Jessica Mauboy reveals how surprising encounter with Beyoncé 'changed her life'

From Snoop Dogg and Pitbull to Rita Ora and Oprah Winfrey, Jessica Mauboy has collaborated and worked alongside several high-profile names throughout her almost two-decade-long career.

One of the most notable celebrities the pop star has encountered is Beyoncé when she was the opening act for the Australian leg of her I Am... World Tour, which she says “changed her life”.

During an interview with Yahoo Lifestyle to celebrate the release of her brand new album Yours Forever, Jess walked down memory lane to reflect on her famous friendships and shared some never-before-heard stories.

Jason Derulo

Jess says she and Jason Derulo, whom she met while filming last year’s season of The Voice Australia, shared an “out of this world” experience when they collaborated on the lead single for her new album titled ‘Give You Love’.

“It was something that I really wanted to happen,” she details. “We were working on The Voice together and he happened to be in his green room. I’d just received my version that I’d recorded working with Shannon [Busch], who's an amazing singer-songwriter, and I couldn't help to think I've always wanted a duet.

“I've done duets in the past, but this seemed perfect. I could hear him, I knew his background, I knew that he could sing and he could meet me halfway. And he loved it instantly. His reaction was like, ‘Oh nah, this is your song’. And I'm like, ‘No, but I’d love you to be on it’. And yeah, in two days, he had his vocals down and that's how it all kind of really happened.”

Rita Ora

Jess says that she and Rita Ora, who also became close friends while filming back-to-back seasons of The Voice, share so many similarities from their music taste to their sense of humour.

“We would look at each other and we would just burst out into laughter because we knew the situation,” she remarks. “Some of those days were really, really long to work being a coach on The Voice, so Rita’s my home girl.”

Beyoncé

Jess admits she’ll “never forget” how Beyoncé watched two of her rehearsals during her I Am… tour in 2009.

“I'm so grateful,” she says. “That show changed my life and I really have her to thank for instilling woman fire in me to want to get out and do what I love.”

She adds that the last time she saw the Break My Soul hitmaker was in 2015 when she was on a songwriting trip in the US.

“I was writing with friends and I happened to write with some of her friends, and we connected through a studio,” she continues. “She was like, ‘How are you going?’. It’s one of those things where it’s so weird like, ‘You’re still loving it and you're still passionate about it?’. So yeah, it's pretty crazy.”

Snoop Dogg

Jess describes Snoop Dogg, who she collaborated with in 2010 on her song ‘Get ‘em Girls’, as a “godfather”.

“He's the godfather of hip-hop, rap music, and he's still around. It's so wonderful to have someone like him who comes from a time when rap music was in its prime time,” she shares.

“And still, to this day, I find every time I watch his posts or he says something, it’s such great life advice.”

Oprah Winfrey

Jess met the legendary Oprah Winfrey when she performed for thousands of fans in Melbourne’s Federation Square in support of The Oprah Show’s first visit to Australia in 2011.

“This moment was hectic. I didn't realise this, but Oprah already knew who I was,” she gushes. “When Gayle [King] introduced me to Oprah, Oprah was like, ‘I know who she is’. I'm like, ‘Oprah knows me!’.

“It really blew me away and it really said a lot about her. She does her research, she loves to know who she's going to be in front of and who she's going to be talking to. She means boss.”

Ellen DeGeneres

Similarly to Oprah, Jess met Ellen DeGeneres during the filming of her TV show Down Under in 2013.

“The first time I met Ellen was through making the film, The Sapphires,” she explains. “She had watched it on her flight on the way to Australia and absolutely loved it, and she invited me to some of her shows that she was doing around Australia, particularly Melbourne and Sydney.

“I think from that connection, she invited me back actually on her show to talk about music and to talk about film, and it was one of those kind of pinch-me moments that I'll never forget.”

Flo Rida

Jess admits it was “an iconic moment” having US rapper Flo Rida feature on her debut single ‘Running Back’ in 2008

“It really switched up my view of how I wanted to make music and it really instilled a sense of drive,” she shares. “I'll never forget it. It's still one of my favourite songs, ‘Running Back’. But yeah, I have to thank the team and Flo for wanting to be a part of it.”

Jessica Mauboy’s new album Yours Forever is available to stream now on all music platforms.

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