![\"Issue37-jessie-j\"](\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Issue37-jessie-j.jpg\")
<\/h1>\n<\/h1>\nJessie J is hoping she finally has America\u2019s attention. With the out-of-the-gate success of \u201cBang Bang\u201d\u2014the lead single off her latest album, Sweet Talker<\/i>, that features red-hot pop star Ariana Grande and rapper Nicki Minaj\u2014she\u2019s longing to score her first No. 1 album. \u201cI\u2019ve never had one before anywhere, so that would be my biggest achievement,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
A star in the U.K., Jessie J\u2014born Jessica Cornish in London\u2014has struggled to find mainstream success in the U.S. In 2011, she garnered attention with \u201cDomino,\u201d and \u201cPrice Tag,\u201d off her debut album\u00a0Who You Are<\/i>. But the momentum came to a halt when she broke her foot and couldn\u2019t tour or promote the record. \u201cIt\u2019s all about timing and being able to be there,\u201d says the 26-year-old entertainer. \u201cThe hardest thing is just being heard, because the U.S. is such a huge country. You can work hard, but it\u2019s still difficult to get people\u2019s attention. So I\u2019m starting from the bottom up again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aside from \u201cBang Bang,\u201d Jessie J\u2019s biggest U.S. hit so far came in the form of a co-writing credit on Miley Cyrus\u2019 \u201cParty in the U.S.A.,\u201d which reached No. 2 in 2009. But she isn\u2019t a songwriter-turned-performer. \u201cPeople think I was a songwriter before I was an artist,\u201d she says, \u201cbut I had been signed for four years when I wrote that song, and had been performing on the U.K. underground for years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessie J returns to those dance-pop roots on Sweet Talker<\/i>, which features her powerhouse vocals and big beats from the likes of Max Martin, Diplo, The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. \u201cI pushed my boundaries and let go, allowing others to take me in a different direction,\u201d she says. \u201cOn my first album I was so high-strung\u2014I had to get everything right and be involved in every little thing. On my second album, I tried to conform more. But it didn\u2019t work. I don\u2019t think it was a failure, but it wasn\u2019t as hard-hitting. I\u2019m a big character, a big voice, and I exploited that on this album. It feels like me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, she admits performing live is her strong suit: \u201cI think I sing better onstage, because nerves give you adrenaline, and you can use that to your advantage. I wouldn\u2019t say I\u2019m more comfortable onstage, but I am freer. You\u2019ve got an audience that wants something from you, and the feeling is mutual.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013Katy Kroll<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
JESSIE J The U.K. pop star kicks off her quest to conquer the U.S. with a Bang Bang Jessie J is hoping she finally has America\u2019s attention. With the out-of-the-gate success of \u201cBang Bang\u201d\u2014the lead single off her latest album, Sweet Talker, that features red-hot pop star Ariana Grande and rapper Nicki Minaj\u2014she\u2019s longing to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[2423,7660],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14657"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14657"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14657\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14659,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14657\/revisions\/14659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}