Since she was last in etc., Jamelia has been busy – having another child, winning awards, and creating ‘Beware of the Dog,’ etc’s favourite pop song for a long, long time. We thought it would be a good idea to have a little catch up…
Hello. So, what have you been up to?
I’ve aged! And I think with age comes a lot more experience and being more at one with yourself and the world. Yes, it’s all good.
Has that been reflected in your music, then?
Yeah, I’d like to think so. I’d like to think I sound a bit more mature. Although being ridiculously happy didn’t help at the beginning, because I found it really hard to write.
Being ridiculously happy makes it harder to write?
Yeah, it actually does! I’d much prefer to be sad and depressed. I mean, you write some amazing songs when you’re down.
How did you get past that?
The thing is, when I wrote before I would say … I wasn’t in a good place when I wrote the last album. And for this album I had to put myself into another position. But I definitely enjoyed the challenge!
There’s a different approach in the song-writing, but your vocal approach is also different. There’s an edge to this album that wasn’t there before.
Having kids has improved my voice: I feel it adds more depth to my vocal range and ability. I’m very happy about that!
Why would having kids improve your vocal range? It’s not a case of yelling at them all the time is it?
It’s the screaming in labour that opened up some new vocal chords I never knew I had!
That’s definitely one way of finding your voice…
Yeah, but I’m not recommending it. I’m not promoting it!
You got your break very young, and even with time off to have children you’re still young – what do you think of the pressure that gets heaped on young artists, like the Arctic Monkeys?
Only time will tell whether it’s the right thing for them to do. Because of my experience, I probably would encourage young people to get involved – but my experience is different to the next person.
True – your professional life now is quite remarkable. You’re nominated for awards left right and centre every time you release music…
It’s amazing and I do feel so fortunate, but I continually stay ambitious…
Speaking of ambitious, tell us about ‘Beware of the Dog’…
My main aim was to do something different – too often, especially in the UK, you have to be pigeonholed by the kind of music you do and the idea that this is the only kind of music you should do. I just thought, why should I? Why can’t I be something else? So I made a conscious decision to break out.
But have you ever gone to create music and thought, God, it’s gone, I’ve lost it?
I did when I was making this album. It was so hard at first, and I thought, ‘oh God, I can’t write anymore.’ It wasn’t until I really pushed myself and went inside myself that I realised that pain doesn’t make you a writer. It’s you.
Once you got past your creative block, how do you get your lyrics down? Do you write in the studio or at home?
I have to live with the music first and think what it makes me think about, how it makes me feel, what connotations does it create in my head? Then after that I dream up a scenario and then I’ll come up with words. I just like to write songs in the way I’d say them – though obviously they rhyme! I don’t have any sentences in my songs that I wouldn’t actually say in real life.
You’ve got some live dates coming up – is it nerve-wracking?
Performing live is one of the best aspects for me; I love the fact that anything can go wrong. The crowd shows whether they like me or not – it’s definitely one of the best aspects of the job!
Finally, then, what about some of the best and worst live moments?
My best moment was possibly the V Festival a few years ago, it was amazing. The crowd was electric, and even though I’ve performed to bigger crowds, performing at the V Festival is a live performance I’ll never forget. My worst performance? When the strap on my dress broke and I was exposed!
Jamelia's thoughts on singing…
‘With developing your voice, I would definitely say that practice makes perfect. I’ve never had a formal singing lesson. The way I taught myself to sing was by singing other people’s songs. I’d always sing along with songs by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, whose vocal ranges are just absolutely ridiculous. But if you can stretch yourself to sound even half as good as them, that’s good!’
Catch Jamelia live at the Brighton Music Park event on June 23. Find out more from www.jamelia.com!
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