A NUMBER ONE single? A sold-out national tour? Coaching the winner of the 2015 season of The Voice? These would all be valued achievements for British pop star Jessie J as she prepares to devote the first half of the year to winning over Australia.
But she becomes a hyperventilating fangirl when asked to share what she hopes to achieve during her Australian adventures this year.
“I want to meet Nicole Richie and Cameron Diaz, that is my goal. They just have to be there at some point, right?” she says.
“I want Cameron as my guest mentor. Whenever someone asks who you would want to play you in a film I always say Cameron.”
The Price Tag hit maker may need some sisterhood support to soothe the pangs of the long distance relationship she hopes to maintain with her American R & B beau Luke James.
The pair have publicly been a couple since November and Jessie is that rare pop star who doesn’t put her romance on the taboo topics list.
She positively gushes about him and their Instagram feeds are crowded with their romantic moments.
“You always work hard for the things you want and it is the same thing with Luke. I want to make this work and I will, you know,” she says.
“Trust and loyalty are the most important things in a relationship and we have that. I am so happy now.
“Luke is someone who celebrates me as a woman more than anyone before; there’s some guys who can’t handle me because a strong woman can sometimes be scary for a man.
“I don’t want to live love hidden away, it’s not fair.”
Talent scout ... Jessie’s years as a songwriter before she got her label deal gave her the experience to spot potential. Picture: Supplied. Source: Supplied
While it has only been four years since Jessie smashed onto the global airwaves with Price Tag, the British pop artist is a seasoned campaigner thanks to spending the early years of her career as a go-to songwriter, contributing to Miley Cyrus’ breakthrough hit Party in the USA and other tracks by David Guetta and Chris Brown.
And anyone who writes a song like Price Tag, which has become one of the most popular audition tracks on television talent quests, is in a good position to judge potential star power.
But experience doesn’t make the barb-bombs regularly blasted in her direction any easier to take.
She has had plenty of practice at dodging bullies’ bullets both as a recording artist and then as a coach on The Voice in the UK for its first two series in 2012 and 2013.
No doubt herself and fellow 2015 coach Delta Goodrem will be match fit at deflecting the haters — who already started up after the coaches’ announcement last week — by the end of this year’s season.
“I’m not going to lie and say it’s not going to bother me,” she says.
“If someone came up to you in the street, punched you right in the face, you would not say ‘thank you’.
“They are bullies.”
So why do it? While a high-rating television show is a decent pay cheque and, more importantly, can rejuvenate a pop career more effectively than any marketing campaign or viral video, it can also have the opposite effect if you don’t get the on-air personality right.
Jessie is honest about her motives. She has made no secret of the fact that she would like to be a bigger presence on the Australian charts and hopes the March tour, ahead of The Voice season opening will kickstart the process of bolstering the sales of her third record Sweet Talker which she launched last October.
The album has already generated a hit to match Price Tag, Domino, Nobody’s Perfect and Wild.
Bang Bang, her collaboration with Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj and Swedish songwriting master Max Martin.
Besides performing it at the MTV VMAs and then the American Music Awards last year, Jessie and Grande teamed up to sing it on the Jingle Ball tour in December.
Bangin’ sisters ... Jessie J and Ariana Grande finally got to know each other during the Jingle Ball tour. Picture: Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images. Source: Supplied
And it will contest the Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance next month and she admits she is already suffering from frock anxiety.
The success of that one song has opened more doors for the British singer than anything else she has recorded.
“I am just so glad it was released before Uptown Funk or anything from Taylor’s (Swift) album,” she says, laughing.
“That song hasn’t stopped, it’s still going and it’s still sinking in just how great that song has been for us. To work with Ariana and Nicki, and Max Martin again, it made me fall in love with music again.”
Power lungs ... It’s all about the voice and not the bells and whistles at a Jessie J show. Picture: Gerardo Mora / Getty Images. Source: Getty Images
Jessie’s point of difference in the pop princess posse — besides writing most of her own tunes — is her live performance.
She prefers to focus on the power of her voice and the strength of the songs to strike the connection with her audience rather than a troupe of dancers, acrobatics, a dozen costume changes and the other cliches attached to pop concerts now.
She doesn’t want to compete with Kylie, Beyonce, Pink, Katy or Miley.
“I always strip everything right back,” she says.
“It might not make sense to people in the moment but I think they get it in the context of the bigger picture. To not have the dancers or the circus or anything extravagant. It’s just me. I want to stand alone without all of that and be enough so it is up to me to keep their attention.
“I don’t have loads of dancers or a 12-piece band, the animals or trapeze act — maybe one day I will but now the best thing is to sing the songs as good, if not better, than they are on the album.”
JESSIE J IN CONCERT
Eaton Hills Hotel, Brisbane, March 13
Big Top, Luna Park, Sydney, March 14
Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne, March 17
AEC Theatre, Adelaide, March 18
Crown Theatre, Perth, March 20
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