Feature

Soul Superstar

Jamelia talks with �Student Weekly� about her rise to success

Story by Kelly May

Did you Know? Jamelia is deathly afraid of cats � she can�t even be in the same room as the little felines.

While most 15-year-old girls are talking about guys, makeup and homework, young Jamelia Davis had already signed with a major record company. At the tender age of 18 she was making waves on the UK R&B scene with the release of her hit single �Money.� At that time the sky seemed the limit for this queen of soul.

But then Jamelia became pregnant and put her career on hold for nearly three years so she could spend time with her young daughter. In those three years, R&B became the latest worldwide sensation, and one of the genre�s brightest stars was missing out on the whole thing.

Now 23, Jamelia is back and it looks asif she hasn�t missed a beat. Her single �Superstar� is an undeniable smash hit, selling more than 200,000 copies in the UK alone, and her album, Thank You, is helping her earn back the tile of Queen of UK R&B.

Student Weekly recently got the chance to sit down with Jamelia and talk about her new album, her early rise to stardom and exactly what she�d like to do with 50 Cent.

Student Weekly: How did you manage to get a record deal at such a young age?

Jamelia: When I was younger I didn�t have any desire to be a singer. My cousin gave my demo tape to a record company and they asked me to sing for them. I did, and they offered me a contract. It sounds quite simple, but everything after that was just

hard work.

Student Weekly: What sacrifices have you had to make to get where you are today?

Jamelia: It would be not seeing my family and having no personal life. I�ve learned more lessons rather than made sacrifices. The biggest lesson for me is not to trust people, especially in this industry. You have to be careful at all times.

Student Weekly: What can you tell us about your latest album?

Jamelia: It�s called Thank You and every song is totally different. There are nine different producers on the album, which is unusual, especially for an R&B artist. Having an album where all the songs sound similar really bores me. I enjoy being stimulated and hearing something different. On my album, every song is a different experience.

Student Weekly: What�s it like being a superstar?

Jamelia: The best thing is being appreciated for being yourself. The worst is being away from my family. I�m very close to my family and it�s been a shock being away from them so much. Stardom is everything I thought it would be and more. But there�s so much hard work involved that the fans don�t see.

Student Weekly: What was it like working on your album with Coldplay front-man Chris Martin?

Jamelia: It was amazing; he�s such a nice guy. I was thrilled when I was told he wanted to work with me. I even had the chance to meet his girlfriend, Gwyneth Paltrow, when she came to the recording studio. She�s such a nice person. She was very complimentary and said that I have one of the best soul voices she�s ever heard.

Student Weekly: The song �Superstar� is about a girl with a crush on a boy. Tell us about your first crush?

Jamelia: I wouldn�t call it a crush; I�d call it a crazy obsession. When I was at school, about the age of 14, a new guy came to join our school a few years above me. I was in love with him. I�d follow him to lessons and look through the window when he was in class. It was awful and I get so embarrassed thinking about it. I would write his name on all my schoolbooks. I�d advise anyone with a crush like that to calm down because the guy is never going to like you if you are that obsessed.

Student Weekly: Nowadays, if you could kiss anyone, who would it be?

Jamelia: It would have to be 50 Cent, because good girls love bad boys. I know he�s not a good guy, but there�s something about him that�s irresistible.

Student Weekly: What is your motto for life?

Jamelia: Live every day as if it�s your last because it could be. I believe that we shouldn�t let opportunities pass us by but also know when to turn them down. I think seizing the day is the way to live. Putting 100 percent into everything is the right way to go.

Vocabulary

soul (n): a type of music that expresses strong emotions, made popular by African American musicians
sign (v): to sign a contract agreeing to work for a company
sacrifice (n): the fact of giving up something important or valuable to you in order to get or do something that seems more important; something that you give up in this way
stimulate (v): to make somebody interested and excited about something
appreciate (v): to recognise the good qualities of somebody/something
thrilled (adj): very excited and pleased
complimentary (adj): expressing admiration, praise, etc.
crush (n): a strong feeling of love, which usually does not last very long, that a young person has for somebody older
obsession (n): the state in which a person�s mind is completely filled with thoughts of one particular thing or person so that they cannot think of anything else
embarrassed (adj): (of a person or their behaviour) shy, awkward or ashamed, especially in a social situation
irresistible (adj): so strong that it can�t be stopped or resisted
seize (v): to be quick to make use of a chance, an opportunity, etc.