British singer-songwriter Jessie J has revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year, just as she prepared to release her first album in eight years. The 37-year-old artist, whose real name is Jessica Cornish, received the shocking diagnosis in March while promoting her comeback record Don't Tease Me With a Good Time.
A Devastating Diagnosis During Career Revival
The timing couldn't have been more cruel for the singer. Cornish was experiencing what should have been one of the happiest periods of her life - ecstatically in love with her partner, finally a mother after struggling to conceive for a decade, and preparing to release music after an eight-year absence from the charts. Instead, she found herself facing the biggest health battle of her life.
The cancer diagnosis came while she was actively promoting her new single No Secrets, ironically titled given she was keeping her health crisis private. She continued giving interviews about living her best life while secretly undergoing cancer treatment, before eventually going public with her diagnosis and undergoing a mastectomy in early July.
A Lifetime of Health Challenges
This isn't the first serious health issue Cornish has faced throughout her life and career. She reflected on how health crises have often coincided with professional highs, serving as reality checks during moments of success.
At just 11 years old, while starring in the West End production of Whistle Down the Wind, she was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a heart condition that causes rapid heartbeat and palpitations. At 17, she suffered a minor stroke shortly after signing her first record deal. More recently, in 2020, a car crash left her unable to sing for a year.
Cornish credits her parents with helping her maintain perspective through these challenges. They taught me not to define my character by my worst days, she explained, noting that this mindset has helped her approach her cancer diagnosis with remarkable positivity.
Musical Comeback After Chart Hiatus
The new album marks a significant return for the singer, who hasn't had a hit record in ten years. After early success with songs like Price Tag, Domino and Bang Bang, Cornish experienced a dramatic fall from commercial favour that she actually found somewhat liberating.
I love the success, but I don't love being famous, she admitted. When her chart success faded, she embraced the anonymity, shaving her head and enjoying the freedom to live a more normal life.
During her time away from the British spotlight, Cornish found unexpected success in China, winning the talent show Singer in 2018 before an audience of 1.2 billion people. The experience gave her a new appreciation for being celebrated purely as a vocalist.
Personal Growth Through Trauma
The new album serves as an emotional autobiography, addressing many of the difficult experiences Cornish has endured since her last release. The tracks cover topics including endometriosis, miscarriage, failed relationships, gaslighting and suicide.
One particularly poignant song, Comes in Waves, addresses the baby she lost through miscarriage in 2021 when she attempted to become a single mother via IVF. She now has a toddler, Sky, with her Danish-Israeli basketball partner Chanan Colman.
Another track, I'll Never Know Why, is a heartbreaking tribute to her bodyguard and close friend Dave Last, who died unexpectedly in 2018. The song explores the guilt and confusion she feels about his suicide.
Cornish has been given the all-clear from cancer but acknowledges the possibility of recurrence. Rather than living in fear, she's focusing on her many projects - motherhood, touring, writing, and even planning a standup comedy debut next year.
If it does come back, then we'll fucking deal with that when we get to it, she stated with characteristic bluntness, embodying the resilience that has defined both her career and personal life.
