walking upstream…
Jessie J
photo: dvsross · cc by 2.0 ↗Jessie J
sourcesWikipedia — Jessie J
A north London theatre-school kid who wrote hits for other artists before breaking through herself, Jessie J arrived in 2010 with a technical, belt-heavy voice built for maximum impact — half pop hook, half vocal-runs showcase. She turned that combination into a run of blockbuster singles ("Do It Like a Dude," "Price Tag," "Domino," "Bang Bang") and a long stint as a coach on The Voice UK, staying most recognizable as a big, technically show-offy belter in a decade that increasingly rewarded understatement.
the sound in question
2011
Price TagJessie J
walk the tributaries ↓
Whitney Houston1980s · R&B / Pop / Soul
Jessie J has called Whitney Houston her "first girl crush," describing home video of herself at age four watching Houston on TV in absolute awe; she credits Houston directly with giving her "so much courage to be loud and bold and have a big vibrato and a big voice" — the template for the huge, unapologetic belting she builds every ballad toward.
listen: upstream & heresource: Billboard — Jessie J on her "first girl crush" Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, TLC and Spice Girls as "women of confidence" ↗
1992
I Have NothingWhitney Houston
2011
Who You AreJessie J
listen forCue up I Have Nothing, then Jessie's own title track Who You Are — same enormous, chest-voice power held back through the verses and let loose on the climbing final chorus, with that same wide, deliberate vibrato riding on top of the long notes.
Mariah Carey1990s · R&B / Pop / Soul
Jessie J has said Mariah Carey is "a huge influence on me," recalling hearing Vision of Love on the radio as a kid and dreaming of being sung with a gospel choir behind her "just like" Carey; that dream shows up directly in the layered, stacked-run vocal arrangements Jessie builds into her own big pop choruses.
listen: upstream & heresource: Billboard — Jessie J on her "first girl crush" Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, TLC and Spice Girls as "women of confidence" ↗
1990
Vision of LoveMariah Carey
2011
Who's Laughing NowJessie J
listen forPlay Vision of Love next to Jessie's Who's Laughing Now — listen for the same stacked, climbing melisma runs piled on top of each other in the chorus, treating the voice as a virtuoso instrument rather than just a melody carrier.
Lauryn Hill1990s · Hip hop soul / Neo soul / R&B / Reggae
Jessie J has named Lauryn Hill among the "women of confidence" who "drew my eye" growing up; Hill's move between sung soul hooks and rapped verses on the same track is the clearest precedent for how Jessie built her own breakthrough single almost entirely out of that same sung/rapped hybrid delivery.
listen: upstream & heresource: Billboard — Jessie J on her "first girl crush" Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, TLC and Spice Girls as "women of confidence" ↗
1998
Doo Wop (That Thing)Lauryn Hill
2010
Do It Like a DudeJessie J
listen forDoo Wop (That Thing) glides from a soul-sung hook straight into rapid, percussive rapped verses without changing gears; Jessie's Do It Like a Dude does the same handoff, singing the hook then snapping into a rapped, chest-voice cadence for the verses.