The first time I heard a song that I knew was by a British girl named Jessie J, it was on Tumblr. That’s right: one of the many positive thinking Tumblrs I follow posted a link to her video, “Who You Are.” The song has grown into an anthem for recovery blogs and positive thinking. And more than anything, it’s launched Jessie J into an underground hit. It was only after that introduction that I realized some of my favorite songs on the radio — namely, “Price Tag” and “Domino” were also by this quirky, gorgeous girl. 

 
You might wonder why this girl seems so good at writing pop songs. Well, after the first label that Jessie was signed to fell through, she became a songwriter for Sony/ATV. She actually wrote Miley Cyrus’ hit “Party in the U.S.A.,” as well as songs for Chris Brown. She originally wrote the song, “Do It Like A Dude” from her album Who You Are for Rihanna — but because she was signed by then, she used it herself. This, to me, is one of the best things about Jessie: when her own career fell through, she did whatever she could to stay in the music industry. Eventually, it was her ability to write songs that lead to her being signed a second time by Lava in collaboration with Universal. 

 
Jessie calls herself half-artist, half-therapist. Her songs tap into issues for teen girls on more than a superficial level. From the positive-thinking anthem “Who You Are” to a song about being bullied through most of her childhood, “Who’s Laughing Now?,” Jessie has spoken about how she never did well in school — not as good as her two older sisters, at least — and how she was bullied because her schoolmates thought she was less intelligent than them. She always knew she wanted to be a musician or an artist, and so she never believed herself to be less intelligent than anyone else. She always knew she wanted to do great things and she worked hard regardless of what everyone told her. 

Jessie has had a variety of health problems throughout her teen years – from extreme anxiety attacks to a heart problem that prevents her from doing certain exercises and dance routines. The fact that she continues to push herself despite having every right to sit back and let cruise control take over is incredible and makes her a true role model. 


So what’s next for Jessie? Well, in February, Jessie will be heading out on tour. But before that, she shaved her head for charity. Yes, you read that right! That gorgeous black bob is gone. She publicly shaved her head to encourage people to donate to children’s hospitals and various other charities. She’s planning to do something “unexpected” every year to benefit charities and bring attention to her favorite causes. 

Check out the gallery for more photos of this gorgeous songstress!

Lovelies, what do you think of Jessie J? Do you love her as much as I do?