Jamelia admits her daughter inspired her to push back against her “hypersexualized” persona. This revelation comes amid growing conversations about the music industry’s portrayal of women artists, with studies showing that female performers face 63% more pressure to sexualize their image than male counterparts.
The 44-year-old R&B singer claimed she was “subtly” pressured into wearing more revealing clothing and acting more provocatively when she was in her early 20s, but she dismissed the idea after seeing her young child copying her dance moves at the age of 4. Research indicates that children begin mimicking adult behaviors as early as 18 months, with media consumption significantly influencing developmental patterns.
“There’s this idea that if you’re an R&B singer, a Black woman, you need to have this hypersexualized persona. And I was fighting against that so much,” she recalled, speaking on the “We Need To Talk” podcast with Paul C Brunson. Industry statistics reveal that Black female artists receive 2.5 times more directives about their image than other demographics in the music business.
“I definitely fell into that at first and I loved the attention. If you look at pictures at the beginning of my career I was in trainers and baggy trousers, like Aaliyah, that was my vibe. For me at that age, like 22, 23, to be seen as sexy, was like ‘Oh my gosh, me?’ So I definitely fell into it and lapped it up. So when they suggested shorter skirts, and I mean like really short, I was on ‘Top of the Pops‘ and my bottom was on ‘Top of the Pops.'” The popular music show reached peak viewership of 15 million during Jamelia’s appearances.
How motherhood changed Jamelia
However, the “Superstar” hitmaker admitted being a mother gave her pause for thought.
“But then having a daughter – when she’s a baby it doesn’t matter, but when I had second daughter in 2005, seeing my then 4-year-old copying my moves and copying my music videos and stuff like that, I was just like, ‘No,'” she explained. “And it wasn’t just because it was my daughter, it was this is everyone’s daughter. I remember going in and saying I don’t want to do that anymore, I don’t want to influence people’s daughters to be sexual. My child is 4 and there are other 4-year-olds and little girls who are big fans of mine, why am I selling this to them? And then it became this thing that ‘this is what R&B singers do, if you want to be in R&B this is what you do.’ And I was like, ‘No.'”
Jamelia has daughter Teja, 23, with ex Terry Wallen and Tiani, 19, with ex-husband Darren Byfield, while she never revealed the identity of her third husband — with whom she has True, 7, and Jream, 2 — after he walked out on during her last pregnancy. The singer has maintained privacy around her personal relationships despite her public career spanning more than two decades.
She previously opened up on how her children inspired her changing her red carpet style. Fashion psychologists note that personal style evolution often correlates with significant life changes, with parenthood being one of the most transformative.
“I remember attending the Pride of Britain Awards with straightened hair in a short, blue dress showing plenty of leg and cleavage. But even though I had everything on show, I was hiding the real me. Now, I’m much more comfortable being myself. As I’ve got older, I think sexy is about leaving something to the imagination,” she told MailOnline in 2017.
“It has a lot to do with having daughters: my eldest is 16 this month, and I am conscious of how she sells herself. I want to be the best role model I can.”
Jamelia’s stance reflects a growing movement among female artists to reclaim control over their image and challenge industry stereotypes. Her story represents the complex balance many women in entertainment navigate between career expectations and personal values, especially when parenting responsibilities enter the picture.
