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Brand New For 2018

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Jessie Reyez Talks Amy Winehouse and Breaking Down On Stage

EXCLUSIVE! The fiery Canadian reveals the story behind 'Figures' in her MTV Brand New For 2018 spotlight interview...

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Wednesday, January 24, 2018 - 10:00

Today the Brand New For 2018 spotlight is shining brightly on budding superstar Jessie Reyez, the Canadian singer-songwriter who is making waves in the game with her honest pen and striking voice.

With a critically-acclaimed EP under her belt and two songs on Calvin Harris' latest album, the Kiddo singer is far from being a rookie but that's how she sees herself, saying "I still feel like I got a lot to prove."

Watch our exclusive Brand New For 2018 interview with Jessie Reyez here:

From performing for family in her living room to her first headline tour, Jessie's ambition and authenticity have been key to her success and the magic of her music.

The emotional 'Figures' was written when she "was going through a break up. Everything in me was hurting and it just came out. It was real and, like, as potent as it could be."

"The video was just more real stuff," she says about its tear-jerking visual. "It's just a bunch of real stuff... those were real tears. I just broke down in front of the camera."

With such a talent for honest storytelling it should come as no surprise that Amy Winehouse is one of her greatest musical influences, someone who inspired her "tremendously."

Credit: Marlon Munoz

“Amy Winehouse affected my life tremendously. I think maybe she was the first sense of intimacy that I had with a complete stranger, musically speaking."

Just like Winehouse, Reyez's lyrics are direct and honest in such a unique way that her songs are hard-hitting no matter the production, although the ferocity matches up like on 'Gatekeeper' her power is unstoppable.

With another tour scheduled for 2018, it's time for Jessie Reyez to take over the world.

To vote for Jessie Reyez to win MTV Brand New For 2017, like the Instagram image below:

https://instagram.com/p/Bd-CSBog8wx/

See Jessie Reyez live:

7th February - O2 Academy Brixton, London, UK
8th February - Manchester Academy, Manchester, UK
10th February - O2 Academy Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

11 Things You Need to Know About Jessie Reyez

  • Jessie Reyez is a Columbian Canadian singer songwriter.
    1 of 11
  • Jessie's debut single 'Figures' has received over 20 million streams on Spotify.
    Credit: Marlon Munoz
    2 of 11
  • Jessie released her critically acclaimed debut EP 'Kiddo' in 2017.
    Credit: Marlon Munoz
    3 of 11
  • Jessie learned how to play guitar as a child and has written songs since she was in high school.
    Credit: Marlon Munoz
    4 of 11
  • Jessie performed 'Figures' at the 2017 BET Awards and became the Number 1 trending artist on Apple Music straight afterwards.
    5 of 11
  • Jessie has performed with Alessia Cara.
    [Getty]
    6 of 11
  • Jessie refers to her sound as "Quentin Tarantino music".
    [Getty]
    7 of 11
  • Jessie collaborated with Calvin Harris on the track 'Hard to Love' from his album Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1
    [Getty]
    8 of 11
  • Jessie is the main support act for PARTNEXTDOOR's Infinity Tour in Europe in 2018.
    [Getty]
    9 of 11
  • Jessie's hard-hitting single 'Gatekeeper' was inspired by her experience of sexism and harassment in the music industry
    [Getty]
    10 of 11
  • Jessie says that she "like[s] to sing about shit [she] don't like to talk about".
    [Getty]
    11 of 11

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