The singer took to the stage in front of Prince William and Princess Catherine to perform her new single ‘I’ll Never Know Why’
Jessie J attends the Royal Variety Performance at Royal Albert Hall (Image: (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage))
Jessie J was applauded for her emotional song on The Royal Variety Performance.
The star, 37, performed “I’ll Never Know Why,” a deeply personal and emotional tribute to her late bodyguard and close friend, Dave, who died by suicide years ago.
The track appears on her new album, Don’t Tease Me With a Good Time, which marks her first major music release in seven years.
Jessie, 37, who battled early breast cancer this year and had a mastectomy, performed the song to Prince William and Catherine at the Royal Variety Performance.
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The singer previously explained that Dave wasn’t just the person who kept her safe; he was the steady voice she leaned on when fame became too heavy. Many times, he was the one she called just to clear her mind.
“He was the one I’d phone and be like, ‘Bro, I need to go for a walk, this is too much for me,’” she said. Losing him, she shared, still affects her deeply today.
Holding back her emotions as she spoke to This Morning hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard about the song, she revealed: ‘He was my security for many, many years.
‘Anyone that has had a close relationship to anyone where it’s one on one, especially when I got famous, he was the one I would phone and say, “I need to go for a walk, this is too much for me”, and he was there for me so much.
‘He decided he didn’t want to be here seven years ago, and five years ago I wrote this song – I wasn’t going to put it on the album but when I played it to my new team they were like, “You have to, it’s going to help so many people”.
‘It’s not easy to sing but seeing how people have reacted to it in the last few weeks has been incredible. He was like my big brother.’
Fans were stunned by Jessie’s emotional performance on the Royal Variety Performance. One wrote on X: “@JessieJ oh wow I’ll never know why has me sobbing, such a beautiful song.”
A second wrote: “#royalvarietyperformance her voice is amazing one of the the best singers.”
A third echoed: “I’ve never heard this woman ever miss a note, ever.”
And a fourth added: “Jessie J needs to be on a West End stage. The talent is unmatched.”