02/03/16 - Samantha Jade being interviewed for the website "News.com.au"

Samantha Jade opens up about her darkest moments, ahead of a "Home And Away" acting debut.

As she prepares to make her "Home And Away" debut, the multi-talented Samantha Jade opens up on the darkest moments of her life.

When you come within a whisker of achieving your dream only to have it suddenly snatched away, you learn not to take anything for granted.

That’s the mantra singer and actress Samantha Jade lives by these days, no matter what thrilling new addition she makes to her growing list of achievements.

Since winning "The X-Factor Australia" in 2012, the pint-sized performer has enjoyed a string of hit singles, a "Logie Award" nominated acting role in the "INXS: Never Tear Us Apart" miniseries playing Kylie Minogue and a national tour supporting One Direction.

Now Jade is coming to "Summer Bay", with a guest role as mysterious single mum Isla in Seven's soap "Home And Away":

“We started filming last september, so there’s been such a build-up but now it’s here”, Jade, 28, says, “I’m feeling good. I’m excited for people to see it.”

Details about her character are being kept under wraps, but it’s understood she’ll have a big impact on series favourite Kyle Braxton, played by Nic Westaway:

“I can say that she’s come to the "Bay" with bad intentions. She was brought up in a different world and has done some things she hasn’t wanted to. But at the end of the day, she’s a mother who’s doing everything she can for her children. That’s her focus.”

This marks the long-time singer’s second major acting role and she admits there are parts of the craft that are still foreign to her.

“For me, it’s definitely still a challenge — much more so than music. Music is my first love and it comes so naturally:

“Acting is becoming more normal the more i do it, but i have to focus. I love it though.”

It’s a good thing that being out of her comfort zone is something Jade relishes. Rather than run from unfamiliar and anxious scenarios, she tries to feed off them.

Some of her biggest life lessons have come from extraordinary challenges, she says.

Jade was just 16 when she packed up and moved from Perth to Los Angeles to pursue a music career, which saw her signed to a major label. Despite a few successes, she was later dumped:

“I went from singing vocals on "Glee", going to "Grammy Awards'" after parties, doing showcases and living it up in Hollywood, to being back in Perth, putting on a high-vis jacket and steel cap boots to work in dad’s factory. I went through big life changes and then big let-downs early on in life, so i learnt to be strong at a young age.”

Being on top and experiencing that dizzying fall back down to earth is part of the reason she’s cautious of “believing the hype”:

“I check myself all the time”, she says, “I don’t like getting too carried away.”

If she ever does get too caught up in the show business world, Jade heads home. Family and the familiar, simple surrounds of her life in Perth keep her grounded, she says.

So too does the painful memory of her late mother Jacqueline’s final days in 2014, before she tragically succumbed to cancer.

Recovering from that unspeakable grief taught her a lot about life, she said. It also made her more grateful for what she has:

“I used to say things like that — that i considered each day a blessing — but i didn’t really practice it. Now i do. When i feel tired, or i can’t be bothered, or i find myself complaining about something stupid and insignificant, i remember her in the hospital, those moments when she was fighting so hard to live. I think to myself, you selfish little girl — deal with your emotions right now and get on with it. The life i live is really great and each day is a blessing.”

Ahead of her "Home And Away" debut, she’s dedicating this latest achievement to her mum, who so often played the part of cheerleader when Jade faced a seemingly insurmountable hurdle.

There are more big things to come this year, she hints, but she “can’t say much just yet”.

And while she’s actively chasing more acting roles, there are no plans to put music on the backburner. Her latest single "Always", from the debut album "Nine", is out now.

Credit: [X]