Interview Questions and Answers

Interview: All fired up with JESSIE

We finally got a chance to sit down with the legend herself – Jasmela Amirthalingam or JESSIE to me and you. The eight am start seemed to be no match for Jessie and she was as enthusiastic as she was when first dropping her single ‘No Fire”. The lyrical ammunition from this single sparked much controversy especially in the Tamil community as the mention of the Sri-Lankan genocide (which ended in 2009) was the topic at hand. Despite the hate and negativity, JESSIE continued singing and rapping about the topic which in her opinion seemed too “sugar-coated” in the media.

Miss Lingam, how would you describe your music style and what inspired you to enter the music scene?

Music has always been motivational for me, it’s something you can always rely on to pick up your spirits and doesn’t ask for anything in return and as sad as it sounds I don’t know where I would be without it. My style reflects me as an individual and that’s what I love. I’m someone who has worked hard for every success in my life; all that emotion and passion – that’s my style. Music nowadays has no emotion and doesn’t make people feel real personal emotions; just what producers and labels want them to hear. It all so messed up. When I hear people truly saying that my music changed their views on the world and life – that’s the big picture, that’s what brought me to the scene.

Your music has really gotten around to millions of fans all over the globe, how does that make you feel?

I wouldn’t call my listeners “fans”, they’re just people on the same journey as me. They’re people in search of what’s real and to be honest that the greatest feeling ever – knowing that there hundreds of thousands of people out there who get it and get me, it actually mental. There are some downsides to being so known on the World Wide Web. Some people feel as though it is their right to put me down and hate on me for my opinions and beliefs. It’s a cruel industry but I really couldn’t care less anymore! To be honest, them taking about me is getting my name around so ha ha haters [laughs]. Gotta love the haters.

Apart from the music, what has brought you here?

I honestly do not know what I would’ve done without Blogger™ and Instagram™! Social media platforms like them are really game changers; they put you out there and connect you with amazing people, it like a whole other world and I love it. Slumming it™ (the independent label JESSIE is with) have been by side since the start and really took my ideas off the ground, they’re people you can fully trust, they’ll let you be you and not try adapt your sound for more listeners like every other major label today. My brothers are my biggest fans, without them I would’ve have been allowed to pursue my dreams; my parents have always been strict and don’t really understand the impact music has made on my life. Other than that, the mass genocide in Sri-Lanka really did affect me emotionally, losing so many close family members took a painful toll on my mental health, music was a good outlet for the grief and it also informed the public on what was really going on. The media kept sugar-coating the truth.

What’s next on the agenda?

There’s a storm coming! [laughs] I really want to give back to my community, South London has inspired my music so much, I feel as though I owe it to the kids of this generation. I want to go into schools across this borough and talk to them about expressing themselves in pro-active ways, to not always follow the crowd and to follow their dreams because anything is possible is the ambition and drive is there. I am also going to be a headline act at London Mela in the summer so stay tuned for that as well guys! [laughs]. I am really looking forward to meeting people like Jay Sean, Imran Khan and M.I.A, they’re so relatable to me and my journey, I would feel so blessed to get a chance to work and collaborate with them.