On 27 March, Jessie J will turn 28 and the significance of belonging to an industry where such birthdays aren’t always seen isn’t lost on her.
“The 27 Club and all that,” she says, referring to music’s most tragic of fellowships. “It’s scary. I mean, the most hardcore I get is a glass of ginger wine, but if you’re successful at 27, the speed of your life is unreal. Nearly 30. You need to get your shit together.”
It’s post-WH shoot and, for quiet’s sake, surrounded by empty rails, we’re tucked inside the dressing room of a north London studio. Jessie, back to her short shock of platinum blonde hair, sits opposite me drinking a cup of tea.
“It’s been such an extreme year, but I feel like I’m coming out of it with so much more of an understanding of how I want my life to be.” On the surface, Jessie can appear quite an imposing figure: 5’9” without heels; arching, stop-traffic eyebrows; Elvis lips, seemingly able to deliver a killer smile or snarl at a moment’s notice.
Later, when we’re on the subject of dating and I ask if she’s often chatted up, those lips will blow a full and derisory raspberry. No, she’ll say, disappointed. “Apparently, I’m intimidating!” Do you think I’m intimidating, she’ll quiz me. I say no because it’s true. She’s not. But at first…
“It’s so funny,” she’ll say. “Every person I’ve ever been with, they’re like, ‘You’re so different to what I expected.’ I’m very motherly, like caring about people, being thoughtful. A lot of the time the preconception is the thing you’re fighting the most.”
Just minutes of conversation are enough to shatter any of those preconceptions. She’s funny and possesses an intellect that often gets overlooked, but amounts to much more than the sum of your average pop Air Miles.
And she talks. Even when she says experience has taught her to “keep my fricking mouth shut”, well, she can’t help herself. Like when I tell her she looks in amazing shape and she says she’s not going to lie but she’s had to take some time out of the gym recently.
“I was ill in June and July and I had some operations. My show [in 2015, there were 102 tour dates in total] is cardio, so that’s me running around for an hour and a half.” The operations were ‘personal’, she says, wary of how the headlines will read.
To her credit, she tries to explain: “One day, I’ll talk about it because I know a lot of women have suffered with what I have and why I had the operation, but I have to protect myself and my sanity.” A hint of regret enters her voice.
“I wish I could be more open about certain things, but as the years have gone by, I’ve definitely become less so. All the things my personality had that made me become the person who felt confident enough to be Jessie J, fame just takes away. Like spontaneity, honesty, openness. Just completely being transparent.”
She’s not feeling sorry for herself; it’s just a matter of self-preservation.
To read the full interview, pick up the new issue hitting newsstands 9 March!
