Samantha Jade reveals why she considered leaving the spotlight before Dancing With The Stars

It’s been quite a busy month for Samantha Jade, with the pop star coming second on this year’s season of Dancing With The Stars and preparing to release her new EP later this week. While she’s been a fixture in Australian pop culture since winning The X Factor in 2012, the singer-songwriter admits that she recently considered stepping away from the spotlight.

Following the DWTS grand finale on Monday night, Samantha told Yahoo Lifestyle that she went into the reality show lacking confidence in not only herself as a dancer but also as an artist. In fact, she says she contemplated giving up music altogether before joining the competition.

“I feel like as artists we go through these ups and downs. The highs are extremely high sometimes, the lows are extremely low, and I do experience anxiety and I feel like it's not always great,” she details.

RELATED:

• Samantha Jade responds to viral TikTok declaring Australia 'failed' her: 'I'm still here'

• Samantha Jade reveals why she turned down Dancing With The Stars 'multiple times'

• Dancing With The Stars fans call out 'unfair' detail in 2024 grand finale: 'Strange'

“It’s obviously the highlight reel on Instagram and Facebook, and I do like to keep it that way because for me it’s a profile and it's my job, but there are moments where I sit at home and think, ‘Should I even do this anymore? Why am I bothering?’.

“To be fully transparent, there are a lot of times when I am a bit of a mess and don't believe in myself. And then it takes my people to get around me and really build me back up to even go into the studio because I’m like, ‘No one will care if I put something out’. You lose confidence and it sometimes gets low.”

Why Samantha's so 'grateful' for DWTS

Samantha reveals that she received the call to appear on the show late last year while she was doing “Christmas corporate gigs”, and after turning down the opportunity for the past few years she finally said ‘yes’.

“I was like, ‘Why not? I'm gonna do it’. Then come the day, the day before, it's like the first day of school vibes. You’re so nervous, you pack your little lunch box and get ready to go,” she laughs.

"And from that day forward, I have to say, my confidence very slowly started coming back, and by the time I left the show, I felt like myself again. So I will be forever grateful for this show for bringing back my belief in me… It really did change me for the better.”

Samantha teases exciting career plans

Following her experience on Dancing With The Stars, Samantha teases that she’s keen to expand her artistic abilities and take on some new opportunities. While she’s dabbled in acting in the past with a brief stint on Home and Away and a supporting role in the miniseries INXS: Never Tear Us Apart as Kylie Minogue, the triple threat says the dancing competition gave her the confidence to dive back into that world.

“What I was shocked about is that dancing is so much about acting. I didn't ever take that into consideration. This was like taking on a role every week,” she remarks. “I would love to do more acting. I really love acting. It's a whole other world, but I really love it. I got the bug, I definitely did.”

SHOP:

• The personalised accessories for anyone who loves to make a statement

• The Aussie handbag brand with over 3500 five-star reviews

• Summer skin in winter? This hydrating beauty supplement makes it possible

“I’ve always had this little dream of playing Roxie Hart [in Chicago] or Sandy in Grease. I never thought I could do it, I would go to musicals and be like ‘There is absolutely no way’. They’re singing this whole time, they’re doing all this dancing, no way. And now I’m like, after that burlesque performance, maybe I can?”

Samantha Jade’s new EP Love.Sick VOL 2 is out August 16th

Want the latest celebrity news? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.