My Interview with Xfactor's Jahmene Douglas

Hey Blog Readers!!x!!

Wee I love this Blog post... :) recently I caught-up with Jahmene from this years XFactor! He was nice enough to answer my questions for the purpose of this blog interview-which is pretty cool of him!

I am similar to Jahmene in terms of our common love for Motown and Soul music-I grew up with it too with my mum playing all the classics from the roof top (well Motown along with Rap and Reggae). For me soul music stands for perseverance and overcoming problems.
This is one my faves from the gorgeous Marvin Gaye ;)


Jahmene was my favourite to win the entire show this year: I do also like James and they were both great finalists but for me Jahmene's talent is out of this world and win or not there is no doubt that he is going to have an amazing career and future in music ahead of him! I can't wait for him to "Bring Motown Back" ;)

SO here's what I asked him exclusively for ShahiraBarry.Blogspot.ie ;)

1) Shahira: You come across as a very shy, quiet and genuine person-You were just leading an ordinary life working in asda etc... but it takes a lot of courage and determination to stand in line (for hours) and go for an audition at XFactor in the first place: What was your motivation? 

 Jahmene: My motivation was my dream. To use music as a motivator for others, to inspire some one to be better, that and all my family and friends encouraging me constantly to get up and follow my dream. 

2) Shahira: Did anyone know that you were going to audition?

Jahmene: Only my immediate family and closet friends knew I was auditioning.

Jahmene Douglas's 1st audition

3) Shahira: What is Nicole like in person? On the tv your relationship looks very close but we have heard in the past (for example Cher Lloyd and Cheryl Cole) that often that is simply for the tv-show.. do you think you will stay in touch when xfactor is no longer filming?

Jahmene: Nicole is such an inspiring person. She has a lot of strength and a lot of time and love for others. Even now she will text me to see how I am. She’s prayed with me before I’ve performed and put me as a friend first and a singer second. Her beauty radiates through her smile and it’s contagious. She’s a friend for life.

4)Shahira: What has been the hardest thing about being on the xfactor? 

Jahmene: The hardest thing about being in the xfactor was probably being in the xfactor :P It’s a lot of hard work and time away from normality but it’s all worthwhile in the end. 

Jahmene arriving for rehersals at XFactor

5) Shahira: What has been the best thing about being on the xfactor?

Jahmene: The best thing about the xfactor is the platform i’ve been given and the incredible friends I have made.

6) Shahira: Which musical artists do you look up to? 

Jahmene: My main influence has always been the extremely blessed Whitney Houston. 

7) Shahira: You said on one of the live shows that you want to bring motown music back (btw I am a huge Motown fan too) what is it about soul music that you love? Is it the message behind many of the lyrics? What other genres of music do you like? 

Jahmene: Soul music just seems to cut deeper and hit harder than most other genres. It gets me and pushes so much emotion through each word. I love all types of music genres, Gospel, Jazz, Reggae, Rock, Classical ... you name it and it’s in my CD collection somewhere.

8) Shahira: It must have been very difficult to tell the public about your traumatic past (btw I think it is extremely commendable that you did and I believe hearing your story would have encouraged and helped a lot of people) were you worried about revealing such intimate details from your past? And how has the response been? 

Jahmene: I didn’t choose to talk about my past, it was dug up by the media. I then chose to twist it all into a positive thing to help raise awareness and funding for domestic violence. I did that by pushing attention towards Women’s Aid. The story would have run with or without my input, but I thought It was best I spoke out for all the others scared to step out of that bad situation they are in. I knew the stories would’ve come out sooner or later and I always had this plan in mind. I am now the first youth ambassador for Women’s Aid and hope to make as much as a difference as I can. The response has been incredible, inspiring and motivational to continue and I’ve had letters thanking me saying I’ve helped them in some way. 

Jahmene supports Woman's Aid against domestic violence

9)Shahira: What would your advice be to someone who may want to audition for the XFactor next year? 

Jahmene: Never try living up to expectations, just be the best that you can possibly be. 

10) Shahira: Has XFactor changed you in any way? 

Jahmene: X-Factor has opened many doors and made me a lot more comfortable in a world that once seemed to big to step into. 

11) Shahira: Have you ever been to Ireland?/Would you like to visit one day?

Jahmene: I have never been to Ireland I'd love to, but Louis Walshe has assured me it’s a beautiful place. 

Our Likle Louis supported Jahmene the whole way through the competition and declared he wanted him to win often:)

12) Shahira: Is there any luxury item that you would love to buy? Coming off the success that you will get from the show.. 

Jahmene: Most of the things I would like to buy are for other people, but I’d love to have a decent place to stay. 

13) Shahira: On a lighter note what’s your favourite food/colour?& What's your star sign? :) 

Jahmene: My favourite food ... most dishes with chicken. My favourite colour ... multi-colour ;) My star sign is Pisces :)

Compassionate, selfless, sympathetic, artistic, intuitive carefree, imaginative & Joyful-all of these shine through with Jahmene. 

14) Shahira: Finally, I am someone who is crazy for life quotes... (e.g my favourite is ‘Imagination is the Key to Success’) is there any quote that you feel holds a lot of truth for you? 

Jahmene: There are too many quotes I love to mention so I’ll just pick a random one Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. - Martin Luther King :) 

Jahmene and his mum :)

Jahmene looking ADORABLE as a child

Celebrating on stage with Nicole and James

For me Jahmene is a true inspiration!! Not only is he an extraordinary talent! But he has also come through such a lot which shows how incredibly strong and amazing he is! He never gave up on his dreams, he's a fighter and a believer. I don't want to repeat  the story of Jahmene's past because this is not a gossip blog and also Tabloids can sometimes be misleading so not knowing all the ins and outs I don't feel in a position to do that (you can click here if you want to read the sun's article). This blog is about positivity and a beautiful young man inside and out with an amazing JAMAZING talent ;) 

Personally this was my favourite Jahmene performance :) 

Follow Jahmene on Twitter and Facebook ;)

A huge Thank YOU to Jahmene for taking the time out to answer my questions! I'm wishing you all the luck in the world in your career (Not that you need it in anyway). I can't wait to hear your first track on the radio ;)

Lots of Love 

Shahira Xo