We Get Jazzy With Jessie J At Sing Jazz 2015

PUBLISHED March 13th, 2015 08:15 am | UPDATED June 12th, 2020 03:14 pm

For every Jazz audiophile in Singapore, it was a dream come true. The Singapore International Jazz Festival (Sing Jazz 2015) brought together fabulous acts from around the globe for 3 days of world class tunes. For the teenagers in the Sands for Singapore youth choir beneficiaries however, it was almost delirium – they had the opportunity to meet a superstar celebrity they might never again meet in their lives. And that super star is Jessie J.

Jessie with the Sands for Singapore youth choir beneficiaries.

Entering a private room in Marina Bay Sands to the a-cappella rendition of her hit song, ‘Masterpiece’, by the young group, the talented 27-year old listened to every verse with a wide grin. With a finger to her eye, Jessie encouraged, ‘sing loud, and never stop’.The fact that she invited them to perform ‘Masterpiece’ on stage with her was testament to their ability. After a meet and greet session with the kids, we too had the chance to speak with her. Confident, energetic, and exuberant, this was definitely a woman at the peak of her career and loving every bit of her craft. After telling us how she killed time in her seven hour journey from Sydney, Jessie made all of us laugh by giving her very best Aussie accent impression.

Jessie performing with the wide-eyed teens on the main stage.

She then touched on how writing ‘Masterpiece’ will always be an important part of her career. ‘For me, you never make it. You never get to a point where you stop and go: I’m a star. It’s a constant evolving thing to stay relevant, to stay persistent, to stay strong and passionate. For me, Masterpiece is a song an 80-year old could hear and relate, a 10-year could hear and relate. I would enjoy singing that song 10 years ago and I’ll enjoy singing it 10 years later. No one ever stops making mistakes. No one ever stops feeling like they’re incomplete. Life is about just embracing it in the moment.’

Jessie showing off her moves.

We then asked for her opinion on how music would evolve over the next 50 years. Pausing for a moment, Jessie gave an answer that most people would definitely want to hear. ‘I hope it stays good, I hope it stays credible and natural. Hopefully not everything becomes a computer and auto-tuned. I hope it stays live. I’ve never to this day lip-synced, I’ve never used auto-tune when I’m recording my stuff for my albums. Every time someone puts it on my mic, I’ll be like: Did you put tuner on me? I would get lazy, if it tunes me I won’t get better as a singer, so I just hope that music stays real.’

Well Jessie, we feel that you have absolutely no need for a tuner.

Her electrifying performance at Sing Jazz 2015 was proof enough. Making a spectacular entrance, she wowed the crowd with hit songs like ‘Bang Bang’, ‘Do It Like A Dude’, and ‘Price Tag’. Her powerhouse vocals were there for everyone to hear and we gotta say we were impressed.

Naturally 7 gave the audience a performance to remember.

Let’s not forget though that there were many standout performers in Sing Jazz 2015. Bobby McFerrin charmed us with his funky sounds, Snarky Puppy’s got us off our feet, and Naturally 7 were absolutely dazzling with their unique style of beatbox a-cappella. Overall, Sing Jazz 2015 was a roaring success in our eyes. And judging from the reception of this year’s edition, you’d be hard pressed to find Jazz lovers in Singapore who wouldn’t want more.