Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, and Gwen Stefani better watch out, Jessie Malakouti is hitting in the scene with her band of mannequins, Jessie and The Toy Boys, and is on track to be the Madonna of our generation. Every song of hers just makes me want to hit the dance floor. In addition to being a pop artist, Jessie is a songwriter, actress and dancer. Jessie is one of the sweetest performers I’ve ever had the opportunity to speak with. The self-proclaimed “hopeless romantic” opened up to me about her album This is How Rumors Start, songwriting inspiration, being on tour with pop icon Britney Spears, advice for aspiring performers and much, much more!

Your album This is How Rumors Start is set to release in 2012. What can you tell us about it?

“It’s going to be first full length album I’ve ever released. I’m very excited because I’ve been writing songs for 7 years now professionally and it’s going to be the first time I’ve out together a complete cohesive body of work. I am really excited for everybody to hear the sound we’ve created and to tell my story.”

Your concept for your band of 4 mannequins is so intriguing; can you tell us how that idea was conceived?

“Well, I used to be in a rock band and before that I was in several other bands. I love the feeling and the idea of being in band, but every time we started a band we would break up and I was reflecting one day on why that kept happening and I think it’s because I’m a control freak. I write all the music and I control the creative direction. For some people that works and with others it doesn’t and with my last band, some of the egos got in the way of what was really important, which is the music, so we all kind of went our separate ways. I didn’t want to have that experience again, so I decided to start a band with four mannequins, the four toy boys rather, because they don’t talk back… but the main reason is so that I can be the chief architect of everything creative and have everything run smoothly.

Being a singer, songwriter, actress and dancer, which would you say is your favorite?

“My favorite is songwriting. Aside from being extremely therapeutic, it’s very powerful. I really realized that this summer on tour. I would be performing and the crowd knew the lyrics and would sing them back to me. It was like, ‘Wow, these are thoughts and ideas I’ve had in my head and now people have heard them, and not only have they heard them but they’ve memorized them.’ You know what I mean? There is so much power and you can say so much.”

You started your career at such a young age. When did you discover your passion for preforming?

“I find it pretty typical of all of the people that make it in this business, that they’ve always known. It’s been the same thing for me, I always knew I would be in entertainment from a really young age but my parents didn’t want me to. I had this aunt that lived in LA and I tried desperately for my family to let me live with her so I could start acting and making music when I was 8 years old. Everybody was like, ‘No!’ so I kind of had to wait until I could break free. I was emancipated at 16 and moved to Los Angeles and graduated high school early so I could really focus on making it happen from there, but I was dying to be a part of Hollywood and entertainment far before that.

Where do you find your inspiration for the songs that you write?

“Everywhere. It’s all autobiographical, even if it’s not something that’s necessarily happened to me. Sometimes songs are self-absorbing prophecies; they are feelings or emotions that were repressed that I’ve had in the back of my head. I am a hopeless romantic, I write a lot about love and heartbreak and everything in between. I guess there have been a lot of my boys in and out of my life, but it’s all pretty autobiographical.”

You were involved in the controversy illuminated by Perez Hilton, when Britney released ‘If You Seek Amy’, which was so similar to your single ‘Trash Me’. What was that like to experience that?

“At the time it was devastating, because I was an unknown independent artist. I’m still a very brand new artist but then I was even more unknown, in my bedroom making music and I worked so hard on that song and it sucked when I had heard that it had been plagiarized, basically. But the thing about that is – and I want to be very clear – it had nothing to do with Britney, so anytime people try to say, ‘Ooh there’s controversy between Jessie and Britney’, there is absolutely not. The issue was between some songwriters and myself, and we have since resolved it. I can say that confidently, it’s all good now. At the end of the day, it’s a massive compliment. It feels good to know I’m writing songs that people like.”

How was opening for Britney’s Femme Fatale tour?!

“I love her! I mean, I grew up obsessed, actually. I would come home and would tape all of her videos on TRL, and I would wait for the moment to record on a VHS tape. I would come home from school with my friend Wendy and we would go in front of the TV for and learn her dance routines. I grew up a major fan, and I’m still a massive fan of her. It was so surreal to be asked to be one of the Femme Fatale tour, it was the best experience of my life thus far for sure. And you know, Nicki Minaj, as well. I love Nicki, and so we were all living this amazing dream all summer. Fans across the country were the best, I saw recently on Billboard that it was the best tour of the year and I absolutely agree with that. I went to a lot of concerts, too, and I just felt that the Femme Fatale tour  had something special, a certain chemistry with our group for sure.”

Would you say that Britney’s career is one that you would want to emulate?

“Yeah, in a lot of ways, sure. You can’t deny that she makes great records and is a wonderful performer, but I think ultimately, I love Madonna. I would love to have a career like Madonna’s – she is my all time favorite artist. I love how she constantly reinvents herself, she is always pushing the envelope and nothing ever seems contrived or trite with her. Madonna is the ultimate, even in film, with her most recent film that everyone is buzzing about. I love that she is a producer and a director as well, and she is behind the scenes. All of that stuff really appeals.”

Do you have any more upcoming tours in the works?

“Right now my main focus is to finish this album. I am going to be playing random one-off shows. I just played KIIS FM’s Jingle Ball, so I’ll be playing different things like that. I want to make sure that I play small shows in clubs because that’s really where I fell in love with music, moreso than I already had when I came to the UK and performed in clubs. I think it’s really important to stay connected to what’s really going on that way. Anybody who reads the article can look on my website and can for sure come catch me at a club. I will be playing other, bigger shows, too. But mostly, I’m focused on finishing up this album that I’m so so excited for everybody to hear!”

What advice would you give to people that want to be performers?

“I would say, you really need to want to do this. If it is in your heart of hearts, then you’ve got to do everything you can to make it happen. That means when people tell you no or when people slam doors in your face and you’re crying on your kitchen floor like I have many times, you have to pick yourself and move forward and believe in your art and yourself, and believe that your art will take you there. Continue to work hard and never stop learning. I learn every single days and I think it’s very important to surround yourself with other talented people. Sometimes this business gets very competitive and people don’t ever want to work with each other, you know what I mean? Everybody is so secretive about stuff, but I think it’s great to collaborate with different producers and different musicians and just to learn. You’ve got to be constantly learning, and working hard.”

Find out more about Jessie at her official website and follow her on Twitter @JessieToyBoys

Charlotte Townsend, a California girl growing up between San Francisco and Los Angeles, is combating college life in New York City while writing, acting, filmmaking and interning. You can follow her on Twitter at @CharTownsend or on Tumblr at charlottetownsend.tumblr.com
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