Jessie J

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Jessie J: In America, ‘I’m kind of celebrated as one of the greatest singers’

Maybe I’m wrong, but the few times I’ve written about British singer Jessie J, I feel like most people were divided into two camps: Camp “Who?” and Camp “Meh.” It’s not that Jessie is particularly boring, untalented or uneventful – I actually think she’s got a great voice and she’s more interesting than many of the pop starlets today. But Jessie might have overestimated her popularity. Maybe. Jessie covers the new issue of Women’s Health UK, and she tells the magazine – which has a mostly British readership – that she doesn’t get a lot of respect in Britain but she’s “celebrated as one of the greatest singers” in America. Really? Some highlights: She’s received two Brit Awards but she’s never been asked to perform: “It makes me sad… I’ve done the Grammys, the VMAs. My profile in America is that I’m kind of celebrated as one of the greatest singers and I love it.” Her goal: “I wanna be up there with the Celine Dions, the Whitneys, the Beyoncés and Arethas. I go hard because I hope and pray that one day, people look back and go, ‘She could really f–king sing, you know.’ Which is why I keep going.” She wants kids: “I talk about my children every day even though they don’t exist. It sounds really weird, but I do. I put into the universe that I love them…who knows when it’s going to happen?” Turning 28: “The 27 Club and all that. 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 sh-t together.” [From E! News and Women’s Health] Yeah… she’s not going to win a lot of support in her own country with this interview. The thing is, she really does have a great, powerful voice. But I sometimes wonder if she needs to nail down one specific sound. I remember reading something about Jessie’s musical popularity with gay men, and I do think that’s where she should aim: be the next Cher. Killer voice, power ballads, gay-club anthems. Do that. And no, I don’t think America celebrates her as “one of the greatest singers.” Americans hears her music and they think, “Great voice, who sings it?” And then they forget her name as soon as they hear it. Photos courtesy of Women’s Health.