J Rey Soul aka Jessica Reynoso is the newest addition to our favorite 2000s international group, the Black Eyed Peas, with Filipino pride up her sleeve!
All the way from LA, Jessica chatted with The Morning Rush gang and we got to know her a bit better! In terms of quarantine, she has been working from home and doing Zoom meetings but during the FB live interview she was at a restaurant after she just finished another meeting! With the practice of social distancing, of course! She even asked our hosts how it is back here in the Philippines! Jessica even shared that she told her dad, who is currently living here in the PH, to not go out of the house! Same thoughts, Jess!
How did Jessica adjust to her now star-studded life? Well, it was a culture shock to her the first time she moved to the US! She immediately moved there after The Voice Season 1 as Apl De Ap signed her right away after as he wanted her to record her songs in the States since all the great producers are residing there! Will.I.Am was smitten by her vocals when he first heard Jess in the studio and straight up invited her to record with them! Jessica also mentioned how she's so blessed to have Apl De Ap as his guardian in the US! She is definitely in good hands then!
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The Black Eyed Peas have been coming up with new stuff, even before quarantine happened! They shot 2 music videos - Mamacita and Vida Loca, but they haven't released the latter yet so we'll definitely have to stay tuned! During quarantine, they shot the music video for Feel The Beat that was just recently released and immediately amassed 25 million views! Wow! Jessica also feels overwhelmed at blessed, especially the reception Mamacita got since it was her first ever feature with the Black Eyed Peas! The song is even used for TikTok videos! That's when you know you've really made it! LOL!
So how did this all happen? How did Jessica got to join The Black Eyed Peas? Did it ever occur into her during her time at The Voice PH under Apl De Ap's mentorship or did destiny just take the wheel and lead her to become the "Mamacita" of the group? According to Jessica, everything happened organically! It wasn't an immediate "you'll be a part of the group" instance but more of them hearing Jessica sing and wanting her to jump in on their records! And the rest definitely became history as Jessica became the newest female member of the group - and the dynamic defintely works as fans really welcomed her with open arms!
Black Eyed Peas are not only known for their dance-y upbeat songs but they're also big on songs with a message (ie. Big Love, Where Is The Love, The APL song to name a few). J Rey Soul talked about the newest BEP album, Translation which consists of upbeat and uplifting songs which are also bangers! Songs that we need to hear to not only give us good vibes but also clears our headspace, even for a while, on the current situation we are facing.
Being a part of a group as big as the Black Eyed Peas, Jessica still gets starstruck around them! As she said, and we quote "Always, always, always!" During her high school days back in the PH, Jessica and her friends would dance to hit Black Eyed Peas songs like Bebot, whenever they would perform in a school program or event and now she gets to perform, sing and even dance on the same stage with them! Jessica is truly living the ultimate childhood dream!
Jessica recalls the first time she ever performed with BEP in a big show, and it was at a crowd of 100,000 at the Untold Festival in Romania. The members finally told Jess that they want her to be in the whole set and not just in 1 or 2 songs!
Speaking of The Voice PH, Jessica still gets in touch with some of her co-competitors from the show! She recently messaged Morissette on her birthday and they call each other "Butterfly"! She also gets to talk with Moira Dela Torre, Klarisse De Guzman and more! It's nice to know that after all these years, and despite all their successes, they still take the time to catch up!
A fan asked a question, "Kanino ka pinaka na-starstruck na celebrity since joining BEP?" The first one being Janet Jackson! She saw Janet Jackson during one of their tours in Australia, at the same hotel they were staying at! Jess' guitarist and drummer convinced Jessica to go and say hi to Janet! She hesitated at first because of her nerves but composed herself and approached the legendary r&b pop star! Turns out she is honestly just the sweetest and even gave Jessica an advice: "just remember where you came from, be in touch with your roots and find your balance." The second artist she got starstrucked with was the iconic Rihanna! She met her in a club in New York because Apl De Ap introduced Jessica to her, saying that Jess is also from the Philippines! Rihanna went all "Oh, you're from the island too!" as she came from Barbados! From one island girl to another, Rihanna definitely gave Jessica some advice as well: "Make sure to work hard but enjoy life. Make sure you're always having fun."
Chico asked a funny question to Jessica if she ever unconciously bring out the Filipino politeness in her and say "po" or "opo" when she talks to the other BEP members! Haha! Funnily enough, Jessica calls Apl De Ap "Coach" rooting from being her mentor on The Voice and it just stuck ever since! Taboo finally asked Jess if there will come a time that she will just call Apl De Ap by his name, and Jess straight up said that that might not happen! She even said that maybe she can call Apl "Tito" and Apl De Ap immediately rejected that idea, saying that being called "Tito" or uncle would "age him"! It truly is just the Filipino in Jessica!
Hazel asked if Will.I.Am and Taboo can understand a few Tagalog words since they've known Apl De Ap for a really long time, Jessica said that they don't but they have picked up some words and culture! Taboo's wife is Filipina and their kids call their eldest brother "Kuya"! Taboo also likes eating pancit and ordering Filipino food! Will.I.Am on the other hand picked up his favorite Filipino word which is "Mabuti" which is kind of an ode to their song "Ma Booty"!
In terms of J Rey Soul's music, everywhere she go she wants people to know where she came from. She wants people to know that she is a product of the Philippines and that's the goal! Definitely some Pinoy pride over here! Also will she ever have her own solo album? The answer is YES! And she has been working on it. She even mentioned how she will be releasing a single this October so we all better stay tuned for that as well!
What's next for J Rey Soul and the Black Eyed Peas? Other than releasing their album Translation, they're really just waiting for the pandemic to be over so they can finally go back on tour again! Jessica is also working on her own project and Will.I.Am is executive producing it and she's also releasing her own solo album! We can't wait for all this exciting stuff ahead for the group and for Jessica as well!
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Ending the interview, Jessica gives out her top advice for everyone who needs it - especially to those people who are following their dreams: "Put God first, keep the faith, keep going, keep working hard and just focus on your dream and make sure to take care of your family."
For the full interview of J Rey Soul on The Morning Rush, check it out here: