Jessie J Is Sharing a Radically Vulnerable Version of Herself

Jessie J’s new four-part album, R.O.S.E, begins with a prayer. The introductory Oh Lord is a mere one and a half minutes and doesn’t even have a chorus. Rather, it features the British singer once known for pop bangers nearly whispering a confession: I don’t want to do this life anymore / I’m always fucking tired, I get so bored / I feel trapped and I hate that I’m insecure /
Yeah, I work my arse off but what for?

The raw lyrics offer a window into the question that many fans have been asking over the past four years since the pop star last put out an album: What has Jessie J been doing?

The answer, it seems, is digging deep to reach a new level of authenticity. Although the now 30-year-old topped the charts and became known as a bubbly pop star for her energetic 2011 debut single “Price Tag” and following second and third albums in 2013 and 2014, her latest release reveals a surprisingly emotional new side of the singer. And through the album’s stripped-down ballads, she opens up about body image, creative difficulty, and the pressures of being both an artist and a woman.

We sat down with Jessie J at an intimate show in Montauk to talk about what prompted her to open up on her new record, resisting labels as a person in the public eye, and staying humble.