"What You've Done To Me":
"Shake That" featuring Pitbull:
Friday, July 31, 2015
Thursday, July 30, 2015
30/07/15 - Samantha Jade on Seven's "The Morning Show" in Sydney
"Shake That" featuring Pitbull (Acoustic):
Interview:
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
28/07/15 - Samantha Jade being interviewed for the website "AuspOp.com.au"
Life’s incredibly tough being an australian pop star. You not only have to battle to be heard on the airwaves in your own country, but opportunities to be seen on television screens by the wider public are also few and far between.
Add in a public who consistently demand better songs and better videos while becoming increasingly less likely to actually dip their hands in their pockets and buy the product and you understand why some are more than willing to leave the game.
But Samantha Jade has been ensconced in the business for long enough to understand that there will always be ebbs and flows and after a personally turbulent 2014, she’s emerged with both a positive mindset and a fresh new single.
We sat down with Samantha to chat about "Shake That", the industry as a whole, dealing with trolls, as well as that "Woolworths" campaign.
And yes, she tells us her long-awaited new album is definitely on the way.
But she begins by admitting that though life for any australian artist is tough, she’s more than ready, willing and able to roll with the punches.
“If you’re a hard worker and you have high expectations, it’s always difficult”, she begins, “I put a lot of pressure on myself and my team and always hope to be better than the last record and better than the last video. But at the same time, you do have to find some sort of appreciation and excitement in that.
“The ride’s up and down all the time. This is my first single of 2015 and it’s halfway through the year. But that was because of mine and my team’s choice. So it’s nice having that kind of input too.”
As mentioned in the opener, one of the biggest challenges facing australian artists is a lack of platforms to showcase new material, both on television and via a commercial radio community which is largely reluctant to support our own.
“There are only a few television moments a year”, Sammi admits, “There’s really only "Dancing With The Stars Australia", "The X Factor Australia" and "The Voice Australia". That’s kind of it. So if you don’t have a song out in that bracket, you’re obviously not going to get that "moment", so it does make it a little harder.
“Australia’s got a big "loungeroom culture" I like to say. Australians are pretty down to earth, pretty normal. We like to get to know someone, that’s why i think those shows work so well. We’re part of the process and we feel like we build the artist too. So i feel like when you do perform on "The X Factor Australia" or something like that, you have the little interview and they get to know you a bit more. So those moments really help.
“A lot of people didn’t even know that my last song, "Sweet Talk", was out”, she says, “And it was on the "Shazam" countdown a lot, which shows that people are Shazaming because they don’t know who sings it. Sometimes, it’s hard to get it out there to the people, so i think we’ve been smarter with how we’ve put this single out, doing club gigs and actually getting out there to the people who buy your songs.”
Samantha was in the music business long before she set foot on the "The X Factor Australia" stage. She’d signed a label deal with "Jive Records" in the US in the mid-2000s, contributed a song to the "Step Up" movie soundtrack back in 2006 and even featured on this little website with her 2009 single "Secret", all before "The X Factor Australia" stage beckoned.
“I’d been behind the scenes and i’d been recording and i’d been in the back, so i never got my music out to the people and the public never heard me, so that’s why i decided to go on the show. That’s the only route u hadn’t gone. Aactually showing the people.”
And it’s clear the people loved what they saw and heard, crowning her the winner of the competition back in november 2012.
But there have been plenty of competitions since and there are a number of other australian pop starlets competing for the same time on local airwaves. We ask Sammi how hard it is for her to find her own niche in such a crowded marketplace.
“It’s something i don’t focus on”, she admits, “I think when you focus on that, it makes it a little harder to stand out because you’re wondering: "Oh, what’s my thing?". When you’re just you, you are you and everyone is different. My music’s probably the most pop-driven out of the girls i can think of in my category and we’re all a bit different style-wise. So there’s room for everyone.
“I was just talking about this the other day, actually, because "Shake That"s message is about girl power and female empowerment, not being jealous of other women and not taking that route. Being about the sisterhood and girl power and all that kind of stuff.”
And, of course, that competing for airtime is just within the bunch of australians. Samantha and her peers then have to compete against the best artists in the world, whose music often dominates our airwaves.
“It’s hard in Australia. Australia’s our market and it’s the only one we’ve got. UK artists, american artists, they’ve got their place and they’ve got ours. We all talk about it. Wishing that we could just branch out or have that moment.
“But you’ve got to be patient and you’ve got to work harder and instead of getting angry and sitting in my room crying (I have those days too), i use it as motivation. That means i’ve got to work harder, that means the video’s got to be better, the music’s got to be better and turn it around to a positive.”
But it’s understandably difficult to continue to be so positive in the face of trolls. We’re staggered to learn that Sammi, who’s literally one of the sweetest pop stars you could ever hope to meet, has been the victim of the vile internet trolls.
“Oh yeah. Yeah. Oh yeah yeah yeah. Definitely”, she says, “I think we all do. I don’t think you’ll find someone who doesn’t. It’s really common. When we went on the One Direction tour, that was hard. You always get the haters. All us artists talk about it with each other, but i’ve learned to not let it get to me like it used to.”
She also copped plenty of flak for appearing in the high profile campaign for supermarket chain "Woolworths" earlier this year.
“Oh yeah, i expected that”, she says, revealing that it wasn’t the money that prompted her to do the campaign.
“I wouldn’t do anything unless i really wanted to do it. I was a struggling artist. I’m not used to having money. Money’s never been the motivator for me. But some people think that way. A lot of it’s self promo. If you’re a struggling artist, you do it because you love the music and you get the benefits.
“So "Woolworths" was because it’s a really iconic australian brand and in the ad, i got to be in the studio singing, which is where i love to be. And it’s cute and it’s kitsch and it’s girly and that’s what i like. I loved it. I’m proud of the campaign.”
Now, however, it’s all about her recently-released single "Shake That". Co-penned and produced by the legendary Kenny (Babyface) Edmonds, it’s a song with an incredible pop pedigree and Samantha tells us how it came about.
“I’d actually worked with Babyface years ago when i used to be signed to "Jive Records", she reveals, “We did a ballady kind of song and it was amazing and he’s amazing. He’s Babyface. Come on. He’s one of the greats. So i went in and this girl Carmen Reece came in. You need to wait for her record to come out. She’s crazy. She did the bulk of the Ariana Grande record and her vocals are unbelievable. It’s really fun for someone who can really sing like that to write a melody for you, because they know what you can do and where it will be fun to play. We were actually recording another song that we’d written together, i came out to get my coffee and she said: "I know this is really random and we’re in the middle of another session, but i have this song that you won’t be able to write on because it’s already written, but i just feel that i need to play it for you and i think you’re going to love it". I’m not precious about the writing thing though. My A&R was in the room, we bothed looked at each other and said: "Yep". You know when you just know? So that was it. So it was just fun and it was still a singer’s song, but made you want to dance and i could see all the visuals of the video and everything.”
Pitbull’s association with the single, however, came about only in the “last few months”.
“I recorded it in january, but there was a bridge in the song that was bare. So Carmen said: "Well you could write a part there if you want" and usually, you’d try and get writer’s credit – everyone tries to get on. But it wasn’t right. There wasn’t anything more to say in the song and i didn’t think you needed to hear me again at that point. I felt like it needed to be someone else’s voice.
“A few suggestions were thrown around. Pitbull was perfect because of the track feeling like a real ‘him’ sort of song. So we sent it out and hoped to god that he’d say ‘yes’ and he did.”
With ‘Shake That’ now under her (tiny) belt, talk quickly turns towards that all-important album. In our last interview with Sammi, in late 2013, she told us that it was due in february 2014.
“Well, that’s what i thought”, she laughs, “It was going to come out last year and then my mum got sick, so i took time out and dedicated time to that, so i had six to seven months off and then came back in and realised that i wanted to say something totally different in my record, so we started from scratch.”
And, despite reports to the contrary, it’s not called "Angel".
“Do you know what I think it was? I posted a picture on Instagram of my mum and said that she was my angel. And I think that i had done an interview shortly after that saying that the record was dedicated to her, which it is, and i think they kind of tried to put two and two together and got five. And now in every interview i do, they say: "So, "Angel". It’s called something else.
“All of the songs fall under the pop umbrella. Some are urban influenced, some are dance influenced. It’s just a solid pop record. I love pop records. I love old Christina, old Mariah, so we’re kind of going in that direction. I’m really proud of it. It’s taken me a really long time to make and i’ve been really hands on with the process and it’s a really great album.”
Sammi’s also super-excited to tell us about a duet that will feature on the record (“someone who’s really not anyone you’d expect me to have a duet with”), but confirms that it’s not the one she recorded with Stan Walker, "Start Again".
“No. That’s actually from a film he’s done in New Zealand. He should pretty much run for president in New Zealand, because he is the man there. I had no idea until i was there with him and people were screaming. It’s insane. He’s such a darling.”
And finally, Samantha reveals, we should be expecting the LP to drop in just a few months time.
“Yes, it’s october.”
Right.
“It actually is coming out this time.”
Yeah, we believe her.
“It’s coming out in october.”
Really.
“Hey, if it doesn’t come out in october, i will be losing it. It’s done.”
Samantha Jade’s single "Shake That" is available now.
Her long-awaited debut album, she says, is due in october.
Credit: [X]
Sunday, July 26, 2015
26/07/15 - Samantha Jade on the iHeartRadio Australia countdown in Melbourne
"Do It Again" (Acoustic - Pia Mia cover):
"Shake That" featuring Pitbull (Acoustic):
Friday, July 24, 2015
24/07/15 - Samantha Jade being interviewed on 9Honey's "The Fix"
Samantha Jade on social media trolls: "I've come so far from watching my mum die. I don't care anymore."
The last three years have been pretty spectacular ones for Samantha Jade. Since winning "The X Factor Australia" in 2012, she's enjoyed a string of hit singles and scored a "Logie Award" nomination for last year's INXS miniseries.
Not bad for a girl from Perth who grew up idolising Beyonce and Britney. But for all the career highs, she still has to deal with nasty internet trolls who'd like to send her crashing back to earth:
"They say i have a five head because i have a big forehead", Samantha, 28, tells "The Fix", "That was pretty hurtful. And "She's so small, she's like a midget". That's not a bad thing."
Definitely not. Samantha is adorably tiny in a Kylie Minogue sort of way, but public shaming can bring out our worst self-critic. It wasn't until she lost her mum to cancer last year that Samantha learned how to handle the slams with grace:
"I've come so far from watching my mum die", she says, "I don't care anymore. I really don't. It's such a good feeling to say that. When you lose somebody that close to you the way i lost my mum, where it's a quick process and you see somebody deteriorate and go down that downward spiral, it changes how you deal with things."
Samantha's mum was with her from the start of her career, which she launched at age 15 in the US. She released her first single "Step Up" in 2006.
When "Jive Records" (home of her pop idol, Britney Spears) dropped her in 2010 after several singles failed to set the charts ablaze, she returned to her hometown of Perth to work with her dad in a mining warehouse.
"To tell people i'd worked with Max Martin, Timbaland, Sean Garrett, Ryan Tedder, Diane Warren, everyone, and then to just come home with nothing was really really hard to face", she says of her lowest point.
When Samantha entered "The X Factor Australia" in 2012, she saw it as her "last shot" and it's one that hit its mark. She's even since earned bragging rights to say she knows how Kylie feels, having won that "Logie Award" nod for playing her.
Now, australian pop's good girl has gone sort of bad with her latest single, "Shake That". Though sexier and edgier than ever in the video (which features a guest appearance from rap superstar Pitbull, whom Samantha has yet to actually meet), she downplays the image change.
"This video is in the vein of "Firestarter", she says, referring to her 2013 hit, "It's just a little bit moodier", but she concedes, "The whole tone of the video is sexier."
And if the online haters are sharpening their knives, Samantha won't let herself bleed:
"I care what i think", she says, "I care what my family thinks. I care what my small circle thinks. But those people, i'm like, ok, it doesn't affect me like it used to. That was my mum, so thanks for that."
Samantha is ambassador for "Runway Weekend" and will be performing at their fashion and beauty expo in Sydney on august 30th 2015.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
23/07/15 - Samantha Jade at Westfield Tuggerah in Tuggerah
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"What You've Done To Me":
"Firestarter":
"Shake That" featuring Pitbull:
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Flyer of a performance and signing at Westfield Tuggerah in Tuggerah
Samantha Jade will perform and do a signing at Westfield Tuggerah in Tuggerah, on july 23rd 2015.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
21/07/15 - Samantha Jade being interviewed for the website "DailyTelegraph.com.au"
Samantha Jade opens up about that "Woolworths'" "Cheap, Cheap" ad which copped flak online
Samantha Jade has no regrets over appearing and singing in a television advertisement.
"The X Factor Australia" winner says she is proud of the "Woolworths'" "Cheap, Cheap" ad which copped flak on social media.
“I loved it’’, she said, “Woolworths" is such an iconic brand and i can look back and say o did that. I crack up sometimes because i'm like: "Oh my God, look at me with all of those birds", but it’s pretty funny. I’m very proud of it.”
Jade is back focusing on music with her new single called "Shake That" featuring Pitbull.
She performed it last week on the opening night of Seven's "Dancing With The Stars Australia".
“It’s a challenging song to sing which i love’’, she said, “Pitbull only got on the song about two months ago. Hopefully, i will see him when i go over to Los Angeles.”
Credit: [X]
Monday, July 20, 2015
20/07/15 - Samantha Jade being interviewed for the website "ProjectU.tv"
"Woolworths" commercial croonstress Samantha Jade has plonked the video for her new single on the internet.
"Shake That" is of course the song she’s done with Pitbull and it is quite amazing. I had a little natter on the phone with her and she reckons:
“It’s always fun to team up with someone international – it just adds some flavour to your song.”
She hasn’t actually met Pitbull thought:
“He’s in Miami partying, I couldn’t be there.”
The B-side of the single [Armour] is also amazing, just so you know.
That begs the question, where’s the album Sammy?:
“The album is finished and is definitely coming out in october. I’m really excited about the next single too – it’s one of my favourite songs from the album. I can’t say much about it obviously. But it is a great song!”
Credit: [X]
20/07/15 - Samantha Jade on KIIS 106.5's "Matt & Jane" in Sydney
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Sunday, July 19, 2015
19/07/15 - Samantha Jade on Seven's "Dancing With The Stars Australia" in Melbourne
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"Shake That":
Interview:
Saturday, July 18, 2015
18/07/15 - Samantha Jade performing at the "Greyhound" bar in Melbourne
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"What You've Done To Me":
"Firestarter":
"Shake That" featuring Pitbull:
18/07/15 - Samantha Jade at the "Woodgrove" shopping centre in Melton
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"Shake That" featuring Pitbull:
Friday, July 17, 2015
"Shake That" music video and behind the scenes
The music video was directed by director Shae Sterling and premiered on july 17th 2015.
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Behind the scenes:
"Shake That" featuring Pitbull single cover art and scans
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17/07/15 - Samantha Jade performing on Richard Tunami's Instagram page
"Love On Top" (Beyoncé cover):
"Tell Me" (Dr. Dre cover):
17/07/15 - Samantha Jade performing at "Arq" club in Darlinghurst
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"Firestarter":
"Shake That" featuring Pitbull:
New song called "Armour"
"Armour" will be included on Samantha Jade's single "Shake That" featuring Pitbull as a B-side, out on july 17th 2015 and will be released as a promotional single on august 14th 2015.
Listen here:
July 2015 - "Shake That" featuring Pitbull single promotional photoshoot
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Thursday, July 16, 2015
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
15/07/15 - Samantha Jade attending the launch of the Thomas Sabo's "AW15" jewellery collection in Sydney
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Tuesday, July 14, 2015
14/07/15 - Samantha Jade on 96.9 Nova FM's "Smallzy's Surgery" in Sydney
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Monday, July 13, 2015
Sunday, July 12, 2015
12/07/15 - Samantha Jade on TV3's "Dancing With The Stars New Zealand" in Auckland
"Start Again" featuring Stan Walker:
New song called "Start Again" featuring Stan Walker for the "Born To Dance" movie soundtrack
Samantha Jade has a new song called "Start Again" featuring Stan Walker, out on july 12th 2015, that will be included on the "Born To Dance" motion picture soundtrack album, out on september 18th 2015.
It was produced by producer P-Money.
Listen here:
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
08/07/15 - Samantha Jade being interviewed for the website "News.com.au"
Samantha Jade laughs when recalling the round of bad reviews she copped for a recent red carpet outing.
As family, friends and team Sammi J rallied with support after the fashion police caned her daring, cleavage-baring "Logie Awards" outfit in may, Jade revealed she felt fabulous in the sheer gold, lace and sequins gown.
The entertainer hadn’t even seen the comments. Since her mother Jacqui passed away from brain cancer a year ago, Jade doesn’t sweat the small stuff:
“I felt great and that’s all i care about”, she says, “I used to really care about that stuff — people hating my hair or my dress — but i hadn’t even read the bad reviews. I think it has a lot to do with my mum and seeing what she went through. When she was in hospital and didn’t have much hair left, she would ask me to put it up in a top knot. It made her feel great, she didn’t care how it looked. And we would dye her gowns a different colour each week. One week it would be a pink party, the next purple, it was something she would look forward to each week. I think the lesson i learnt was to not care what people think. If you feel great, that’s all that matters.”
The sweet singer and actor may have been taking a leaf out of another positively-vibed pop megastar who called out the haters and commentators on her smash hit "Shake It Off".
Taylor Swift’s song had dominated the global airwaves and charts for months when Jade headed to Los Angeles for writing sessions in January.
She was in the studio with Carmen Reece, a british singer and songwriter in the stable of legendary american hitmaker Babyface, who insisted on playing her a track they had called "Shake That":
“We were writing together when she said she had to play me this song. I am not precious about writing my singles, if i love it, if i connect with it, then i want to do it”, Jade says, “As soon as the chorus came on, i told her i had to record it now. Your chances of getting a track are harder unless you are on it, singing it. I didn’t want anyone else to have it.”
Jade won the track and also the backing of Babyface, with his team producing "Shake That". The same crew were behind Jessica Mauboy’s top 5 hit "Can I Get A Moment?".
The song, which features the world’s most ubiquitous guest rapper Pitbull, is upbeat dance pop, as to be expected from the winner of "The X Factor Australia" in 2012. But Jade said there is a message in that melody goodness.
She braces herself before explaining, knowing some self-appointed feminist police, as opposed to their fashion colleagues, will be sharpening their social media barbs in response:
“I am a girly girl. And like a lot of other girly girls, I like to dress up, wear high heels and get my hair done”, she says, “What the "Shake That" lyrics say is that doesn’t mean it is an invitation to a man, that they can have what they want. It’s about calling them out for thinking "I can have that". I am pretty discerning — I haven’t had a date for a while.”
Getting Pitbull to guest on a song with a girl power message is questionable but his presence can make the difference between a pop hit or miss.
Jade says she expects it may be harder to make a case for "Shake That" as a female empowerment anthem to some women when the video when is released later this month.
Shot by filmmaker and actress Gracie Otto in a luxury home on Sydney’s leafy north shore, the video features Jade striking her poses in stunning frocks.
“I know some people’s reaction would be "You want to talk about female empowerment and you are frolicking on a lounge in the video", she says, “But it’s me doing it. I make that choice, what i wear, whether i show cleavage or not, how i act, i have control over that and over the editing. “Women hating on other women, i just don’t get it.”
The “hate” reached a ridiculous and occasionally disturbing volume when Jade opened for british boy band One Direction on their australian stadium tour in february.
For every sweet young thing who praised One Direction’s support of local artists by selecting her to share their stage was a teenage troll slamming her on social media.
Some called her a slut or a bitch. Some suggested her clothes were influential in the band’s choice of her as support act:
“I would get back to the hotel and see all these direct tweets about me. One was "I had my iPod on while you were on stage". That was so mean”, she says, rolling her eyes.
"Shake That" is delivered to radio stations today, ahead of its release on july 17th 2015, kicking off her campaign to launch her long-awaited second album.
It has been more than two-and-a-half years since her post "The X Factor Australia" album of covers she performed to win the 2012 series was released.
Her breakthrough role as Kylie Minogue in the "INXS: Never Tear Us Apart" miniseries interrupted progress on her first record of original tunes.
Caring for her mother during her battle with brain cancer and then mourning her death last year meant music was put on the backburner until she felt ready to get back into the studio.
With the support of her father Kevin and brothers Alex and Thomas, she has finally finished the record and hopeful, it will be released by october:
“Yes, we are finished. This is really my first record — it’s originals and the other was mostly covers — and it has been a very long time coming”, she says, “I am really proud of where it is now.”
Credit: [X]
Monday, July 6, 2015
Flyer of a performance at the Nickelodeon's "SlimeFest" in Sydney and Melbourne
Samantha Jade will perform at the Nickelodeon's "SlimeFest" at the "Olympic Park Sports" centre in Sydney, on september 25th 2015 and at the "State Netball Hockey" centre in Melbourne, on september 27th 2015.
Saturday, July 4, 2015
05/07/15 - Samantha Jade at the Hit 105's "Laneway" concert for the 75th birthday of the Brisbane's "Story" bridge
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"What You've Done To Me":
"Sweet Talk":
Thursday, July 2, 2015
03/07/15 – Samantha Jade attending the ''Aladdin And His Wondrous Lamp'' musical opening night at the "State" theatre in Sydney
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02/07/15 - Samantha Jade posing during a photoshoot in Sydney to promote her single "Shake That" featuring Pitbull
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