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

Coachella/Tupac

In light of Tupac's recent resurrection... (well in the form of a hollagram...unfortunately not the real thing) I thought as a MASSIVE Tupac fan and lover of his music it is only appropriate to do a blog on the Coachella event and my thoughts on it.

If you don't know what I'm talking about you must have been living under a rock for the past few days! lol,
Basically during Snoop Dogg's show (which was Amazing!) at the Coachella festival he brought on the creme-de-la-creme in hip-hop to perform with him; everyone from Wiz Khalifa to 50Cent and even Eminem... A mini-concert of many of the greats in the space of an hour! Approximately half way through a figure rises from the stage and that figure is the legend, and one of my favourite artists in the world, Tupac... you can tell this straight away from his iconic tattoos and his whole persona and image. He addresses the crowed personally by saying "You Know Who the f**k this Is... What the F**K IS UP COACHELLA" and then goes on to perform three of his iconic songs: 'Come with me', 'Hail Mary' and 'Gangster Party' alongside Snoop Dogg. Nobody could begin to describe how amazing it was so...check it out for yourself in this video.


I find the whole thing very emotional-I'm not sure why: possibly just because I love hip-hop music so much and the sheer idea of such a legend coming back to life amazes me-For me it is as big a deal as if the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, was to come back and preform...as Tupac is like the King of Rap music and such an iconic figure to many. I went to the 'One Love' tour with Snoop Dogg and Pdiddy a couple of years back and to this day it is the best concert and performance I have ever seen! You wouldn't think that because in a sense it's a hip-hop show and there isn't much in terms of a high-production with loads of dancers and "fussiness"...it's no Lady Gaga or Britney Spears (which I've been to) gig but the Music and sheer energy and talent speaks for its self and I stood in the audience at the very front of the stage thinking I don't want to be in the audience I want to be doing what they're doing-It was just surreal-Their crowd control, everything, was just amazing and yet snoop dogg in particular had such a laid back aura around him.  I loved it-it was a brilliant night!
After being sent the above clip of Tupac's performance I went on to watch the entire Snoop Dogg set and it was again unreal! If you have a spare hour I really recommend giving it a watch.


Back to Tupac:
My favourite Tupac songs...and 2 of my favourite 3songs in the world (ironically Juicy Notorious BIG is my other 1)


'Dear Mamma' makes me think of my mum, Yasmin, who I love more than anything in the entire world and I'm not embarrassed to say that. She is the closest person to me and I could never put into words how much she means to me.



'Life Goes On' I listen to to help to encourage me to keep going with my life since loosing my longest and best friend Sadhbh 2years ago. I always loved the song but it means so much more to me now since I can relate to the words-it's about loosing a friend and having to go on with your life somehow even though it can be very difficult at times. I do feel like "All I have left are stinken'memories..." but I also appreciate a life and try to live.

Conspiracy theorists:
Now I have never been one for buying into the whole Tupac conspiracy theory that he is still alive and I've always kind of thought it was just wishful thinking on the behalf of some of his fans-However I must admit this performance has changed my mind and has me very 50/50 on the whole situation. I started watching a lot of the conspiracy videos surrounding his death on YouTube and I must say there are a lot of unanswered questions and general misguided information that has me now thinking that it could be a possibility... some might still think I'm crazy but there does seem to be way to many "mistakes" surrounding his death and I'm not saying I'm 100% for the theory but it definitely got me thinking...

• For one Tupac never sought after the fame, what he wanted was the money and he truly loved the music-He had spoken openly about wanting to leave the limelight and the gang life-even in an interview right before his death.
• He told a friend not to worry that he definitely was not going to be in Las Vegas (where he was killed).
• The picture of Tupac in the car supposedly just before he was shot was proven to be a fake as there were no Keys in the ignition while the driver pretended to be driving: it was a parked car-why did they do this?
• It was also a completely different bmw than the one in the investigation and that the police searched-you can see this clearly as there are different rims on the car. 
• Why did Tupac change his name to Makaveli before he died-This name also spells I'm alive. Also although the spelling is different Machiavelli was a 16th Century Italian philosopher who advocated the staging of one's death in order to evade one's enemies and gain power-How can this be a coincidence as it is a known fact that 2pac had enemies and wanted to leave gang life behind.
• His album called the 7day theory-he was known to be obsessed with the number 7. He lasted 7days in the hospital before dying (there are also no pictures or evidence of Tupac in the hospital). In the video for 'I wonder if heaven got a ghetto' he goes into room no.7 with a girl-the clock in the room reads 4.03: which became his official time of death. He was 25 when he died 2 plus 5=7 theory believers say he will make his come-back in 2014: 2 plus 0 plus 1 plus 4=7, he would then be 43: 4 plus 3=7, he would have been gone for 18 years: 8 minus 1=7. Could 2012 and the Coachella event be a tester of what is to come in 2014?? to see how people react? to get the idea out there??
• There is nothing in the last album that says 'Tupac RIP': would this not be a common protocall for an album coming out after a said artists death? Instead it says "Exit Tupac enter Makaveli".
• All this and not to mention in many-too many, of his songs he refers to Resurrection and coming back to life. Including images of resurrection in various videos. In his song 'Ambitions of a Ridha' he says  "Blast me but they didn't finish, didn't diminish my powers so now I'm back to be a muthaf*ckin menace, they coward thats why they tried to set me up, had b*tch *ss n*ggas on my team so indeed they wet me up, but I'm Back Reincarnated". This is just one of many many examples. Also other rappers have had strange raps if the death of Tupac was legit why did 50Cent rap "Until Makaveli returns all eyes on me" and eminem refers to Tupac running away to cuba-which is where many think he went. 
• Tupac had an entourage of 50-why then are there no witnesses to the shooting? except one who was shot dead before giving evidence. 
• 2pac was known to wear a bullet proof vest everywhere he went: why then would he not be wearing one to such a public event as the Tyson fight?
• The man who removed Tupacs body was specially requested and was also in charge of a system in America which keeps unclaimed bodies (bodies which they cant find families for) for 30days before cremating-could it have been one of these bodies that was cremated in 2pac's place?
• The autopsy certificate is all wrong: it states that Tupac weighed 215 pounds-which for his height would of had him bordering on Obese (one can clearly see by looking at Tupac that this was not the case) on a legal document tupac received two months before it stated he only weighed 165pounds and was 5'7. they also had the height wrong on the autopsy stating he was 6ft. It also has the wrong national security number and claims it is Tupac's number-yet the number used was registered 5years after his birth and is still in use today. 
• There is one photo of his autopsy: which is missing his neck tattoo and his face is not visible. 
• They cremated his body in less than 24hours after his death: why would they do this?-this is not a normal rate especially when considering this was a murder case. 
• in 2011 Suge knight as good as told the world 2pac is alive in this video:

There are numerous sources of so-called "evidence" listed on the internet from song lyrics to videos and I would be here all night trying to highlight all of them. People can make their own minds up... I'm not sure what I think to be honest. As I said I'm very 50/50-I would love to believe that 2pac is and has been alive and also that there may be a possibility of a come back... perhaps that is my wishful thinking... Maybe... :)

I wonder if I may know a man who could-well personally know the answer to this question... The wonderful Steve Lobel-who's blog/interview with me you can read by clicking here.

What do you think of this whole situation?
It's certainly got the conspiracy theorists thinking in overload if nothing else... and perhaps adding a few more believers to their theory (cough cough-me).

Lots of Love

Shahira Xo

My Interview with Us Manager to the Stars: A MUST read! "We Working"

Eeeek I'm so excited to be writing this blog as I was lucky enough for hip-hop royalty Mr. Steve Lobel to agree to answer a few short questions for me for the purpose of my blog!

I'm amazed that someone of such status and who is well known across the world can be so humble and down-to-earth to agree to answer some questions for a 20year old new blogger from the West Coast of Ireland with no money involved or anything of the sort.
I am so honored! 

Everyone who knows me will know that I am a MASSIVE Hip-Hop fan! My mum brought me up with Tupac blasting from the car on the way to and from school and it's been in my blood ever since (That doesn't mean I don't like other genres of music-because I like a bit of everything really). Some of my favourite songs in the world would all be old-school hip-hop.. if you call the 90's old school ;) Notorious BIG, Tupac and Snoop Dogg.
Steve Lobel has worked with all three!!!

For me Steve Lobel is much bigger (and dare I say cooler, haha) than Simon Cowell. Because I'd see him as the Simon Cowell of Hip-Hop in terms of how his job is to manage and guide artists.

In this video with MauriceAyee Steve describes the resume of his career in just under 9minutes: It's a jam packed 9minutes!


As you can see from the video Steve has worked with everyone. Starting out with Run dmc/Jam Master Jay and then going on to work with other huge names like EasyE, Bone Thugs and Harmony, Biggie, Tupac, Three Six Mafia, Fat Joe and recently managing Sean Kingston, Iyaz and MANN all to name a few. (I'd be here forever trying to type out everyone he named in the video as there really is a lot).

 Iyaz, Dirty, Jam Master J'Son, Steve Lobel, Sean Kingston and MANN

The Questions I asked Steve:

1: Of course hip-hop fans will know who you are but for people in Ireland who may not know your career how would you describe what you do?

A: I'm a music manager and they can google me or hit up my a2z entertainment face book.

Also on Twitter @A2ZENT or @SteveLobel

2: How did you get into managing and guiding artists-did you plan it or did you fall into it?

A: I grew up with run dmc and jam master jay 

Steve grew-up in Queens New York with his friends Run dmc and Jam Master Jay who guided him to what he's been doing since a young age-managing artists. 

3: Why Hip-Hop? For me I love hip-hop because it often comes from life's struggles e.g. Notorious BIG's 'Juicy' "It was all a dream", what was it that drew you to it?

A: The passion for the music

It is obvious that Steve is extremely passionate about his love for music and it was this sheer passion and love that lead him into hip-hop.

4: At the moment there is a recession in most of the world (it's quite bad here in Ireland) what advice would you give to someone who comes from nothing, who doesn't have contacts but dreams of making it in the music industry?

A: Patience and sacrifice equals success , never give up , stay focused and positive

I think the above answer will be the one that would encourage a lot of young artists and people with big dreams in general-You can do what you set your mind to but you have to be FOCUSED and POSITIVE :)


5: What do you think of programs like Xfactor/American Idol... are they good or bad for the music industry?

A: It makes it easier if your on the shows Cause of the exposure and marketing behind it. There is some great talent sometimes on the shows.

6: You mentioned in the Video with MauriceAyee that you've lost many good friends: Biggie, EasyE and Jam Master Jay did you ever feel like giving up?what kept you going?

A: I lost big pun also and 2pac, I lost my brother and mom passed away last year , of course I feel like giving up but I have to stay strong and keep their legacys alive. Its not easy

Again for me this answer is very interesting as someone who lost a friend two years ago and also my aunty Della in the past year; sometimes I feel like "what is life about... what am I doing..." and it would be very easy just give-up but instead it fuels my ambition and determination for success and just to follow my dreams because I realise that life is short and I only have one life.. so I'm going to live it to the full. A lot of the things I've done in the past two years and the successes I've had I feel are due to some special people looking after and guiding me from heaven. 

7: You have obviously had many highlights but what has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?

A: Just taking artist from nothing and winning! Like iyaz with a #1 record , a grammy with krayzie bone and Chamallionare but Just being relevant I guess . Also there's so many highlights .

I think Steve's answer here shows that hard work and persistence pays off. 


8: You say your motto is "We Working"... is it all work or what do you do to relax?

A: Honestly that's my problem I don't relax , I love what I do and everything has to do with work , its in me , sad but true . I wish it was different.

I can relate to this answer, especially lately as I feel like all I do is work and stay focused: but when you enjoy what you're doing more than anything I guess that's easy to do. Unlike Steve for me I don't wish it was different all I want to do is more. He's had a great career and many of his dreams have come true I'm just trying to start mine. 


9: Do you still have the same drive and spirit that you had starting out?

A: My drive is always the same!

10: I hear you've written a book-what is it called?

A: Im writing a book called " the coach last longer then the player"

What an interesting title for a book-and I think it makes a lot of sense. Artists can have highs and lows,  they're the biggest name in the industry and then someone new comes up behind them: where-as the coach (the manager) is always progressing, always guiding and also working with new people-always in the game.. always there. I will definitely be buying this book!

11: What is next for Steve Lobel?

A: Hopefully a wife and kids.

It's nice that a man of many successes hopes to have a wife and kids next. It shows a softness and that success doesn't make you different to anyone else in many ways. 

Here is a video with Steve, Mann and 50Cent on set of 'making the video' for "Buzzing"-Mann Ft 50Cent.


In the video you can see the making of the part of the video where the lyrics are:

"New Cat with a old school feel

Only New Artist with an Old School Deal

Tied to the Game by Steve Lobel

So we always win, Don't receive no help"....

I hope You have enjoyed reading this blog as much as I enjoyed writing it :) And I hope anyone who hadn't heard of the music manager Steve Lobel can now appreciate all he has accomplished and Buy his book "The Coach Lasts Longer than the Player" ;) With all his experiences in life I'm sure it will make for a very interesting read that we can all learn a lot from. He is a man who has a lot to teach.  

Remember...

"Speak Your Dreams Into Existence"

Lots of Love

Shahira Xo

Fashion.ie interview

Hey blog readers!x! :)

For anyone interested :) click here to read my interview with Fashion.ie :)

In my Interview I talk about how I got into modelling, some of my achievements to date, modelling advice, how I keep in shape and more :)

Hope you enjoy :)

Lots of Love 

Shahira xo

EuroSong - PlanetJedward

Hellooo :) 

Just a quick picture entry.

I was delighted to be invited to the Late Late EuroSong 2012 last night (Friday 25th/Feb) in the RTE studios. I was supporting Jedward to go through to the 2012 Eurovison song contest in Azerbaijan and of course they did not disappoint and will be representing the country later in the year :)

I spent the night backstage in the green room, where I met the rest of the eurovision hopefuls, and I have to say they were so friendly and nice and the competition was tough-while watching I thought it was really anyone's game. However the MASSIVE crowed of jedward fans outside the studios (-some of whom had flown over from the UK just to catch a glimpse of the bubbly twins) would lead anyone to believe that the boys would triumph in the end. 

I have attended many gigs and festivals some of whom for A-list American superstars e.g. the godfather himself mr Snoop Dogg and NEVER have I seen anything like the Jedward fans! they are definitely "Jedicated" and on another level! Hundreds of fans gathered outside the studio even though they didn't have any tickets to the show itself.. they simply waited there to hear the news. One thing is for sure Jedward fans don't get disappointed as the boys have a really relaxed and fun attitude towards their fans hugging and taking pictures with anyone who wants one. 

Here is a video jedward tweeted today which shows them celebrating with the fans outside after their win.

Love them or hate them I don't think anyone would be left without a smile on their face if in their company. They are SO energetic and fun and I don't think that can be denied by anyone.
Personally I think Ireland have a difficult time in the Eurovision as the East-European countries all vote for eachother (I guess the same way the UK vote for us and visa-verse) but I do think they did a great job last year and if anyone has a chance of winning it for Ireland it would be them as their fan base is so strong-I hear even in Europe.

Here is the song they will be representing the country with in Eurovision 2012:

Do you think the right song/act was chosen last night??

Lots of Love

Shahira Xo