Jessie J, 30, is back in the spotlight! After rolling out a number of hits including “Domino,” “Price Tag,” and girl anthem “Bang Bang” with Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj, the pop star went relatively quiet after 2015. She blew up in the headlines again after a report surfaced that she’s dating Channing Tatum, 38, on Oct. 10! Not only is she rumored to be seeing the Magic Mike actor with A-list abs, but she’s making a comeback in the music industry. Here’s where Jessie, who’s also coached The Voice Australia and The Voice UK, went during her brief hiatus from showbiz, and learn more surprising facts about the talented songstress.
1. Jessie has Wolff-Parkinson-White disease, among other health complications. Wolff-Parkinson-White disease is a rare heart condition in which “an extra electrical pathway between your heart’s upper and lower chambers causes a rapid heartbeat” and can cause “serious heart problems,” according to the Mayo Clinic. It’s also incurable. While Jessie’s had the condition since she was a child, she also opened up about other unnamed health problems in 2017, following her break from the limelight. “In the two years that I did The Voice in Australia, I was diagnosed with some health issues that I’m not ready to talk about that I had to really face as a woman,” the singer revealed to Daily Star Sunday.
2. Jessie released a new album this year. In case you haven’t heard, the hitmaker dropped R.O.S.E., her fourth studio album, in May! It serves as the follow-up to her last album, Sweet Talker, which was released in 2014. Channing was even seen at the Salt Lake City tour stop for The R.O.S.E. Tour on Oct. 8! Jessie is still on tour.
3. The London native won a singing competition in China. You read that right. Jessie was one of the first contestants from abroad to compete on China’s Singer earlier this year. She nabbed the title as Season 6’s winner against other professional singers. “Last year I was asked to compete in a singing competition in China. Performing alongside the biggest established singers / artists across Asia,” she wrote in an Instagram post on April 13. “I was the first international artist to ever be asked / compete. An honour alone. I know a lot of people were shocked when they found out.” This wasn’t an obscure reality competition show — one billion viewers tuned in for the finale, according to Jessie.
4. The pop star retracted her bisexuality, and said she wanted to find a husband. “For me, it was a phase,” she told The Mirror in 2014, taking back her statement that she’s bisexual to The Telegraph in 2011. “But I’m not saying bisexuality is a phase for everybody.” She later added, “I want to stop talking about it completely now and find myself a husband.” After getting flack for calling her previous sexual orientation “a phase,” she defended herself on Twitter that same month. “The hate on my TL is uncalled for and ridiculous! I never lied about my sexuality, I never labelled myself, the media and some of the public did,” she wrote. “I said almost 5 years ago now. I have dated girls and boys. Quote me!”
5. Jessie’s most famous ex is Luke James. Jessie dated the “I Want You” singer for 11 months before breaking up in October of 2015. After rumors surfaced she called it quits because he was using her to advance his music career, she went off on Instagram. In an incredibly sweet post, Jessie posted a screenshot from his Wikipedia page, and pointed out Luke’s accolades and career highlights. “I stay quiet a lot about bullshit stories the media make up,” she wrote in the caption. “But I won’t allow them to try and de value the hard work of an incredible artist. It’s deflating and mean.”
