Who is Jessie J? Jessica Ellen Cornish is a 22-year-old singer/songwriter from Chadwell Heath in East London.
She wrote her first song when she was 17, titled “Big White Room.” It was inspired by a young boy she met while she was in the hospital.
When I Was 11 years old and in Great Ormond Street as a patient, I shared a room with a young boy who was extremely sick and having a heart transplant following day. That night, I woke up to find the boy out of his bed on the floor praying that God would let him live and he didn’t want to die. I listened to him and cried. To my surprise the young boy passed away the following day. The memory of him praying stuck with me, I didn’t quite understand it, and I asked my mother “Why did he die, he asked God to save him, why didn’t God listen?”
That same year, she was casted in Andrew Lloyd Weber’s West End production of Whistle Down the Wind. Fast forward a few years when she was 16, she attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology in South London. (A school with an impressive alumni: Adele, Leona Lewis, Amy Winehouse, Marsha Ambrosius and Natalie Stewart of Floetry, etc).
At the tender age of 18, Jessie suffered a minor stroke that could have affected her ability to sing; obviously, we hear it didn’t affect much. As a result to her recovery, Jessie doesn’t drink alcohol or smoke.
At 17, J.J. joined a girl group called Soul Deep, which campaigned against gun crime amongst teenagers in the UK. After signing with GUT Records, she left Soul Deep. GUT Records later came into liquidation, and Jessie lacked a label and group.
Again, Jessie persevered through this hindrance. She toured around the world, opening for artists such as Chris Brown, Macy Gray, and Cyndi Lauper. Shortly after writing “Party In The USA,” she signed with Universal (Lava) in America. Originally, she wrote it for herself, but she considered it too Pop for her sound; thus, it was given to Miley Cyrus.
She continued writing for major acts such as Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown (“I Need This”), Britney Spears and Alicia Keys. Now she is readying the release of her debut album, Who You Are, in March 2011. Her debut single “Do It Like A Dude,” originally written for Rihanna, peaked at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. Her first US single, and second UK single, is titled “Price Tag” and features B.o.B. Her third single will be the riveting, emotional ballad,”Casualty of Love.”
Watch all of Jessie J’s videos and more on her Youtube channel and follow her on Twittuh. Thanks Benny.
