Jahméne Douglas interview
X-man: origins
X Factor finalist Jahméne Douglas chats to Rhiannon Pulling about Stevie Wonder, Nicole Scherzinger, R’n’B & being runner up
From singing live on Saturday night TV to recording tracks with Stevie Wonder, there’s no doubt that Jahméne Douglas has an extraordinary talent. His heart of gold and soulful voice got him to the final of The X Factor in 2012. Since releasing his number one album, Love Never Fails, last summer, Jahméne has been busy recording his forthcoming album and is performing with fellow X Factor contestants, Kingsland Road, at The Hove Centre on Saturday 5th April.
You’ve definitely built up the ‘Jahmania’ with your new demo snippets, how would you describe your new album?
“It’s very authentic, true and honest to myself. My first album was a cover album so it wasn’t very revealing of my singing abilities and where I could go with my voice. This album is a lot more original and just more… Jahméne!”
What were your inspirations for this album?
“Because I’m quite religious, a lot of it has to do with my faith in God. Then I’ve been listening to old jazz, like Billie Holiday and Diana Ross, as well as hip-hop and gospel influences – to try and get all that music and make it modern. It’s quite a task but it’s fun!”
Your demo of Catch The Rhythm is quite upbeat and a different sound from you. Do you think today’s music chart is lacking R’n’B, Gospel and Soul sounds?
“Definitely! I think R’n’B has been replaced with Urban, Pop and Rap, so we don’t really have the real R’n’B anymore. I wouldn’t even class Beyoncé as R’n’B; she’s more Pop and Urban. I think nowadays we are getting confused and missing what real R’n’B is. But I think it’s coming back in – slowly and surely!”
Going back to your Love Never Fails album, what was it like to record with Stevie Wonder and Nicole Scherzinger?
“I was in the bubble of The X Factor Tour and making a new album, so it was all new things to me but looking back it’s like ‘Wow, I had Stevie Wonder record on my album!’ and my first album of all things! I feel incredibly blessed to have one of my all-time favourite musicians record with me.”
Do you think you would be in the same position today if you hadn’t gone on The X Factor?
“”It’s crazy because you’ll never really know, because you could have been snatched up at any point. But I probably would be in university or college if I didn’t do The X Factor, in some form of bettering myself in education, and obviously paying the bills!”
What was your best performance or memory from The X Factor?
“At the time it wasn’t a very good moment but looking back on it, I would have to say my duet with Nicole [Nicole’s microphone stopped working and they had to share Jahméne’s]. It was an incredible moment to have shared the stage with someone and to be professional about it and carry on. It pushed me into becoming stronger as a singer.”
How has The X Factor benefited you with your nerves and general singing ability?
“I think with any talent or skill the more you do it and the more it’s presented and put on show, the more likely it is that you’re going to improve it. So being on The X Factor each week, that experience forced me into being comfortable on stage. I was comfortable on stage before it was just the fact that I went from witness protection to having a camera in my face. It was a humongous jump for me to take and I was taking a lot of risks, so for me, all my nervous habits were coming out on screen. But I do feel a lot better now; hopefully people in the same boat will do the same.”
As an ambassador for Women’s Aid, why do you think domestic abuse should be higher on the agenda?
“If you just look at the statistics: two women die a week and 750,000 children a year are affected either directly or indirectly by domestic violence – it’s just something that’s present in people’s homes, neighbourhoods and communities and it’s just shocking that it’s being ignored so much. I mean two women a week that should be enough for the government to be like ‘Hey, that’s too many women dying from something that could be prevented’.”
You’re an inspirational person through posting your quotes and stories on Twitter and Instagram, what would you say is your favourite quote?
“For me, it’s like the Bible and asking for your favourite scripture, but in my opinion you can only have a favourite scripture in that moment because it only applies to you in that situation. But my overall quote would probably have to be was what I called my album, Love Never Fails, from first Corinthians 13, ‘Love is patient, Love is kind’ because it just sums up what love should be and it’s so well written for something that has stood the test of time.”
In the music industry it can be difficult to keep yourself grounded and not get caught up in it, what keeps you grounded?
“In any walk of life what keeps you grounded are the people you surround yourself with and you’ll know if they’re bad for you. What you have to do is look at the people around you and they’ll reflect who you are. So I’ve made sure I’ve surrounded myself with good, encouraging people, who will tell me what’s going on and what’s good or bad.”
With artists like One Direction, JLS and yourself who haven’t won The X Factor but still go on to be successful, do you think that being a runner up is just as good as winning?
“The X Factor as a whole is a strange process because you’re going from nobody knowing who you are and then within a year nine million people are tuning in to watch you. It’s a massive jump and when that process is over, the next year is on; it’s like a conveyor belt. It is trouble trying to find your place, but I feel that I’m filling a place that hasn’t been filled yet, being in the gospel scene and trying to bring it to life.”
What are you looking forward to in the forthcoming year?
“I’m excited for my American debut, which is just one of those things like ‘Oh my gosh, will it go down well?’ because it’s such a massive place and if you get accepted it’s just brilliant. I’m hoping to do a tour round the schools with Women’s Aid and the Head Start campaign; we had £75 million of lottery funds put into it, which was incredible. We’re trying to find the best way to reach children and help them open up and deal with their problems before they escalate. In this day and age the younger generation needs help, so I’m excited to do that.”
Jahmene Douglas and Kingsland Road will be performing The Hove Centre on Saturday 5th April. Tickets and exclusive ‘Meet and Greet’ VIP tickets are available to purchase.
