Jessie J is living her best life: "I want to make music that stands the test of time"

Jessie J is one of the UK's greatest vocalists and a pop star behind some massive bangers – among them, the Number 1 singles Price Tag, Domino and Bang Bang.

Now she's back with an uplifting new bop, Living My Best Life, which arrives hot on the heels of her April single No Secrets, a raw pop-R&B song on which she shares her very mixed feelings about social media. 

They're both taken from her upcoming sixth studio album, which she promises will be an "eclectic" affair. 

In mid-April, Jessie previewed her new music during at intimate gig at iconic London venue Ronnie Scott's. She served vocals  – obviously – as well as the hilarious stage patter of of a stand-up comedian.

"I feel like after a lot of interviews, I'm like 'I loved that one - it was so fun!''" she says. "But then as soon as I get a little bit silly, they're like, 'Oh she probably wouldn't want that in.' But that's the bit I like – I do love making people laugh."

Here, she talks about her deeply personal new music and the thrill of seeing her classic hit Price Tag.

Hi Jessie! Congratulations on the new music. It really is so exciting to have two Jessie J singles dropping in less than a month.

"I'm making up for lost time, maybe. I feel like people consume music so differently now, and also what I love is that it really celebrates different genres. I just wanted to let people know that's going to be the vibe from the jump."

You've said that Living My Best Life was ages in the making. What about the song feels so special to you? 

"It's just the feeling it gives me when I sing it. It feels like a celebration song that isn't tied to a birthday or anniversary or something specific. It's a celebration song that's just tied to a feeling of joy. It's definitely one of my favourites. Every time it comes on, it feels like the kind of song that makes you want to run out of the toilet at a wedding and dance.  And I love making songs like that."

MORE: See where every Jessie J song and album has charted in the UK

Is the album going to be pretty eclectic?

"It really is an eclectic selection of songs that I've written at different times in my life. For me, music is my creative outlet. It isn't something that I want to do. It's something that I almost have and need to do. It's like my therapy. Like, [my upcoming song] one song was written about me and my boyfriend when I first was pregnant and felt we were struggling a bit.

"We were just getting our heads around being parents and, like, having these conversations of fear together. We were struggling in the sense of 'what's going to happen?' And I was like, 'We've just got to believe in the magic. We've just got to believe we can do it.' With this album, it's very much [a case of] 'I remember on that day this happened, so I wrote this song.'  And I can't wait to see how people relate it to their own lives."

What was the first song you wrote for the album?

"The first song I wrote that is on there I did with Ryan [Tedder]. It's a pop-rock song that's got a bluesy [vibe] – I wrote it about a relationship I was in at the time. I wrote this album from 2019 to 2023, so it was a long period of time where I went through a lot of life. And the album really reflects that."

Was it nice to have a little longer to write an album?

"I always say to anyone I've met that has huge success [that] going into the studio to write a second album is really tough. You have such a limited time and everyone's like: 'We want to keep up the pace of the success that you've just had'. I saw RAYE talking about that on her socials recently.

"It's also scary because your whole life changes. Fame really does distort so much of the things that you were able to write about on your first album. So I think for me, having four or five years where no one was really trying to check for me and I could really live and write songs, that was amazing. I'm glad that I left it that long. At the time, it was frustrating. But now, looking back, I'm like 'it wasn't meant to be until now'."

Can you believe Price Tag went to Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart 14 years ago?

"It's disgusting, but it's a privilege. It's a privilege, isn't it, to get older? I just feel like, my god, how's it been that long? It makes me sad because it doesn't feel like it's been that long. I always say to people that one of my goals is to make music that stands the test of time and [Price Tag] going viral on TikTok just before this launch, that wasn't planned. It was completely organic. And it was like, OK, [that song] really has stood the test of time."

Finally, who are your favourite artists at the moment?

"I think Sabrina Carpenter is doing such a great job – she's very polished. It feels like she's got a big budget and she's using it well. And with Chappell Roan, I just love how authentic she feels to herself – same with Billie Eilish. 

"When I look at pop girls like Charli xcx, you can just feel that she's being herself, and I love that she's having success being herself. I think that's so key, and I think it's so wonderful how different everyone is: everyone's genres are different, everyone's energy is different, and people are really buying into them as people. I'm also obsessed with Cat Burns – I think she's amazing."

Jessie J's Living My Best Life and No Secrets are out now.