Jessie Woo – Vacation
KSR Group is proud to announce the release of the debut video for the lead single, Vacation, from Jessie Woo’s critically acclaimed EP release, MOODS OF A CANCER.
Destiny always fulfills itself eventually.
An unbelievable and unpredictable journey prepared Jessie Woo to realize her most personal ambition. Organically building an audience of over 600K social media followers and amassing millions of views within two years, the singer, artist, viral sensation, host, and entrepreneur allowed her voice to shine like never before in 2019 with a debut EP entitled Moods of a Cancer [The KSR Group] and more music on the horizon.
“People know me for a lot of things,” she says. “However, music was what I hoped to do since I was a little kid. I want to be known as a multi-faceted entertainer, but it all comes back to singing first.”
In fact, Jessie says, “My mom will tell you I sang before I could speak.”
Born to Haitian parents in Montreal, she first gravitated towards music in church. As a young child, she obsessed over Sister Act 2, watching it repeatedly on VHS—fascinated by Lauryn Hill’s character. She laughs, “There’s a scene where Whoopi Goldberg says, ‘If you wake up every morning and think about singing, you’re supposed to be a singer.’ That was me!”
Following her parents’ divorce, she moved to Miami with her mother, returning to Montreal in order to sing at her grandmother’s funeral, leaving the congregation in tears. As she developed her voice, the budding talent studied everyone from Shania Twain, Céline Dion, Elton John, and Phil Collins to Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, and Nat King Cole. Various studio opportunities presented themselves before fizzling out as she continued honing her vocals at home.
Upon graduating from Florida International University, she started a short-lived job at a placement firm. After unceremoniously losing the gig, she began posting jokes online as a following quietly built around her page. Soon, people recognized her on the street as BET reached out. With the numbers rising, she hosted Set Trippin, Will Packer’s Power Star Live and BET Breaks before finding her way on to Love & Hip-Hop Miami.
Along the way, Jessie crossed paths with GRAMMY® Award-winning executive, manager, and The KSR Group founder Klenord “Shaft” Raphael [Cardi B]. He reached out after seeing her take on Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow,” and they linked up in the studio.
A year drew on before Jessie made the decision to dive headfirst into writing and recording with Shaft in her corner.
“We had one session back in 2017, and we kept in touch,” she recalls. “There were just so many previous situations that didn’t work out, but I felt like I didn’t want to give up on the music. Shaft was the only person who was always about his word. If he said he would do something, he did it. I had to give it one more try. It was the right time at the beginning of this year.”
That brings us to Moods of a Cancer. Joined by producers TJ Da Beatman, DJ SwanQo, Sean Island, Jeanmax Valcourt, Madman JP, Deafh Beats, and Wiggy Vs The World, Jessie delivers eight tracks of sultry, soaring, and slick R&B. It opens with the seductive “Fill Me Up.” Over a dripping bounce and airy guitar, her voice swings from intimate come-ons during the verses into a commanding hook, “I just want you to come fill me up.”
“That was the first song I wrote for the EP, and it gave birth to the project,” she says. “I’d been eight months out of a relationship. It was hard for me to get back into the swing of things. With dating, I felt like I wasn’t connecting with anybody relationship-wise or sexually. I was frustrated, so the words came out. I needed this feeling again.”
Elsewhere, lush piano rings out under “Pick Up The Phone” where she sends a blunt midnight message, “It’s just straight forward. This is what I want. This is what I’m hitting you up for. Pick up the phone, damn it!” Meanwhile, “Unattainable” serves as “a good summertime love-making song” punctuated by subtle Caribbean flavor.
Ultimately, Moods of a Cancer sees Jessie Woo do exactly what she was always meant to.
“I want to evoke emotion,” she leaves off. “I want you to sing along. I want you to use lyrics in your captions. I want you to feel like I’m talking to you and for you. This is my life and it’s real. I hope you can relate, because I’m being honest.”
