Jessica Mauboy will be in Canberra for one night only on 3 October. Photo: Higher Press/Supplied.
Spending 20 years in the spotlight would make award-winning singer, songwriter and actress Jessica Mauboy comfortable with curve balls and change, right?
Nope.
“This is so completely out of my comfort zone, out of my world,” Jess told Region.
She’s talking about her one-night-only performance of The Story of Me: A Musical Journey Through My Career, coming to Canberra on 3 October.
It’s an exploration of her career from the first moment she stepped on the Australian Idol stage to breaking up with record labels and going it alone.
“This show scares me … it’s the most vulnerable and intimate I’ve ever been,” Jess said.
“But it also makes me feel liberated and know I can have a good, trusting yarn [with the audience] … we can trust in the process together.
“And also have a party by the end of it – get up and have a good sing and a shout.”
Australians may feel they know the girl from Darwin. Familiarity with a person’s image can create a sense of being part of their journey.
For Jess, the “nice girl” assumption is one that has followed her around for her entire career.
While it’s not entirely inaccurate, it’s not the full picture.
“I tend to get that a lot: ‘she’s a nice gal’,” Jess reflected.
“‘Nice’ is very classic, but that can mean anything … I’ve been in the public eye for a very long time, I look at all my chapters and I keep evolving.
“The nice girl can also be misunderstood.”
The Story of Me will examine Jess’s highs and lows, how she went from running barefoot in the dust to the very fast machine that is the music industry.
She’ll share her doubts about whether she could belong in show business, how she juggled staying authentic and honing her instincts while also needing to be aware of her business and brand.
Plus the fear and exhilaration that comes when you discover you need to take a leap of faith.
“At some point in our lives we all go: I need to change,” Jess said.
“Life gives you experiences or opportunities where we can remain comfortable and let the cycle continue. Or life gives you another door where things will be more challenging … where you have to trust yourself.
“I realised that trusting myself, trusting my stories meant more to me than I thought … and now, if I fall, that’ll be on me. And that’s okay.”
Audience members will experience heartfelt ballads, re-imagined classics and Jessica Mauboy’s signature powerhouse anthems.
You’ll leave knowing her “little secrets” and how different it is to step out and form an independent label.
You might also hear how it’s transformed her music.
“[I’ve been told] ‘you seem a little bit more like yourself’,” Jess said.
“I’m already working on my seventh studio album … this body of work – it’s the Jess that we know, but I think [people will also go] ‘I didn’t know she had that in her’.
“[I’ve found] when I feel a little bit scared of something, that’s good, for me … it make me my truest.”
She hopes the audience leaves inspired to appreciate the people in their lives, knowing they can be relied upon if that leap of faith needs to be taken.
“I hope I’m that person filling that cup for someone … that they can leave [the performance] feeling that they’re proud of themselves, that they’re confident and know what they’re doing,” Jess said.
“Change always comes, and I’m ready for it … this is the most solid I’ve ever felt in my life.”
Jessica Mauboy’s ‘The Story of Me: A Musical Journey Through My Career’, is on at the Canberra Theatre Centre on 3 October. Tickets are on sale now.
