JESSICA MAUBOY
She’s a successful singer, actress and friends with Ricky Martin and Ellen DeGeneres. No wonder 24-year-old Jessica Mauboy is leading a beautiful life. Interview by Marc Andrews.
The story so far: In 2006, Australia falls in love with Darwin girl Jessica Mauboy on Australian Idol. She’s runner-up. (Whatever happened to Damien Leith?) Jess releases two successful albums ( Been Waiting and Get ’Em Girls), is part of Young Divas and appears in two very successful Australian movies, Bran Nue Dae and The Sapphires, in which she plays one of the Aboriginal sisters in a 1960s girl group for which she picks up a major acting gong as Best Supporting Actress and scores a #1 soundtrack for the film.
Recently voted the 16th greatest Australian singer of all time she’s putting that voice to good use on her third album, Beautiful. With two hits already, To The End Of The Earth and Pop A Bottle (Fill Me Up), Jessica is on her way to becoming the new big Australian music export. So, clearly it’s time for a long overdue catch-up chat…
DNA: Hey Jess, it’s been a long time!
Jessica Mauboy: It has. We need to get out more, the both of us [laughs].
You’re on your third album now. Well done!
Yes, finally. Being part of The Sapphires film was completely different to the music world. It was nice to be back in the studio and write about what I’d been doing in those two years. I had about four months to really put my head down and do a lot of the recording here in Australia. Then I had the opportunity to go back to the States and work there for a bit, too.
Were you involved with all of the writing on the album?
I was heavily involved, much more this time than I was on my previous two albums. I really wanted to go back to basics in terms of lyrics.
You called the album Beautiful – why?
I wanted it to have a really positive sound. It was a natural path for me, growing up in a small town community, and I wanted to pass that on to others. That’s why I got involved as an ambassador for Yipirinya, an Aboriginal school in the Northern Territory. We’re teaching kids about the industry and how to work. A lot of my people grow up feeling a lot of shame and I want to give them a positive message to follow.
You’ve also become great pals with Ellen DeGeneres of late.
[Laughs] How amazing is that? Apparently she watched The Sapphires on a plane and just fell in love with the story and could identify with the struggle of these women. It was wonderful to know show much she enjoyed my performance and it really was a big wow moment to do Ellen in the US. It was nice to go back to my roots in music with that movie, too.
You’ve also became buddies with Ricky Martin after working as a mentor to the contestants on The Voice.
[Laughs] He’s a good friend and so supportive. Through his contacts we’ve been able to speak to people about getting my music heard in the States. He’s not just truly a world-class man, he’s also one of the most spiritual. He has a beautiful heart and a beautiful soul. When I met him I was just gushing [giggles].
Did he get you to babysit his kids?
I have met his kids and they are gorgeous. They also speak about five different languages!
Someone you collaborated with on your new album is the rapper Pitbull.
Before we worked together, I found out he was a fan of my music and that he really wanted to work with me, so thankfully that all happened. The track is called Kick Up Your Heels and it’s a bit different for me. It’s tongue-in-cheek and rather sexy and sultry. I love collaborating.
Is this track going to be your entry card into the US market?
Perhaps it could be. I love that it adds a really different flavour and it’s probably something that people might not expect to hear from me.
What’s your message to the readers of DNA?
Stay positive and stay beautiful, too.
more: Beautiful is released through Sony Music. Jessicamauboy.com.au.