On therooftopof theUniversalMusic
Group’soffice in theoh-so-hipenclaveof
Darlinghurst, locals from theholy trinity
ofbay,SydneyHarbourBridgeand
SydneyOperaHousehave turnedupas if
foradressrehearsal.
But thewomangarnering the
mostattentionat thispressevent for
Australia’sversionof
TheVoice
isall too
aware that life isanythingbut.
Statuesque inanoutfit that’spure
rock ’n’ roll— thigh-highblack-leather
bootsaccentedwithgoldzippersand
acrop toprevealingahintof torso
—singer/songwriterJessieJ isan
eyemagnet.Notbecauseher look is
undeniablyedgy,butbecauseofhowat
odds this iswithherpersonality.
She is— therearenootherwords for
it—slightlygoofyandendearinglyso.
Whenshe tellsastory, it’saccomplished
viaavarietyofaccents.JessieJ isalso
astudy inperpetualmotion.Her limbs
arerarelyatrest, andshepaces likea
curiousamalgamofa junglecatanda
childeyeinggiftsbeneathaChristmas
tree.Oneminuteshe ispullingoutapout
forassembledpress, thenextgrinning
foraselfie, all thewhilewithanarchof
theeyebrow that leavesyouneverquite
surewhethershe’splayingalongwith the
mediamachine,making funof it—ora
littlebitofboth.
What’sclear is thatshe’shappy to
beback inwhathasbecomeanadopted
hometown for thesinger.
After twoseasonsasacoachon the
Britishversionof
TheVoice
,JessieJsays
shewasexcited tobeofferedasimilargig
on theDownUndersongfest, in thewake
of thedeparture from theshowof the
BlackEyedPeas’Will.i.am.
Thereasonsaremyriad. “Forastart,
Ireally love theprocessofmentoring
up-and-comingartists.Helping them
improve theirapproachandabilities is
oneof themostrewarding thingsI’ve
doneprofessionally,”shesays. “It’svery
easy togetwrapped inyourself in this
industry, and
TheVoice
givesmeachance
togiveback insomeway.”
Inaddition to the job, the location
held itsownallure. “I’ve touredAustralia
a few times,butyouneverget to
experienceplacesasmuchasyou’d like
becauseyou’reon themove,”shesays.
Asa travelermoreseasoned than
most,JessieJseems tohavestruck
thatenviablebalanceof tickingoffThe
HarbourCity’smusts foreveryvisitoras
wellasseekingouthaunts thatarea little
off thebeaten track.
“Sydney issomanyplaces inone,”
says the27-year-oldbehindsuchhitsas
“BangBang”and“Flashlight.”“Despite
all theblackclothingand thepaleskin, I
actually love thebeach, andBondiBeach
isoneofmy favoriteplaces— it’sagreat
stretchofsand,but justablockbackare
fantasticrestaurants.”
Thesingerwasborn inLondon ina
householdwhere fast foodwasano-no
andhermotherused torespond topleas
forMcDonald’sbydrawinga little“M”
on thewrappersofherschool lunches,
which ironicallyonlyhelped fosterher
culinarycuriosity.
“The food isbrillianthere.Anyone
visitingmust tryMomofukuSeiōbo
restaurantatDarlingHarbour. Iwent
therewithmyboyfriend [NewOrleans
singer/songwriterLukeJames], and
itwasamazing,”shesays. “Youget
12courses, andeach is likea little
adventure!”
Speakingofadventure,Jessiesays
hernewestdiscovery isanareacalled
Newtown—bestdescribedasbeing the
SydneyversionofwhatBrooklyn is to
Manhattan.Located two trainstops from
thecityandborderedby thesprawling
campusofTheUniversityofSydney, the
neighborhood isa littlealternativewith
a touchofhipsterchicandvintagecool
thrown in forgoodmeasure.
“Maybe thereIcanget thisdone for
reals,”shesays,poppingout thegold
septumring thatappeared tobepierced
intoplace.
Told thathernew face jewelryhad
actuallymadeheadlinenewsonarrival,
she laughs, “Well thereyouhave it,my
dreamshaveallcome true.”
T’S ONE OF
HOSE
PARKLING
AYS
N SYDNEY…
48
OCTOBER2015
AMERICANWAY
PHOTOGRAPHED IN
MONDODIGITAL INSYDNEY,
AUG.7,2015;
STYLING:
GEORGIA
ASHDOWN.
ASSISTANTS:
SALLYMCDONALD,JULIA
GORMAN.
HAIRAND
MAKEUP:
ALISHADOBSON,
TOBIHENNEY
