With a blessed lack of dance moves and not a matching outfit in sight, Neon Jungle might just be the refreshing new girlband the pop world’s been after. Made up of Jess, 21, Amira, 17, Asami, 18 and Shereen, 17, the foursome have spent the last year in a whirlwind of promo, gigs and photoshoots. So, what’s it really like to spend a year climbing the ladder to fame? We called Neon Jungle’s Jess to find out what it’s like to hang out with Victoria’s Secret models and how one goes about stalking J Cole.**
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The Debrief: Hi Jess, what are you up to?
Jess Plummer: I’m just on the bus on my way to Bromley. I’m going pick up some face wash. Exciting stuff!
DB: Tell me about Neon Jungle. Are you the new Girls Aloud?
JP: We’re a girl group but I wouldn’t necessarily class us as that. We don’t do dance routines and have matching outfits and stuff. We’ve got a variation of music that people of loads of different ages can appreciate, not just one specific audience.
DB: Do you live in a house together like the Spice Girls?
JP: Yeah. I wanna say something really fun and exciting about it, but really it’s just for convenience.
DB: Boo. Must try harder ladies. How was performing at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show last year?
JP: We got the phone call one day saying that they were interested in having us and we were like, ‘Who, us? Are you sure?’ We’d been out for like a month when they contacted us so it was mental.
DB: How was it hanging around backstage with the models?
JP: I’m super tall for the music industry, I always feel like a giant because everyone else is really tiny. So I was like, ‘Yay! I’m not the tall one. I don’t need to bend out my hips to look like I’m the same size as everyone else!’
DB: Taylor Swift performed too – did you meet her?
JP: Considering no one had a clue who we were and obviously she’s Taylor Swift, it was really sweet that she took the time to come and like, be like, ‘Hi guys, how’s it going? You were really good.’ Her mum was really down to earth and cool. There was no status in the way that she was speaking to us.
DB: You got discovered walking down Brick Lane – would you recommend it as a good street to get famous on?
JP: It wasn’t quite that easy! Basically, I was approached by somebody who was doing the casting for the project, but then there was an audition process that lasted for about three months. I love music, but I never thought that it could be something I could do for a career. I couldn’t make the final audition, so I remember being gutted. But I also remember thinking that if it was meant to be, then it would have been. And then I got the phone call and it was mental.
DB: What if you weren’t on Brick Lane that day? What would you be doing instead?
JP: That’s so scary. Thank God, I was on Brick Lane that day! I reckon I’d be pursuing acting and just thinking about singing all the time.
DB: Have you fangirled inappropriately over any famous people you’ve met yet?
JP: I met J Cole. I wasn’t supposed to meet him. My PR works with him too and he knows that I have the fattest crush on him, and he was like, ‘I think I can get you backstage.’ And I was like, ‘Are you actually joking?’ My PR had a conversation with him for what felt like forEVER because I was just basking in the moment. All I wanted to do was get my phone and Instagram #killingwithjcole. I felt like such a third wheel. I think he’s incredibly talented and really good looking and really tall, and just like, OH MY GOD.
DB: Ha ha, but surely people are starting to recognise you now?
JP: If I’m on the street and people recognise me, I get called some weird things like ‘Neon Jess’. One time I actually got ‘Neon Underscore Jess’ which is my Twitter name, but that’s mental. Also, sometimes we meet fans and they cry. That’s SO strange to me because in my eyes I’m still the crazy little 14-year-old that’s like, ‘I‘m still you, how are you crying over me?!’
DB: And who was the popstar the 14-year-old you was crying over?
JP: I was obsessed with Jennifer Lopez. I love her. Look at her! She’s just killing it. Her hair, her body. I love what she's done with her career. I’d like to think that one day I will have a similar career path. The only thing is, though, I can’t really dance. I’ll have to work on that!
Follow Jess on Twitter @jess_commons
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.