is one of Australia’s most celebrated R&B/pop artists, songwriters, and actresses, with a career spanning nearly two decades. A multiple ARIA Award-winner, she made history as the first Indigenous Australian solo artist to debut at No. 1 on the ARIA Album Chart, and now claims six Top 10 albums, sixteen Top 20 singles, and twenty-one platinum accreditations.

Jessica has also starred in acclaimed films (The Sapphires, Bran New Day, Windcatcher) and has been a coach on The Voice Australia

At this year’s Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Jessica is performing a world premiere and Australian exclusive, .

Jessica spoke to Glam Adelaide about her Cabaret Festival performance and where her love of music stems from.

“I would have to say my family and that kind of energy and support from home. I really do think it stems from the relationships that I saw around me and how that music affected them and how it made them feel. I really absorbed that and I gathered all of that up in my arms and decided to use it because it feels good and I feel like it makes me feel safe.”

We asked Jessica if she always knew that the performing arts industry was where she wanted to set her sights as a career.

“My first experience of music, theatre and the drama of it was at school, where I had the opportunity to experience choir and the many different personalities and characters when playing a part or being given a part. That was really where that growth came from. There were teachers that saw that within me and believed in me and would give me a lot of those roles and give me that responsibility, which a lot of the times I felt quite anxious about. But when it came to music and the sound it just kind of electrified through my body – it was that adrenaline that would rush through my body and I just couldn’t help but to sing.”

Recently, Jessica has become a mother, and she shared with us how she is settling into this amazing new chapter of her life.

“Settling in is a really great way of describing it because there are moments where I feel like, ‘Oh I’ve got the hang of it,’ and then there are other days where I’m like, ‘Nope just kidding!’ I think the best way for me is mantra and meditation and to just let it all kind of fall into its own place. She’s her own self so I think just allowing it to all flow and surrender to her and enjoy those moments of growth together. I think it just has me in a daydream a lot of the time – I’m still in disbelief. Parenthood is just a magical experience and I’m still in that love struck bubble where I’m just in awe of her.”

For one night only at this year’s Cabaret Festival, Jessica is performing a very personal show,  From Darwin girl to Australian icon, Jessica shares her extraordinary journey through music and stories, spanning her rise to fame, career challenges, and personal triumphs.

“Becoming a mother has really launched me in this direction of telling a story and bringing some rawness to how I tell it. I sat there when I first was first introduced to the idea of bringing a show to Her Majesty’s Theatre. I just kept thinking of this raw footage of myself on my family’s property, barefoot and singing. Also of all this different footage of myself in choir and when I’m literally so innocent –  I’m young, very determined and passionate about music and you can see it. So I think that’s  where the idea of the story really started, these visual self-tape videos. From there, it all just started to flow to all those milestones of the different stages of my life – traveling around the world and the many different people that have been there from the beginning and really encouraged me and supported me. I wanted to really infuse this show to be about them and that I am able to sing and be thankful.”

Experience heartfelt ballads, reimagined classics, and powerhouse anthems as Jessica opens up for the first time about leaving her long-time record label to reclaim creative control, stepping into motherhood, and launching her beauty brand, Desert Rose.

“The show will put a spotlight on certain songs in my life that have shaped who I am as a singer. So there will be a bit of jazz, a bit of opera that intrigued me as a young girl, and I love theatre and Broadway, so there’s a bit of that. I want audiences to see those real life musical moments that have confettied my life. It’s going to be quite colourful but I’m also going to share some real painful moments through my life.”

Don’t miss this intimate look at Jessica Mauboy’s evolution as an artist, entrepreneur, and proud Indigenous woman.

Her Majesty’s Theatre
Saturday 14 June – 7.30pm

https://cabaret.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/whats-on/jessica-mauboy-the-story-of-me

Photo credit: Jason Henley