A biography for Jessie Reyezhasn’t been written yet.
“Canada has this really cool way - specifically Toronto - of encouraging you to wave both flags: if you've been born there, like, wave your flag and then wave your parent's flag, too, and be proud of it.”
“Before I pass, I want to start an orphanage and name it after my mother. She worked with kids all her life.”
“I know I'm grown, but there's a part of me who will eternally be six years old.”
“I think about legacy, of course. I don't want to make my life nothing. I want to know that I died and made a massive difference. I want to know that my life purpose was bigger than myself, and I want to pay forward because the amount of people that have helped me... the list of people that have contributed to where I am now is insane.”
“The last thing I want to do is get too happy.”
“You just need to create and be open with that energy. The second that you are precious with it, it's almost like you showing the world you have a limited amount.”
“I ended up moving to Miami and bartending, but the party atmosphere is a black hole down there. People party all the time, and if you're working in the industry, you're sleeping all day and at the club all night, day after day.”
“My God, it's laundry and family when I come back home. I've got to see my brother and kids, and my sister-in-law, my aunts, my uncles, cousins; everybody is here.”
“The power's in the people, more so because we have platforms that we can control, like Instagram, Twitter, Soundcloud, where we can deliver straight. If you're building a fanbase, it's in your hands; it's not monopoly. You can do it.”
“I think of legacy: I want plaques on the wall. I want a farm for my dad. I want an orphanage, preferably two, named after my mother. I want to positively and tangibly help the lives of millions of people and die a legend.”
“Honestly, the angrier I am, the looser my tongue is... when I get angry, it's just a motor mouth, and it just goes off, which is great, but it doesn't really work unless I'm very, very passionate about what I'm talking about.”
“The luxury of not getting judged for 'loving' who you want to love should be given to everyone - including women.”
“I'm proud of the fact that I can just focus on the bullseye and go. Thank God, I don't have to worry about distractions or veering off course because my focus is very defined. I'm proud of that.”
“I thought, 'Maybe if I become a cheerleader, I can meet managers or agents. Maybe I can sing the national anthem at a game, and someone in the industry will hear me.' I saw everything as an opportunity to further my music. I was literally the cheerleader who had a mixtape in between her pom-poms at events.”
“My thought process is I have been lied to so much by people who I thought I could trust that it motivates me to want to be as honest as possible, to project that energy, because that is how I want people to treat me.”
“Spanish is my first language.”
“I know I'm my own worst critic.”
“I remember being in the States a few years ago, and when I said I was from Toronto, it doesn't really make a difference. Now you say you're from Toronto, and people want to talk to you a little longer. Drake's putting on and bringing a lot of eyes to the city, but I feel like the seed and the flowers have always been here.”
“I was very small when I started making music. I think the first song might have been when I was, like, in grade one, maybe? It was really ironic, cause it was a kid talking about taking time with growing up.”
“First time I met Kehlani was through Jahaan Sweet - a really dope producer; then we linked up in Toronto, and the vibe was just lit. She's a really warm human being.”