Jessie J has opened up about how music legend Whitney Houston has shaped her career and given her the confidence to find her voice.
The singer has been covering Whitney's iconic anthem I Have Nothing in her live shows on tour, and revealed in an interview that the track was significant to her because she performed it in an audition that launched her career:
"I Have Nothing was my audition song...and Whitney Houston is my musical inspiration. Her songs were about singing loud...all the things that I could relate to...it felt like it was OK to be like that...she was an uncomfortable dancer, and I'm not a dancer... and she wasn't perfect in performance but she drew you in - and I thought that's how I want to be".
Jessie also revealed that she almost had the chance to meet her idol the night she tragically passed away:
"The night she died I was asked to perform at the Clive Davis party...her daughter came up to me and said 'My Mum is at the back and she wants to meet you'. I thought all day I was going to meet my idol...then I remember finding out she'd passed away. I ended up going from thinking I'd meet her to almost singing at her funeral".
Watch Jessie talk about Whitney in the video below.