K-Pop Legend Jessi on Why Fans Are Surprised By Her New EP

Huh, huh. Yeah. Okay. Newsflash coming live from the scene. Guess who's back. Hey guys. Leslie Robbins here all the way from South Korea to LA. We have in the Young Hollywood Lounge global superstar. Aw. K-pop royalty. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Jessie everybody. Young Hollywood. She's girl Jessie. It's so nice to meet you. Oh my goodness. We were like talking like complimenting each other from the get. I'm super excited you're here. We have so many in common. We're almost like family. Oh. Why? You were born in New York. Queens. I'm born and raised in New York. I feel like that like bonds people. That New York vibe.

For sure. I felt that energy. I I For some reason I didn't feel like you were from LA. I didn't. Mm. Not at all.

We gon' have a chit-chat today. What from New York being in Korea? Like what have you taken from the East Coast of America and brought it over there?

Just me. Yes. Just myself. Like I nothing changed about me. It just all made me who I am. And I went at the age of 14. I just got older and got more wiser and you know. We live and we grow, you know.

Yeah. Well, you're here because you have new music coming out. Yes. But you've been away for about a year. Yes. What were you doing?

I was home. You know, I was resetting. You know, I was kind of like working really really hard for like since I was 14. I was like grinding, grinding, grinding and that was a time when I kind of just had to like really focus and like okay, like what do I want? Like what makes me happy? How do I get healthier? Like mental it just in any term like mental state. So, I was just kind of like just taking back and just kind of resetting and just reflecting and stuff like that.

The title is epic PMS. Yeah. But for PMS?

Is the pretty mood swings. You know what I'm saying?

Oh. Pretty mood swings. I. You like that, right?

Yes. So, when I made this album, you know, the title because I'm such a perfectionist. I was like it's got to make sense, right? Yeah. Cuz the album, it's very like it's so moody. PMS. But then now PMS is very taboo in its sound, right? Yeah. I wanted to make it like a positive thing. Like that it's not like you know, it's not ugly. It's my pretty mood swings. It's my my it's my emotions.

I love that. Okay. But you dropped a single already. Newsflash. Yes. You're here.

Yeah. I mean, Newsflash was kind of like me saying for a year I was, you know, I was very silent because I had to be. It was just it was a way for me to kind of tell my story. There was a lot of like misunderstandings and like, you know, a lot of narratives that were changing and stuff like that. So, I just kind of had to put my story in there in my way. And yeah, so that's how I came up with Newsflash and that was kind of like the lead. There is just one particular song called Marry Me.

I was just gonna say what were you thinking for Marry Me?

Yeah. Marry Me is literally exactly how I feel right now. I want to get married, right? I want to have a a soulmate. I want to have someone to go home to, you know, I want to marry like I want kids. I want a family. But like that's how I feel. But like obviously like you know, it's like I feel like my fans are gonna love it because it's something that they've never They know I want to get married and I want to have kids but they don't they wouldn't expect me to sing about it. Like cuz I'm like take me to church. Make me at the alter. Like I'm literally saying marry me mother.

With your schedule, how and where and when are you meeting someone?

That's what I'm saying girl. That's why I've been going all these interviews and asking people for Red Call Me. Like if you know anybody. I'm asking him.

You have a birthday coming up.

Oh, I do. You know you have a birthday coming up. You know what's crazy after your when you turn like 30, you just kind of like don't care about your birthday. Do you get like that?

Yes. Yes. Yes. You care. But as you get older, you care in different ways. It's not.

Yeah, it's like a different way. Now, I want to just be healthy. You know, I want to just be with the right people. Yes. You know, it's just like I I totally forgot my birthday's coming. Oh my lord. And I'm gonna be 37. So, it's like, no, stop it.

Happy Birthday. I love this. Got. I love hats.

Stop it. Yeah, because I'm always just wear This is so cute.

Happy birthday.

Thank you. Oh, thank you so much. Oh. These are the little Do you give this to everybody?

No. No. No. No. No.

Okay. Thank you. This is my favorite color. If you see my music video, I'm wearing um a hat this color. Maybe that's what

Okay. I've been watching your videos, listening to your music, getting in the mood. But you're like the OG of K-pop, I would say. You're at it for 20 years.

Yeah, I mean, I've been doing it for quite a while. It's been two decades, right? No, I'm started when I was 16. Yeah. 14. So, so technically I was 14, but in Korea you you age like two ages more. I don't know why. Who started that, but I was 14 I came to Korea. They're like you're 16. I'm like, okay. But you know when you're young, you want to be older. Sure. So, it's like, yeah, I'm 16. Time went by so quick because I was just grinding since I was 14. I mean, that's a long time.

How has music changed from then to now?

I would say, I mean, it's gotten more mature obviously, but and also now because at that time, I was just, you know, you don't really know much. You're just trying to find your sound, right? And you're just trying to make it, right? Yeah. But now that, you know, I know my my brand and my craft and my voice and my you know, just I just know myself like now I have a particular sound. I try to always make music for my fans and for women. To, you know, just to give them confidence and to let them know that it's okay to be different, you know. And like I think that's so important because like if you listen to a lot of my songs or a majority of them, it's very woman empowerment. Like it's the the message might not be directly that, but it just gives you a boost of confidence. Like like I'm always like yo, go to the gym. You listen to my song. I bet you going like you going to live like five more five more of those reps.

And speaking of music and your sound, I cannot have you leave the lounge without giving me a little taste of the music. Acapella. What do you want? You want a rap? You want comedy? You want to sing? What you want? What you want? Your rap is so hot. Or you you choose, you choose.

I'll do my title song.

You're the birthday girl.

Oh. But listen, listen. It's not my birthday yet. Girl. I don't want to be 37 yet. Why you gotta do that?

Your skin is like 16 years old still.

Stop it. It's cuz I'm Asian. It's cuz I'll take what you got. No, Asian, we got we got like some kind of I don't know what it is. Everybody's been saying this to me. Like You're flawless. Close up. Oh. Now, don't deplete. Hey, sir. Hey, hey. Hey, don't close up. The youngsters are watching.

I I do it's genetics and also you're gorgeous.

Oh, you are too. Stop it. I see I don't like pick compliments well. Do you take compliments that way about your music too? When someone's like that is

No, I'm like, yeah, damn right. Yeah, damn right. You want to taste of my music? You want like Acapella. I don't, you know, I don't do for free though. I'm just kidding. Um. I can do a hat. I know you did. Um then I'm gonna give you like a half verse. So, I'll do like the first verse. So, the reason why I'm doing this is I'm letting people know that for girls like me, my title song. I've been told that I'm too loud or I'm too open or too, you know, this and that, right? But and I'm saying and what? That's what this girl the song is pretty much saying. Like just be yourself. Don't be scared to to be judged. Like be yourself. You only live once, right? So, that's why it goes. Once upon a time, not long ago, I heard boys talk. That they don't know. I hear boys talking like Jessie a hoe. She a real bad girl and she gots to go. What I know, what I know. Yeah, curse. I'm loud and I got my out. And then I can't do the last part cuz it's gonna get really loud. Obviously, I'm not saying like be like me, but I'm saying that it's just confidence. Like I'm confident in my own skin. Why you care about what I'm doing? You know what I mean? Yeah. So, I mean, this is obviously just saying because I've been always told that I'm too loud or too this or too that. I'm too much. And like I want people to know that just be authentically yourself. Be who you are. Like don't be afraid to be who you are. And this is also for the people who, you know, they're they're very shy. And you know, there's people who can't be vocal, you know, and stick up for themselves. So, I always make music to constantly remind women or just anybody in general who listen to my music to just be yourself and like love yourself, you know, and don't be scared. And I mean, you could be scared, you know, like I've been scared my whole life since 14, but like look at me now.

I'm not scared of anything anymore. You know. That's why it's really important to be around like good energy, you know. Because there's people around you who are like, you know, you get what I'm saying, right? Like I do. Yeah. So, it's just kind of like very important guys to be surrounded by good people around you. That comes with age. It does. And health. I'm I swear now nowadays everybody now, you know what people give me for birthday gifts? Vitamins. No.