Black magic woman: Jess Connelly

MANILA, Philippines — It seemed to have happened so suddenly, the former Pinoy Big Brother housemate Jess Connelly’s fight to make a name for herself in the music scene (void of record labels or sponsors or people to tell her what to do). She took the world by surprise. It’s not unusual that artistas are pushed into making music. The difference here is that Jess was never really an artista, and her transition to make music wasn’t really industry strategy, but more like the woman let her inner wolf roam free.

No one really knew that the girl could sing. Her brief moment in the showbiz spotlight hardly ever exposed this fact. But the truth is, Jess has been singing since forever. Doing music was always a part of the plan. Her mother would drive her to singing lessons every weekend as a kid. “I really do consider myself so lucky to be so passionate about something and having found that. Sometimes I don’t know why it comes so naturally to me — I would rather be struggling to push to fight for what I want than do a nine-to-five (job). I would rather go crazy doing music.”

But the resurgence of Jess the singer today is such a stark contrast with Jess the former reality TV show starlet. She feels like a completely different person — new look, new swag, new style. She feels fresh and newly discovered, as though she’s given herself enough time off as an artist to find what really speaks for her within. And what comes out of it, now when she’s onstage, is food for the soul. “I’m not trying to emulate a pop star,” says Jess about making music. “It’s about having your own thing, because that’s what the international music scene is about. Internationally if you sound like yourself and look like yourself, and you have your own thing going on, that’s praised. But here I find that people will fit into a stereotype, and that’s more popular than standing out. I guess that’s where my stubbornness becomes a blessing… I won’t do things I don’t enjoy.”

Jess is a natural stunner: blunt short hair in platinum blonde, gorgeous neutral makeup and a strong lip color. Her music and her taste for loose baggy clothes has made her, in a way, every girl’s dream: the manic pixie dream girl without all the fluff. She is able to emulate something so many women have a hard time doing: finding a unique style that is comfortable and truly one’s own.

“I did showbiz for, like, such a short amount of time. I think everything I do now is — not so much a rebuttal of that, but I think now people learn that they don’t have to fit into that, thanks to the internet. I was always told I had to dress the same, look the same; my hair had to look the same as everyone else just to get these endorsements… even though I was never going to be your Pantene Girl. This music and style is just my way of expressing myself.”

Just recently, she launched the music video of her single Turn Me Down, directed by Paco Raterta. Featuring a prismatic getaway with a dreamy set, the video earned the attention of international media outlet TheFader.com, which headlined the feature as “Manila R&B Singer Jess Connelly Drifts Into A Hazy Daydream.”

 When MTV Philippines recently announced its return to our TV screens, it was no surprise that the first VJ pick was Jess. For those who grew up with MTV, becoming a VJ was a big thing. This was the time when the likes of Donita Rose, G. Toengi, Francis Magalona and K.C. Montero reigned over the channel, and tuning in was a favorite form of entertainment. (I personally remember how major it was when my sister got her letter read on air: a request to play Alanis Morissette’s Ironic).

Now, MTV Philippines is back to highlight the blossoming local Pinoy music industry, and Jess is the face of MTV Fuel, a music, lifestyle and cultural show targeted to the Filipino youth.

And while it is all incredible exciting, Jess admits that she is also quite shy and introverted, and this gets in the way sometimes. “I struggle with (shyness) even ‘til now. Because I do have to be social, especially when I want to network with people, but I think I’ve been in so many social situations that I just have to suck it up. It sucks. I’m so awkward. Talking to people makes me so awkward.”

Awkward or not though, Jess is the type of girl that we love to keep watching. Whether it’s the way she is able to channel her artistry; or even something as simple as putting a look together — the reason that we can’t stop watching Jess Connelly is that we know that she will present us with something completely new.

Photo by REDGE HAWANG

Shot on location at ELEMENT BOUTIQUE HOTEL