessie J has a really thick British accent and it took a lot of concentration to understand what the songstress was saying during a recent telephone interview.

Other than that, though, she was definitely enthusiastic to answer some questions about her music, memorable moments in her career and her upcoming Asian tour.

The singer was back home in London (on her bed to be more precise), taking a break from her hectic schedule to relax and get things sorted out before she embarks on another big journey.

“I’ve been back in London for some time now to shoot for The Voice UK and it’s been an amazing experience so far,” said the 23-year-old singer who is one of the mentors on the talent competition.

Born Jessica Ellen Cornish, Jessie J rose to stardom thanks to her catchy debut song Do It Like A Dude which spent weeks on international music charts. But it was the success of the song Price Tag that validated her as a bonafide pop star.
The song not only reached a solid number two on the UK Singles Charts, but also received a double platinum award at the recent 2011 MTV Video Play Awards. That means that the Price Tag music video has had over 20,000 plays across MTV channels around the world last year.

“So many great things happened to me in 2011. I had several number one records, performed at the MTV VMAs, Glastonbury (Festival 2011), met my fans and more. I think the most memorable thing about 2011 is the whole of 2011 itself,” said Jessie J, 24.

Last year was made more memorable because the singer had performed at the said event sitting on a gilded throne as she had ruptured several tendons in her foot during rehearsals for Capital Radio Summertime Ball in London.

And she expects this year to be equally as exciting (and hopefully, injury-free) and noted that the highlight would definitely be getting to perform in Asia as part of her promotional tour.

“I’ve never travelled Asia before. I want to see the audience, know what kind of songs they listen to, know the politics of the countries, their history and more. Not many people can say that they’ve travelled the world, and I want to take this opportunity to learn everything that I can,” she said.

While Jessie J has already proven that she is a great vocalist – which is evident in her fifth single Domino – what many don’t know about this singer is that she’s also an accomplished songwriter.

She has previously worked with several heavyweight artistes in the music industry such as Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus.

Jessie even co-wrote the latter’s hit song Party In The USA, and the singer is already thinking about writing and recording more songs for her next album, which critics claim will be as successful as her debut, Who You Are.

“I have more studio time when I’m back in Los Angeles, so that’s where most of my recordings will take place. I have an idea on what my next record is going to sound like and I’m excited to work on it,” she said.

Even though the singer is distinguishable in her own ways (thanks to her quirky outfits, unique voice and trademark hairstyle), she is often compared to other artistes, namely Katy Perry, Adele and the late Amy Winehouse.

Jessie has heard this many times and is not affected by the comparisons at all. In fact, she takes them all as compliments.

“The people I’ve been compared to are amazing. Twenty years ago, I was compared to someone, 10 years ago I was compared to someone else. Five years ago and even last year, I was still being compared to somebody else. You’ll always be compared to someone in your lifetime. But it is important to be yourself. Everybody is special in their own way.”

All set to make a lasting unique mark in the entertainment industry, Jessie J is keen to hone her musical skills and is looking forward to collaborating with other creative artistes. She has already worked with James Morrison on his upcoming third studio album.

“I want to work with people who don’t put themselves above others. Someone who has determination, passion, focus and hard work. Those are the important qualities one should have as an artist,” she said.

Catch Jessie J Live In Concert 

When: 8.30pm on March 16

Where: Surf Beach, Sunway
Lagoon in Selangor.
Buy your concert tickets from the following outlets: Rock Corner, Victoria Music Centre and The Guitar Store.

Tickets are priced at RM298 (Tune Talk zone), RM198 (party zone), and RM98 (regular).

For enquiries call the Ticketpro hotline at 03-7880 7999 or get your tickets online at ticketpro.com.my.

Who You Are is distributed by Universal Music Malaysia.