Jessica Ellen Cornish (born on 27 March 1988), better known by her stage name Jessie J, is an English recording artist currently signed to Island Records. She began her career as a songwriter for artists including Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus. Her debut single, "Do It Like a Dude", was released in November 2010 and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Charts. Follow-up single "Price Tag" reached number one in the United Kingdom, Ireland and New Zealand, and reached the top 10 in nineteen other countries. Her debut album, Who You Are, was released in February 2011 and charted at number two on the UK Albums Chart. In February 2011 Jessie J won a BRIT Award, Critics' Choice. It was revealed in October 2011 that Jessie J will be a coach and a mentor on the television show, The Voice UK.
She got banished from the school choir, for being too loud. She stated, "I was in it for a day and some of the adults were moaning that their kids were upset that I was too good. I was 11. Can you imagine? I was heartbroken."
At the age of 16, she began studying at the BRIT School and joined a girl group at the age of 17, named "Soul Deep". She graduated in the class of 2006 along with singers Adele and Leona Lewis.
In early 2011 she suffered a panic attack on stage after she was forced to perform in the dark. "I did a gig recently and had a panic attack on stage," she told NOW. "The night was called 'Black Out' and I had to perform in the dark. I asked them to turn on the lights and they didn't. I was onstage in pitch black and, because I couldn't see anything, I started to panic. It was awful." Jessie J was featured on the 2011 MTV Music Video Awards during commercial breaks, where she covered 17 songs in total that night.
Jessie J was signed to Gut Records, recording an album for the label, but the company went bankrupt before any material was released. She then found success as a songwriter, gaining a Sony ATV publishing contract.She was also the support act for Cyndi Lauper during Lauper's UK dates of her 2008 Bring Ya To The Brink tour (Cyndi also went as far as inviting Jessie to join her on stage later for the performances of Girls Just Want To Have Fun). Jessie has also written lyrics for artists such as Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus, including "Party in the U.S.A.".
Jessie first came to the attention of Lava Records when her publisher at Sony/ATV, Rich Christina, sent Lava president Jason Flom a link to her MySpace page, which the record executive loved. After seeing an impressive U.S. showcase, Lava was, along with several other labels, keen to sign the artist but progress was hampered by her management's insistence on, what Flom called, a "crazy deal", and their refusal to let Jessie speak to any labels directly. Despite this, Senior Director of A&R at Lava Harinder Rana, made surreptitious efforts to meet Jessie on her own in winter of 2008. Later in the year a change in management to Sarah Stennett and Nadia Khan of Crown Music allowed record deal negotiations to take place. Jessie eventually signed with Lava as part of a joint venture with Universal Republic.
She began recording her studio debut album in 2006; The album took five years to finish and was completed on 19 January 2011. She revealed that "Big White Room" would be on the album and was written from an experience she had when she was just 11 years old, although she wrote the song at 17, in hospital, where a ward mate of hers, a little boy died. The album title track, "Who You Are" is one of Jessie J's proudest creations, saying the song is a "positive role model for young people" so she says; "I always say that I'm half-artist, half-therapist
Jessie J confirmed on 2 August 2011 that she would be shaving her hair off for charity in 2012. Speaking via her official Twitter account she said: “It’s hair, It will grow back. Even if it takes 2 years, if it saves lives it’s worth it. Even if its 1 life that’s something." This shows just how close Jessie J likes to be to her fans, as she believes that its them that has allowed her to reach her dreams.
Jessie J possesses a mezzo-soprano vocal range that spans more than two octaves. Although she was first identified as a soul singer, she primarily records songs of contemporary R&B and pop music with hip-hop influences.
Music critic Matthew Perpetua of Pitchfork Media compared Jessie J to her peers Adele and Amy Winehouse, but admitted she was missing something: "Whereas Adele and Winehouse also have powerhouse voices, they fit into clear aesthetic niches and invest their songs with depth and humanity. Jessie J doesn't have even a fraction of their restraint." Perpetua added: "Her idea of showcasing her gift is to shoot for a blaring melisma on "Mamma Knows Best" that makes Christina Aguilera seem as subtle as Joni Mitchell by comparison."
British soul singer Adele has, however, praised Jessie J's vocal abilities: "I think her voice is illegal. The things she can do with her voice are criminal."
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