Get to know 4x JUNO nominated artist, JESSIA in our “7 Questions With” series where we speak with first-time JUNO Award nominees from all genres.
JESSIA’s accessible but very complex music, self-summarized as “unpolished and unapologetic” – will make you feel understood and accepted. Think of JESSIA as a safe space to vent about all the ebbs and flows of being human – beguiling and super-relatable.
With a collective 265 million global streams to date, Vancouver pop songstress, JESSIA is taking the industry by storm, capturing the attention of social media fans and notable artists in 2021 including Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer Ryan Tedder who signed her to Artist Driven Records in partnership with Republic Records. Her debut single, “I’m not Pretty” exploded on TikTok, with JESSIA introducing the song via an acapella hook, racking up millions of views in a single day and catching the attention of singer, songwriter, and producer elijah woods and later, Grammy-Award nominated artist Bebe Rexha who joined the remix. Certified Platinum in Canada where it hit #4 at HOT AC, #8 at Top 40, and #33 in the U.S. The iHeart Radio Future Star, SiriusXM and KiSS Radio One to Watch, and Billboard’s “Chartbreaker” for the month of June, remained on Billboard Canada’s Emerging Artists chart at #1 for 13 consecutive weeks.
1. How did it feel to be nominated for a JUNO?
Still trying to take it all in! This has been a goal of mine since I started making music so I’m definitely celebrating with the little girl that I was singing in her bedroom. I’m feeling very honoured and excited!!
2. Which album made you want to become a working musician?
Back to Basics by Christina Aguilera showed me how fun singing can be and the range of what you can do vocally. Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette and Things I Chose to Remember by Rhys Lewis are two albums that inspired me to bare it all in my songwriting and to talk about the tough and taboo things.
3. What are 3 items you require when you’re on-tour?
A sea of coconut water, a metal straw, and a polaroid camera
4. What do you think is the best song you’ve ever released? What’s the story behind it?
I’m really proud of my latest single “Next Time”. I wrote it originally for just my ears but then I realized that this song could help a lot of people mend their hearts so I decided to share it with the world!
5. Which artist(s) would you like to collaborate with most?
PINK!!!!
6. What has been your favorite performance of your career?
Lollapalooza was a BLAST!! It was my first major festival I ever attended and I was also playing it.
7. What’s next for you?
More music, more tours, more videos, more adventures, more friendships, more heartbreaks, more anxiety, more travelling, more growth, more JUNOS?? Hopefully??
Tickets for The 2022 JUNO Awards are on sale now! Don’t miss out on an unforgettable night of Canadian music hosted by Simu Liu on May 15th.
