Jessie Reyez

Jessie Reyez – Life, Career, and Artistic Voice

Delve into the biography, musical journey, and memorable quotes of Canadian singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez. Discover how her Colombian roots, raw lyricism, and fearless authenticity shape her legacy in modern R&B and pop.

Introduction

Jessie Reyez (born June 13, 1991) is a Canadian singer-songwriter known for her emotionally intense vocal delivery, candid lyricism, and a body of music that bridges R&B, soul, hip hop, and pop. Her artistry is rooted in vulnerability, survival, and identity. Rising from grassroots beginnings in Toronto, Reyez has grown into a voice of resilience and honest storytelling in contemporary music.

Early Life and Roots

Jessie Reyez was born Jessica Reyez in Toronto, Ontario, to Colombian immigrant parents.

Her family later moved to Brampton (a Toronto-area suburb), and during her youth Reyez balanced ordinary life with a growing creative urge.

Career Breakthrough

Early Steps & “Kiddo” Era

Around 2014, Reyez began to release music independently. She collaborated with Toronto-based artists and released singles like “Living in the Sky” and “It Hurts (Selena).” “Figures” premiered on Beats 1, and its video captured widespread attention.

That same year, she released her debut EP Kiddo, and created a short film Gatekeeper to call out exploitation and sexism in the music industry, drawing from her personal experience. Kiddo garnered acclaim and led to four nominations at the 2018 Juno Awards, where Reyez won Breakthrough Artist.

Growing Recognition & Being Human in Public

In 2018, Reyez released her second EP, Being Human in Public. The work deepened her thematic concerns: mental health, love, hurt, identity, and public vulnerability.

She also collaborated with Eminem on tracks “Nice Guy” and “Good Guy,” both featured on his album Kamikaze.

Studio Albums & Recent Works

Her debut full-length studio album, Before Love Came to Kill Us, was released on March 27, 2020.

In 2022, she released her second studio album, Yessie, recorded during a period of personal growth and introspection.

In 2025, Reyez released Paid in Memories, an album reflecting on memory, growth, and clarity, influenced in part by her journey into sobriety.

Style, Themes & Voice

Jessie Reyez’s artistry is marked by:

• Emotional candor: Her lyrics often convey pain, heartbreak, longing, healing, and resilience.

• Bilingual expression: She switches between English and Spanish, depending on emotional weight and connection.

• Genre fluidity: Her music blends R&B, soul, hip hop, pop, and Latin influences.

• Vocal rawness: She often uses rough edges, imperfection, crack, and dynamic shifts to convey authenticity.

• Autobiographical storytelling: Many songs draw directly from her life and relationships. As she once said, “The stories in the songs come from my real life.”

Her perspective as a child of immigrants, her bilingual upbringing, and her personal struggles with identity, mental health, and relationships deeply inform her work.

Legacy and Influence

Jessie Reyez stands as a voice for those often marginalized in mainstream music: women, people of color, immigrants, and those processing trauma. Her openness about her struggles has resonated with many fans.

She has helped expand what vulnerability and emotional frankness can mean in popular music today. Her influence is seen in other artists feeling freer to mix genres, languages, and confessional lyricism.

Her success at a relatively young age, combined with critical recognition (Junos, Grammy nods), also shows a model for how independent, emotionally rich music can find mainstream reach.

Memorable Quotes By Jessie Reyez

Here are some standout quotes that reflect her voice and philosophy:

• “Everything that happened to me was good for me because it taught me how to survive.”

• “The stories in the songs come from my real life.”

• “Authenticity is hella important.”

• “I’m sensitive. I’m proud of being sensitive. I’m proud of being empathetic.”

• “I feel like truth resonates, and you can taste when something is synthetic.”

• “I want to be remembered for doing something bigger than myself and making a positive impact on the world.”

• “I know I’m grown, but there’s a part of me who will eternally be six years old.”

Lessons from Jessie Reyez

1. Use vulnerability as strength
   Reyez shows us that sharing one’s emotional depths can forge deeper connections with listeners.

2. Embrace identity and roots
   Her bilingual and bicultural voice demonstrates that heritage can enrich artistic expression rather than constrain it.

3. Let art evolve with you
   Across EPs and albums, Reyez’s work matures in tone, scope, and clarity. Her evolution underscores that growth need not abandon one’s core voice.

4. Speak your truth, even when it’s hard
   From Gatekeeper to her songs about heartbreak and recovery, she doesn’t shy from difficult subject matter.

5. Create with intention
   Her songwriting often feels like excavation—she chips away to find something real, not just surface gloss.

Conclusion

Jessie Reyez is a dynamic, deeply emotional, and bold artist whose music resonates because of its raw honesty and emotional courage. From her early days writing songs by guitar to releasing major albums that explore memory, heartbreak, healing, and identity, she has built a unique space in modern music.