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JASMINE WITH ALESHA DIXON.
Always great to start the New Year with a positive talent that I’ve admired for over a decade. Miss Alesha Dixon was first introduced to me by my then boyfriend. She and I were dating two best friends from the same UK boy band. She told me she was in a band and they were trying to get signed. The band was Mis Teeq and years down the line they made it. She was always the sweetest most real person. No front, no issues or airs and graces. I liked her.
JASMINE WITH MIS TEEQ
Years on we worked together whilst I was at MTV. She was always the utmost professional and welcoming celeb. Never did I see her change. Totally down to earth and a right laugh. A lady that straddles the old skool manners and good upbringing with the street savvy know-how of being a mic spitter and taking on the boys at their own game.
JASMINE WITH ALESHA
Back then you were in two camps. Either you love her for her husky take no prisoners voice battering the mic at London’s garage raves (that’s me!), or you thought ‘’oh there’s that pretty girl with her voice on the mic again-. She was so hot that Pharrll Williams called to make her the lead girl on his video ‘’she wants to move’’ that was one in the eye for Harvey. She went from one of the cutest guys in UK music to the uber talented man god Pharrell!
ALESHA AND JASMINE
The domineering men in the game didn’t faze Alesha. She and her band mates never showed the public if there was any backstage tension between them, she was innocently openly in love with her next boyfriend Harvey whom she married. Things turned ugly there but after the national scandal they both moved on to happier lives.
JASMINE WITH MIS TEEQ
I recall Alesha confiding in me about whether or not she should take the strictly come dancing role years ago. She feared the public wouldn’t take her music career seriously after it. Years down the line her courage paid off. Now she’s not just a chart music game, she’s a household name. She embodies qualities every young lady should aspire to. She’s classy, understated and knows herself.
I went down to St Martin’s lane hotel to congratulate her on her debut fragrance launch. Its her first dabble into the perfume world. When asked why she wanted to go down the fragrance path, Alesha said “Every girl loves perfume, and as a business woman it’s about expanding my brand and trying new ventures.”
She told me
‘’Today I launched my first fragrance Rose Quartz! I’m very excited, as I have been working on it for quite some time. I took my first meeting on it back in 2009! It was important to create a fragrance that I genuinely loved and I wanted to get it right. It is inspired by my love of crystals and their healing properties. Rose Quartz is the stone that promotes positive energy, self worth and love. I hope all women will love It as much as I do’’ She explained: ‘It’s a floral symphony with opening notes of bergamot, grapefruit, geranium and magnolia throughout’’
She hinted that her next fragrance will be named after her daughter Azura Sienna. ‘’’It’s called the crystal collection because if you come to my house it’s full of crystals. I have a crystal bible in my bedroom. My Mum is a bit of a hippy! She collects crystals – they all have healing properties and I wanted the fragrance to mirror this. ‘I wanted the packing and bottle to be heavyweight and beautiful I am surprised you can’t smell it now I’ve got 100ml’s on me! There’s nothing worse than buying a perfume that you are scared to use’’.
Alesha wore a House of Holland dress with Sophia Webster shoes and was so pleased with the launch ‘’the launch was lovely! I Left Azura with her daddy today, it was my first day back at work, I was a little nervous leaving her but it all worked out fine’’.
Alesha is now the embodiment of yummy mummy and MILF all in one but whilst she may be a totally classy lady her perfume is not overpriced and expensive. It is priced at £25.00 for 50ml and will be available to buy from leading fragrance outlets from March 2014.
JASMINE AND JANELLE (PIC PAUL H)
Rounded off the week at ITV Studios for the Brit Awards nominations announcement. All the usual young whippersnapper suspects were out in full force in their trendy print t-shirts and beanie hats and heels. Great to see the Brits panel looking forwards at the future youth in music instead of backwards at majority oldies as they usually do. Whilst David Bowie was acknowledged, the rest were fresh and futuristic. Bastille and disclosure are unique and very un pop star like. There are nominations for other new artists including Rudimental, London Grammar, Laura Mvula, John Newman and Naughty Boy. The balance between UK urban and the rest seems genuinely fair in comparison to previous years when British urban based acts have been over looked, but with Laura Mvula, Rudimental and Naughty Boy getting nominations, the Brits and the UK music industry is a much healthier place than it was a decade ago. (I was particular cuffed that a favourite Janelle Monae was nominated!)
I was most excited about a new category that they announced- British video. Lets see if that encourages video directors to pull their finger out and persuade record label video commissioners to be a bit more experimental and creative than the usual booty twerking nonsense they’ve been spoon feeding our youth for the past decade.
Jessie J told me she was happy that so many styles of different music were being acknowledged and that soul was making a comeback. Rudimental said they had put in over 7 years of hard work before this point of recognistion. Favourite past Brit performances included Jarvis Cockers bum moment and Lady Gagas recent madness. The artists going this year said they’d start thinking of what rebellious stuff they could do to grab the publics attention….like throw M&M sweeties at each other! lol
This years show takes place at the O2 in London on Wednesday 19 February. Ellie Goulding has been announced as the latest live act to perform on the night, joining Katy Perry, Bruno Mars and Rudimental. Goulding won the Brits critics’ choice award back in 2010, a prize that this year will be awarded to singer Sam Smith. (I told you about him in my pre Christmas predictions!).
FINAL NOTE- my take on the Celebrity Big Brother Evander Holyfield gaygate drama is a Voltaire quote I live by ‘’ ‘I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.’