Jessie James Takes on Heidi & Hitler, Defends Nickelback

Jessie James is a young, Southern belle, getting some recognition for some Billboard-friendly tunes about heartbreak and girl power that was on the soundtrack for some movie that was equally about heartbreak and girl power. Now she's taking her act on the road, opening for the Jonas Brothers, showcasing that country twang to legions of squealing tweens in advance of the August 11 release of her debut album. Miss James called us from the road in Colorado to talk about who uses sex to sell and who doesn't, enjoying Nickelback's music, and her desire to take down the Third Reich.

How’s the Jonas Brothers tour going? I imagine it’s all groupies and drugs. Am I wrong?
Oh yeah, man. Sex, drugs, rock n’ roll, lots of babes. It’s actually quite the opposite.

In your video for “Wanted,” you’re wearing skimpy daisy dukes and a halter top. Are you using sex to sell records?
I wouldn’t really say it’s provocative. I’d just say they’re shorts and a shirt that happen to show my stomach. I don’t know if I’m necessarily using sex to sell my music. I think my voice sells my music more than anything. I think it’s just a plus that I’m comfortable with my sexuality. I’m wearing things that I feel good about. I mean, look at what Katy Perry is wearing.

So is Katy Perry is using sex to sell her music?
I think that her outfits match her music. I don’t think she looks like a slut. She does it in a very tasteful way. I mean, not a lot of girls can pull it off, but I think she does. Heidi Montag looks really awful, but Katy Perry looks amazing. Probably because Katy’s talented.

Right, and Heidi Montag is not. Do you ever hope to reach the level of fame that Lady Gaga or Katy Perry is at right now?
That’s not why I got into this business. I don’t like that people can say whatever they want about you online. If I cared about the fame, I’d live in Hollywood and go everywhere I could to get stalked by people. But I’m gonna live in Nashville and get my peace and quiet when I’m off the road and live a normal life. Kelly Clarkson is not in the magazines as much as everyone else because she lives in Texas. Carrie Underwood is hardly in the magazines for anything she’s doing wrong, or Taylor Swift, because they live in Nashville and don’t want to be bothered with that.

This is true. You mentioned your song “Guilty.” You caught somebody cheating on you, who’s in another band.
The lead singer of the band.

Is this a band who you were touring with?
No, no. You’ll never guess who the band is and I’ll never say.

But is it somebody who you think I would know? Somebody relatively well-known?
Absolutely. It’s somebody that everybody knows.

And did you catch him in the act or something?
I didn’t have to catch anyone. My intuition tells me the truth.

And then you confronted him about it?
Um, yes, I did. And then it was over.

And then you wrote a song about it!
And then I wrote a bunch of songs about it on my record which is out August 11.

Are you friendly with this person now?
No, I’m not. I don’t speak to this person anymore.

Is it true that you’re a Nickelback fan?
I am the biggest Nickelback fan in the whole world!

Really?? Are you aware of Nickelback’s status as kind of a punch line? There’s a lot of haters out there.
There definitely are, but they’ve sold, like, over 10 million albums, so I don’t think they care.

If you could kill somebody and get away with it who would it be?
Well, I would have killed Hitler, but he’s already dead. That’s my answer.

That’s very honorable of you. As a Jewish man, I thank you.
No problem, Jewish man.


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