She’s the world-famous British R&B singer with many hits to her name. Now UK media are reporting that Jessie J has been approached by the BBC to represent the UK at Eurovision 2022. This follows the disappointing nil points result for the UK in Rotterdam.
UK tabloid newspaper The Sun reports that Jessie J has been asked to fly the flag for the UK in Italy next year. The Sun’s source says:
“The production team are desperate to make a fresh start after this year’s flop and are trying to lure top talent with promises of lucrative record sales and international exposure.
“They are determined to come back fighting and think Jessie would be perfect. She has a huge following in Europe.
“But Jessie is in demand, so pinning her down might be harder than they think.”
Jessie J has not commented on the news or confirmed if she has been approached.
Jessie J’s music career
Jessie J is best known for a number of hit singles in the first half of the 2010s. She enjoyed platinum success for songs such as “Price Tag”, “Domino” and “Bang Bang” — her iconic 2014 collaboration with Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj. However, Jessie J has not seen any of her new singles or albums chart since 2015.
As well as her music career, Jessie J has also carved out a role for herself on television talent shows. She served as a coach on the first two seasons of The Voice UK, and then went down under as a coach for two seasons of The Voice Australia. Most recently, she served as a coach on The Voice Kids UK in 2019.
Jessie J has also appeared as a contestant on an international singing show. In 2018 she competed on the Chinese series Singer. There she won the series, after giving impressive vocal performances of standards from Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, as well her as own hits.
But Jessie J is keeping busy with her music career. Before the pandemic, she was an in-demand live performer. And on Friday, she released her new single “I Want Love” — a disco banger which even features a key change.
Jessie J reportedly has a new album scheduled for release sometime this year. And who knows — there may be a three-minute track that is just right for Eurovision.
In recent years, the UK has chosen upcoming performers to represent the country at Eurovision. However, from 2011 to 2013, the BBC internally selected established stars. The best result from this era was in 2011, when boy band Blue finished 11th with their song “I Can”. However, in subsequent years, veteran performers Engelbert Humperdinck and Bonnie Tyler brought disappointing results at the low end of the scoreboard.
The UK has finish at the bottom of the table for two years in a now. 2021 act James Newman earning the notorious nil points for his song “Embers”.
What do you think? Should Jessie J say yes to Eurovision? What sort of song should she sing in Italy? Tell is your thoughts below!
I want Jessie J or Dua Lipa to represent UK in Eurovision song contest 2022.
My issue with the BBC is that for many years their position which the speak about openly is to wish to end up on the left hand side of the scoreboard. This is not ambitious enough. With a grand final of 26 songs, the left hand side consists of 13 songs. Each participating country can only award points (1 – 8, 10, 12) to the best ten songs. We need a song worthy of coming in the top 10 if we want to secure points. Take 2021 for example, I think it was only the jury from Poland which ranked… Read more »
Adele with a ballad, or Dua Lipa with a banger.
Eurovision does not deserve her. She is as much higher from this ESC level.
she is not anymore. she is a has-been
She’s a killer singer, but even Jessie won’t make it without a good song.
I love her music and maybe she can get a chance, but the thing that the UK and for that matter Spain haven’t got right is that Eurovision is not a contest about who brings the most famous artist, is a SONG contest. Look in your great music industry for a GOOD song and then you’ll get a position. When you are a big 5 and get the lowest in the scoreboard it really means that with that song you wouldn’t have been able to pass to the final, so step up your game. I can’t believe that the UK… Read more »
The thing the uk really needs to do is take a risk. And I mean the opposite kind of risk of electro velvet.
Another has-been representing the UK, because that always worked, right?
No, they need to take some talented unknown artist with a soul from the street and send them to Eurovision.
She is not exactly has-been, no need to be rude!
Just because she isn’t at the top of the charts any more doesn’t mean she has no career or isn’t in demand. She has a very stable career which in the changing pop climat is something to treasure. Besides relevance isn’t everything either, why would relevant current artists go to ESC? To serve what purpose?
My point is that they are chasing a big name, which isn’t really a big name.
Not sure where you got the idea that I propose “relevant current artists” to go to the ESC, since I explicitly wrote BBC should pick someone unknown. But if they turn their Eurovision ticket into a cupboard for people who are trying to restart they careers, it’s never going to work. They need to go with something fresh.
I mean she’s a talented ‘has been’. A big voice plus she writes her own material. If the bbc takes requests of who to approach i’ll keep spamming Rina Sawayama though 😉
Her new single “I want love” is actually first on Itunes chart in Portugal, 35th in Pop Chart on UK . She’s not an has-been but you’re definitly a never-been.
I want love is such a bop
she is not a has-been as Bonnie Tyler and Blue. She can appeal to younger audiences and her big hits were 10 years ago and not 30 years ago.
Well the main goal is to reignite national interest in eurovision so this could do it. But they are HIGHLY overrating Jessie’s impact in the music industry, she’s been flopping for like 7 yrs
Remember that in 2018, Jessie J was the first Western artist to win the “Singer” contest show in China? “Singer” which is a competition between the best singers from different Asian countries (in itself, a kind of Eurovision Asia without bearing the name). If she succeeds against the best singers in Asia, she is ready for the Eurovision contest.
With their track record, the BBC will screw this up too.
Seeing how we last week had discussions about Bill Bailey and what’s her face, loudmouth blonde one, this is a big step forward. Even if I doubt she will go..
Btw, William is working on BBC… i never understood why they havent asked him for his help on Eurovision…..or even William getting the scoop
I think William being involved with the BBC whilst running Wiwibloggs would be a conflict of interest as there would be an assumption that the website he runs (one of the most influential ones in the ESC world) would have a bias in favour of the British entries.
iT’S NOT about the singer but the song above all. Then find a talented charismatic singer (like Damiano for example). It’s a combination actually. Eurovision is not a popularity contest. Even poor Bonnie couldn’t get juries to vote for her. However, IF Jessie J and BBC are determined to win, they can definitely do it but i am 100% sure it is not gonna happen. BBC is not working on Eurovision a year before the contest and let alone take it that seriously. Then, Jessie J wouldn’t accept the offer after the disastrous result this year. But at the same… Read more »
Can hear Alexander Lemtov now
“Jessie J, she quite good, but everyone hates UK, so zero points!”
Since everyone is naming British artists they wish to see representing the UK, I would like to add Frank Turner to the list. His song Be More Kind is one of my all time favourite songs. Something as meaningful and emotional would be cool. Although I wont throw big words and start assuring it can broke the chain of bad luck for UK in the contest, cause I can’t guarantee it. That’s just my purely personal wish to see a folk (bard) music revival at Eurovision. But I’m also perfectly satisfied with Jessie J or half of the names from… Read more »
i love Frank Turner and I have a few of his albums. England keep my bones is one of my fave albums of all time. I doubt Frank would do it. But music fans, do check him out.
And the Daily Mirror is today reporting that the Frock Destroyers are in talks with the BBC for next year, although they have been spoken about before. They claim they would get millions of votes!!! Not really sure what to think about that!!!! lol
Please no! Drag acts are so dated with the exception of Conchita who delivered an epic song with epic staging.
And here we go again with the annual rumors about the Frock Destroyers…
https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/rupauls-drag-race-stars-talks-24315852
If the UK wants another double 0, sending them would be a really bad idea
Actually they will get some gay votes but UK will flop again because it is a novelty act and the reputation of the contest will hit rock bottom a la Scooch.
I hope it’s just another stupid rumour like this year.
Divina as a solo act wouldn’t be too bad, considering she’s an actual singer.
I agree with Colin! Jessie J should do something that’s nowhere close to the ‘classic eurovision safe bet’. it usually ends up with disappointing results. i also feel like Jessie J shouldn’t participate due to her established fame. Eurovision should not be about ‘what country has more famous singers to send’. San Marino tried it this year, by bringing out famous rapper flo rida, and it didn’t work out, resulting in a horrid 22nd place in the finals. If Jessie J participates, she’s going to make horrible rep!
Nah, she won’t risk her career ending up on the last place, like UK usually does… In the end, another no name will be their representative, and we know how it’ll end up. UK is always finishing last because they send boring songs….
I always wanted Mollie King to represent the UK.
I love Mollie but she’s literally the worst member of The Saturdays to send to Eurovision. Her songs are too safe for the UK atm and her voice although beautiful is just not powerful enough for a competition like the ESC.
I know she does not have a stand-out powerful voice, but I believe there could be some song that can suit her voice… but of course, it’s just my assumption. She has a lot of charisma too…
And from The Saturdays I would like to send Una Healy for Ireland
Go for a newcomer that is authentic to the music that he or she or they are doing! Authenticity is everything!
Jessie J is a good idea, but she would need a song she believes in, not the one “made to fit the Eurovision mold”. The UK is notorious for trying to crack the code, which is dated and ineffective. Just let Jessie J do her thing, and send a song which would be a highlight in her album anyway.
L O L
I said it before on another article and I’ll say it again. Megan Mckenna. She’s not internationally established so doesn’t have that level of fame that might work against her, she’s serious about her music career, has released an album, has a great voice, looks great onstage, is a very decent songwriter, is used to performing onstage and has already won celebrity X Factor. She would be such a great choice. With the right, standout song and killer staging, she could be genuinely competitive of an entry for the UK.
This performance felt very Eurovision: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPzaKGK3L18
Well… At least there was an attempt to move UK out of the bottom 3 places
Yeah right they have a chance for bottom 6 now
in 2018 she released two studio albums that didn’t chart anywhere in the world. maybe the heterosexual icon’s career could bounce back thanks to a successful eurovision participation
With all due respect, you say ‘UK you might want to rethink’, but sadly we the people often have little say in our entry, despite the UK having a strong Eurovision fanbase of people, like myself, who are desperate to see our country be competitive once again. I barely get excited for my nation’s entry anymore because year upon year, there’s no effort by the BBC. As a child in the early to mid 2000s, I would support our act fervently, but after years of mediocrity, I’ve pretty much lost that passion. So often, it’s internally selected, and on the… Read more »
You know a band that could actually manage a good result for the UK? Gorillaz! Musically, they’ve always met critical acclaim and have a loyal fandom. They could win both jury and televote. And about the staging, look at the link: it’s their performance in the Grammy Awards ceremony of 2006. If that was quite impressive for the mid 2000s, imagine something like that with current technology, it would be what Stefania from Greece brought to Rotterdam but on steroids. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGoSlY2sT04 Gorillaz in Eurovision would be almost unstoppable. I believe only Cyprus sending Eleni again or Russia sending Little Big… Read more »
Interesting idea, I could imagine it having that dark horse edge with a quirky but cool undertone, like Iceland this year. But honestly, I would rather us send someone up and coming with a great song. Sending big names from the UK has generally, bar say, the likes of Katrina & The Waves and Cliff Richard years ago, been notoriously unsuccessful. It’s the song that counts, no amount of pre fame is a guarentee of success.
I heavily dislike bringing on famous people/bands. it takes the surprise out of the contest, and will ruin televoting. a big part of eurovision for me is finding out about up and coming artists and their past music. i don’t want to know the singer beforehand, because it typically reveals exactly what we can expect from the song they bring with them. it’s just bad rep all around from the eurovision community, as they tend to dislike the artist heavily for bringing their fame into a fun, diverse, mostly fair competition.
You’re talking as if all about her was that she’s famous and ignoring why she became famous to begin with. First of all she’s AMAZING vocalist and performer. So unless she gets terrible song, it would end up on the left side of the scoreboard.
Another 0 is coming. Loves it.
First of all I just say that yes she is perfect for Eurovision and no I don’t think the BBC can pull it off to get her to compete. Dami Im is a perfect example of how a world class vocalist can elevate a song and similarly Jessie J can sing anything. After that it’s all about THE song. Also, as much as the UK seems to forget year after year it is a SONG contest which means having something that invokes authentic emotion and possesses dynamics and a uniqueness is the single most important factor. Basically, the UK needs… Read more »
Or at the very least, the BBC needs to send something with even an iota of competitiveness about it, and not simply middle of the road ‘it’s passable’ material that is destined to languish at the bottom. Winning a competition of 25 or so entries is tough, not saying we shouldn’t try for it of course, but even to send something that could get on the left side of the scoreboard or even, god forbid, the top 5, would be miraculous for us and something to aspire to!
Problem is more that BBC seems to think “let’s juts send a song that will keep us out of bottom 5”. Which ironically leads to finishing bottom 5. The kind of songs they sent wouldn’t even play on the A-list on Radio 2, that’s how bad it is..
Assuming this is true, is this BBC’s take away of what happened in ESC 2021?!! It seems to me that they are always like 10 years behind what happens. They should rather look at the direction of Jessie Ware, for example.
Jessie Ware would be good and I think she’d be willing to do it.
Do you think? That would be awesome! I would even settle if she would should just compose a song and pick a singer of her liking.
She’s released a few albums but has never been that household name kind of singer so I think she’d be willing to raise her profile, and she wouldn’t be put off by the possibility of embarrassing herself with a low placing in the way that Dua Lipa would if she didn’t win. Ware is also quite chummy with the BBC
Right! And also she has the prestige factor as her albums are critically acclaimed. The last one that came out last year was top 10 in many end of the year lists. She did some life gigs for BBC that are available in YouTube that could work magic in the ESC.
just sent a song that is trendy.
But I thought the UK almost never sends already well-known artists when it comes to Eurovision? Except maybe Blue, Engelbert Humperdinck, and Bonnie Tyler from 2011-2013.
Sending an already well-known name for UK in Eurovision means career suicide. If by any chance Jessie J, an already well-known name, is picked to represent the UK next year, I can imagine the whole Europe getting biased for them, no matter how bad the song may be.
They send artists past their prime.
Can the BBC just select a good song for once? I just want a credible act.
Still Jessie J would not agree to do it if she does not have a good song. Cascada delivered bad vocals and failed, Flo Rida did it for the money and the San Marino staging was messy, Bonnie Tyler is an icon but she did not have a contemporary song
She also had worse vocals than cascade if I recall
wow what a coincidence. I have just made a special Eurovision “version”/”cutdown” of her song “Domino” (you can check it here), and then this rumour appears. But, whoever the next UK representative is, he/she/they has/have to also be a performer, not only necessarily a songwriter. their most recent entrant James Newman is more of a songwriter, not necessarily a performer. His performance that night gave me some “go give us nothing” vibes. and his song “Embers” is similar genre-wise and vibe-wise to Australia’s 2015 entry, Guy Sebastian’s “Tonight Again”, but the difference is that Guy really delivered it very well… Read more »
”Tonight Again” was also ridiculously catchy. I still know all the lyrics. Embers though? Not so much.
What about Jesse J writes the song for another act to sing?
Compare. Style. Jessie J / Samanta Tina. Great vocalists but its about the song.
Good point
No. No single artist should be picked by the BBC. We need a much bigger and wider selection process like Sweden’s ‘Melodienfestival’. Have a pre-Eurovison XFactor style knockout contest running over a few weeks. Let’s see a lot more professional artists performing their own music in their own style. That’s the only way we’ll find different and unique performers and entries. Allowing a few ‘experts’ in a BBC boardroom to select or having a one off ‘Song for Europe’ show, with half a dozen average songs will NOT find our own Versa Versudshka, Conchita Wurst, Russian style ‘Grannies’ or heavy… Read more »
Mello is really expensive to produce. SVT has sponsors but the BBC can’t use sponsors so they would have to fund it all themselves. I don’t think that money exists unless they cancelled another music/talent show and put it towards a UK national final series.
The BBC should look at something like Finland’s UMK. Get 6 or 7 established acts of different genres with their own songs, not unknowns singing Mello rejects. Have one grand final but put everything into it, give it public appeal not just focused on elderly OGAE fans like You Decide was.
They could have a Saturday evening knockout ‘talent show’ like XFactor or the Voice or Britain’s Got Talent (past it’s sell by date anyway now) running over five or six weeks with perhaps half a dozen acts each week. There’s no reason why it should be any more expensive than the aforementioned shows? Call it ‘Highway to Europe’ or something? I think it would be a popular show. Over five weeks we’d see around 30 acts! Vote for the top two acts each week, then in the final, use the same voting system as Eurovision, 50% from a panel and… Read more »
you can’t say “replace Britain’s Got Talent” because BGT is by ITV while UK’s Eurovision delegation is managed by BBC. and BBC can surely do it, they are one of big five so they surely also have the budget.
Honestly, if the BBC held a national final in the format of Melodi Grand Prix or Melodifestivalen, which they can definitely afford considering they are in the Big Five and Norway and Sweden aren’t, then I guarantee that the UK is bound to send a great act. Please not another national final like 2019’s disaster of a three song show.
They would have to justify it to the liscence payer. My cousin says enough people are already moaning about them paying to be a big 5 entrant.
If it was ITV they could do it no question.
Well if BBC has budget to spend for doing all those awful trashy reality shows for BBC3 they do have money to do a selection process similar to Mello. It does not have to be in a stadium but in a studio like X factor
a bit of a contrary, it could be better if it is held in an arena, especially one of the Eurovision-standard ones (UK has abundance of it; O2, Manchester Arena, Utilita the 1998 Eurovision venue). I want to see a slickly-produced national selection.
Personally, the artist’s level of fame is secondary to me, it’s the song and staging/ production that truly matters. I definitely agree with your ideas on a national final with many acts though. I find that there are too many negative UK Eurovision viewers, the ones still holding on to the notion that ‘its political, ‘everyone hates the UK, we need to withdraw’ – y’know the ones – entitled, think we as the UK deserve to win every year because ‘we’re so much better than everyone else’ mentality – which I loathe. They would probably scold at first any kind… Read more »
I’m patiently waiting for a Garage, Grime, Punjabi or R&B artist/song. BBC make it happen!
OMG Yesssss!
Every year I read the rehearsal blogs and I keep reading about how the UK contestant didn’t do their best in the jury rehearsal. Who ever we send really has to nail the jury rehearsal and not save the best till the last night
You really thought that was saving the best to last….
From the same newspaper which told us Malta wanted Russell Grant
Jessie J would be a great playing card for the UK. She is a complete artist: author, composer, performer. She was already writing songs that were hits for other artists before she got to know herself. After the “known artist” card, it’s a double-edged sword. it can work like Blue (11th) or fail like Bonnie Tyler (19th). For the moment, the best results of the UK for the years 2000 remain Jessica Garlick (3rd, 2002) and Jade Ewen (5th, 2009) … Which are not very well known outside UK (in any case, much less than Jessie J)
There’s more chance that my grandma will represent UK
How is her singing?
Grandma Mia, here we go again…
How is her hip?
More hip replacement than hip.
I’ll believe it when I see it. I remember in 2019 or 2020 it was rumored that Niall Horan would represent Ireland, but that didn’t happen.
And look what did happen . An absolute train wreck, car crash, so bad I still find it unbelievable to watch
It’s good that BBC is keen on getting better results, we’ll just have to wait and see how things work out for them.
They won’t get them without a massive shake up of their selection process.
Jessie has been rumoured for years along with Fleur East, this will be a major coup for the BBC if they get her to agree to represent the UK at the contest next year. Even though she isn’t under the BMG main label she is under 2 labels that BMG have a lot of sway over Republic & Lava Records respectively through the merger with Universal Music so it isn’t that farfetched that she will agree to this, in fact this would be fantastic promotion and PR event for her, she is loved throughout the UK so even if she… Read more »
This gossip has got me uber-excited. waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!
Scan the wiwi pages and I’ve begged that we get Jessie J to represent us for years. That girl can sing!!!
Bangers such as bang bang or her epic range on those whitney houston covers will bring in those points. (If we are doing a ballad, let’s do something modern sounding atleast)
Jessica, if you stumble across this post, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesee consider it hon-ty. You will be A-MAZE-ING!
There is a generation that is longing to hear the iconic phrase “~Royaume-uni, Douz poi”
As someone else pointed out, Paloma Faith would be a brilliant choice, also Florence + the machine (my favourite band so let me dream!), Kate Nash, Rina Sawayama… so many!
It would also be great to bring artists from other racial backgrounds, there is such a thriving diversity in the UK and it would be nice to show it.
imagine rina or florence…..that’s an almost confirmed win for the UK should either of them agree to the contest
Rina isn’t going to compete for the UK unless the Tories get voted out of power- I actually think is an underlying reason as to why a lot of musicians are unwilling to represent the UK at the moment because of domestic rather than international politics.
I’ve been hoping for Rina for the last 2 years but now I’m sure that’s not gonna happen. I feel like her career is just gonna explode, especially since she landed a Keanu Reeves movie. I have a feeling she’s gonna be the next Dua Lipa in terms of visibility and popularity so there’s no way she’s gonna have that much time to dedicate to Eurovision.
Sooooo agree with you about diversifying. Imagine if Lady Leshurr, Nadia Rose, Jorja Smith, Zack Knight, Ahmad Rubani or Jasmin Walia performed next year, it would be a revolution for the UK.