On Monday 19th November, popular live music venue Cambridge Corn Exchange invited ticket holders of all ages to it’s site as they played host to one of the biggest British female pop icons- Jessie J.
After taking some time out of the lime light , Jessie J has paved her back back onto the music scene with the relrease of a new studio album and a brand new live music tour.
The solo artist was first introduced to the world of chart music when she released her debut single ‘ Do It Like A Dude’ back in 2010. The single was a hit as it appealed to a wide audience. From then on she has released hit after hit and has even worked with acts including Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj and B.O.B.
Joining Jessie J on her long awaited R.O.S.E tour was London based soul artist Sincerely Wilson. The singer took to the stage alongside a guitarist as they performed a brilliant acoustic set on the night. We got a taste of his music as he sang original tracks ‘Easy To Love’ and ‘Make It Out Alive’ as well as a great way to show case his vocal range by performing covers including Princes ‘Kiss’ , Oasis ‘Wonderwall’ and not forgetting a great take on the Spice Girls ‘Say You’ll Be There’.
After a short break where music was played into the venue, the lights went off and screams from the audience roared in excitement as we were given a brief intro to the show before Jess took to the stage.
The tour is named The R.O.S.E tour relating to the names of Jessie J’s latest studio album. Each letter of ROSE was related to different parts of the show. R- Realisation, O- Obsession, S- Sex and E- Empowerment. The sholo artist made a very strong start to the show as she appeared in a gorgeous ensemble- black pvc looking shorts and a crystal entrusted fish net style over lay. She opened the night with the track ‘Oh Lord’.
For each segment of the performance there were 3-6 songs as well as a costume change and an introduction to each section. I must say Jessie J can appear to wear anything and still look amazing. Her costumes were quite memorable. As well as the black crystal attire at the beginning of the evening we also saw her wearing a pure brilliant white tailored suit and a hat- clearly inspired by the late, great Michael Jackson. As well as an Elizabethian style burgandy dress with ruffles galore. The last outfit of the evening was what made her look like the shining star that she is, as she dazzled in a golden sequin jumpsuit and gold heeled boots.
As expected we got to see Jessie perform some new tracks off of her recent R.O.S.E album, but we also got the chance to sing along to some of her more iconic hits too. For example ‘Do It Like A Dude’,’Bang Bang’ and ‘Nobodys Perfect’.
Earlier i reffered to the artists as a shining star. There is a reason for that Jessie J is one amazing and inspirational woman! She has no end to her talent and has a very impressive vocal range as many already know. However, before the event that evening I only knew Jessie as a woman that comes across as a bold artists with a bit of an attitude. Goodness me the media has portrayed this woman so, so wong.
Since I began writing music reviews around 3 years ago, I have been lucky enough to attend and review many live shows and events. I won’t lie i do have some artists that i favour and absolutely love to watch perform, but never have i seen a performance like I did from Jessie J.
Yes the show and the music was spot on and great fun, but that really was’nt what made the show for me. It was the artist herself that made the night so memorable. She clearly admires her fans and is a hugely compassionate person. I remember a couple of stand out moments to support this. The first was when she stopped her performance to go and speak to a teenage girl stood in front of the stage who was looking a little unwell due to the fact that it was crowded and warm in the room. Jessie knelt down to the young girl’s level to ask her if she was ok and to see if she needed any help. The artist also spoke to all the security in the room to kindly ask that they give out water to the audience that needed it. The second memorable moment was when Jessie had spotted a young tot with her relatives who happened to be wearing golden sequins just as she was. It turned out the tot was just three years old. As it was getting late the little lady was getting sleepy so she decided to completely change her set list by performing huge single ‘Price Tag’ earlier on so that this young girl would not end up falling asleep and missing it. After the popstar had finished performing the song she then serenaded the little girl and another memberof the audience too, by adding their names to the lyrics.
Our photographer and I even got the attention as Jessie J gave our photographer her microphone to sing along with her and shortly after had spotted me with my phone held up in the air recording her show by singing a love heart with her hands at my camera.
The female artist had a lot of time for her fans there that evening. She even spoke about her own personal experiences and shared inspirational words with everyone. She stared “Focus on yourself and loving yourself. Life is way too precious not to enjoy your life.”
Jessie J has to be without a shadow of a doubt one of the most amazing women on the planet. She gave us a performance of her music there that night, but she also displayed affection, her caring nature as well as a cracking sense of humour.
Photos by Kane Howie