Five minutes with ... Jessica Mauboy

The new addition to the Young Divas, former Australian Idol Jessica Mauboy, chats to NW following the release of their album New Attitude
It's been a while since we last spoke to you.
I know! And now I'm a Diva. I'm a young Young Diva!

Have you embraced your inner diva yet?
Well, let me think. [Laughs.] I'm still the same Jess. I mean, everything so far has been totally normal. The girls have been so supportive of me being the new Young Diva, coming in and doing my thing. Mainly it's been all about getting the vocals right. Getting in the studio we had so much fun, learning parts and learning songs I had never heard before. But it was a cool thing because then we could create our own feminine attitude in the song.

Well, there's certainly a lot of attitude on this album.
[Laughs.] I know! I've always wanted that kind of feel in the songs I write, but actually being able to experience it, getting into that character is a whole new different thing. And it's a great experience in the long run as well.

There's a song called Dear Santa (Bring Me A Man For Christmas) on the album. Are you hoping for one in your stocking?
No, I'm just totally focused on being out there, doing what I love. It's only the beginning and I've got a long way to go.

When did you first hear about the possibility of being in the Young Divas?
A couple of months after Idol finished. They approached me and asked me if I wanted to be in the group and I was like, "Oh, I would love to."

So it was almost perfect timing for you when Ricki-Lee Coulter left the group?
Well, that was the thing, because I heard there were some things going on with Ricki-Lee, but I didn't know anything. So it's been like that [since I joined]. There are times when I don't know what's going on, but it's cool — I think I like it that way. [Laughs.]

Were you a Divas fan before you joined the group?
Yes. The first time I met the girls was during my time on Idol — they came in when we were down to the top five. It was kind of scary to see them watching because you'd be thinking, "Ooh, I wonder what they're thinking of my performance." But we had a little chat and they were really nice and from that day on I was, like, "These girls are great."

Had you watched the previous years' Idols?
Yeah, I had watched Kate [DeAraugo] and Emily [Watson] for the last couple of weeks and I had watched the one where Paulini [Curuenavuli] wore the gold dress — gosh, that was ages ago. I thought she had an amazing voice and when she released Angel Eyes, I loved it.

So you met them as a fan?
Well, that's how I felt when I met them. I clammed up and wasn't talking, but when they came out and said, "Don't worry about it, it's all cool, you'll get used to it," that felt great. They're really motherly and have been teaching me things.

Well, you definitely look comfortable on stage with them.
Thankyou. When you're performing by yourself on stage it's totally different. When you're in a group, because everyone has their thing to do, it makes it much easier.

How does it work within the group? Is there a leader?
We're all leaders in our own way. Well, we've always been really focused and in control of everything, and that's the good thing about it. We all lean on each other.

You each have your own look within the group …
I find Emily has that womanly, sporty thing and Kate's more relaxed and laid-back and Paulini's got that feminine, Beyoncé [Knowles] look. And then I'm just kind of, "Yeah, whatever!" [Laughs.]

Are you having to look after your health and fitness more since joining the Divas?
It's best. The schedule is pretty full-on — you have back-to-back things and you don't notice sometimes if you're not eating right or not drinking enough water. You have to know when to have a rest and when to get back up again. But I think I've worked out how to balance everything out, to schedule everything. I've got it all sorted.

Are you still working on your solo material?
Definitely. There's going to be something soon which is good — I can't wait. And you've probably seen the Head & Shoulders advertisement ...

Yes, we were going to ask you about that.
The song on the ad is going to be on the album. It's called Do What You Do.

Was it weird to be asked to do a celebrity endorsement?
Yeah. When you're young, you watch all these ads and you're like, "Wow, I wish I could do something like that." So when I was introduced to the idea I was like, "No way, you can't be serious!" But they were.

http://nw.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=331248