Jessie Reyez: The Life Story Behind the R&B Star

Jessie Reyez sings like she has nothing to hide. Her voice is raw, her words are direct, and her songs talk about love, pain, and power in a way that feels completely honest. She does not smooth her feelings to make them pretty. She lets them come out rough and real, and that honesty has made her one of the most respected R&B singers of her generation. For many fans, hearing Jessie is like hearing a friend tell the truth after a long silence, and that truth is hard to forget.

She was born in Toronto to Colombian parents, and she grew up in Brampton, a city near Toronto where many families from different countries live side by side. As a girl she loved music, she sang at home, and she learned to play guitar. She did not come from a rich family, and she did not have an easy path into the music business. She had to work, to busk on the street, to teach herself, and to keep believing in her voice when no one else was listening. That hard start gave her songs a strength that a comfortable life could never give.

What makes her story worth telling is the way she turned pain into power. She wrote about a producer who hurt her, she wrote about love that broke her heart, and she wrote about being a Latina woman in a music world that often ignores women like her. She did not stay quiet. She spoke, she sang, and she helped other women to speak too. This is the story of a girl from Brampton who became a fearless voice for many people around the world.

A Girl From Toronto With Colombian Roots

Jessie Reyez was born on 12 June 1991 in Toronto, Ontario, and her parents came from Colombia. Her home was full of Spanish, of Colombian food and music, and of the stories of a family that had left one country to build a new life in another. That mix of cultures shaped her from the start. She grew up speaking English at school and hearing Spanish at home, and she learned that a person can belong to two worlds at once, even when those worlds feel very different from each other.

She grew up in Brampton, a city with many immigrant families, and she went to school there. As a child she was not quiet. She liked to sing, she liked to perform, and she liked to make people listen. She taught herself to play guitar, and she began to write songs about her own life. Those early songs were not polished, but they were true, and they helped her to understand her own feelings. A young girl who writes about her heart is already an artist, even if no one else knows it yet.

Her family did not have a lot of money, and Jessie learned early that she would have to work for what she wanted. She busked on the streets of Toronto, singing for people who passed by, and she learned how to hold a crowd with only a guitar and a voice. Busking is hard work. Some people stop, some people walk past, and some people drop a coin and keep going. A singer who busks learns to be brave, to keep singing even when no one is listening, and to trust that the next song might be the one that changes everything.

The Colombian roots in her life also gave her a strong sense of identity. She is proud of her heritage, and she has talked about the way Latino culture shaped her music, her language, and her view of the world. She sings in English, but her feeling, her rhythm, and her fire come from a home where Colombia was always present. That pride has helped her to stand out in a music world where many artists are asked to hide who they really are, and Jessie has always refused to hide.

Busking, Teaching Herself, and the First Songs

Before she was famous, Jessie Reyez spent time busking in Toronto and teaching herself how to be a better singer and writer. She did not go to a famous music school, and she did not have a rich family to pay for lessons. She learned by listening, by playing, by singing on the street, and by writing songs in her room. That self-taught path gave her a sound that was her own, because no teacher had told her how she should sound. She found her voice by using it, again and again, in front of strangers.

Busking also taught her how to read a crowd. A street singer has to learn in seconds whether a song is working, whether a person is moved, and whether a voice is strong enough to stop someone in their tracks. Jessie learned those lessons on cold days and on busy streets, and they stayed with her when she moved to bigger stages. She still sings like a person who knows that every listener matters, because on the street every listener did matter, and every coin in a guitar case was a sign that her music was reaching someone.

She also began to record her own songs and to share them online. The internet gave her a way to reach people beyond Toronto, and it gave her a way to show her work without waiting for a label. She posted songs, she made videos, and she let her voice speak for itself. Slowly, people began to share her music, and producers and writers began to notice her. It was not a sudden fame. It was a slow build, from the street to the screen to the studio, and each step made her stronger.

During this early period she also learned to write for other artists. She worked as a songwriter, and she helped to write songs that other singers would perform. That work taught her how to shape a song, how to write a clear chorus, and how to say a big feeling in a few simple words. Songwriting for others is a good school for any artist, because it teaches discipline, and Jessie took that discipline into her own records. When she finally sang her own songs, they were sharp, clear, and full of life.

Figures, Gatekeeper, and a Voice That Would Not Stay Quiet

In 2016 Jessie Reyez released Figures, a song that changed her life. Figures is a raw and painful song about a love that is not returned, about waiting for a call that never comes, and about the hurt of loving someone who does not love you back. The song was simple, with only a guitar and her voice, and it was honest in a way that many pop songs are not. People heard it, they felt it, and they shared it, because it sounded like a real heart breaking in real time.

The same year she released Gatekeeper, a song and a short film about a music producer who tried to use his power over a young singer. Gatekeeper was brave, because it talked about a problem that many women in music had faced but few had named in public. Jessie did not hide behind vague words. She told a clear story, and she made it clear that the problem was real. The song helped to start a wider conversation about power and safety in the music business, and it showed that Jessie was not only a singer. She was a voice for change.

These two songs together made her known around the world. Figures showed her heart, and Gatekeeper showed her courage, and together they showed a complete artist. She was not a singer who only sang about love. She was a singer who sang about life, about power, about pain, and about the right to be treated with respect. That combination is rare, and it made people listen carefully to everything she said next.

After Figures and Gatekeeper, she signed with a label and she began to work on her first EP. The attention was new, and it brought both chances and pressure. She had to learn how to work in a studio with other people, how to tour, and how to handle interviews, all while keeping her honest voice. She did that by staying close to her own story, by writing what she knew, and by refusing to let the music business change her into someone else. That refusal is at the heart of her career.

Kiddo, Being Human in Public, and Finding Her Place

In 2017 Jessie Reyez released her first EP, Kiddo, a short record that showed her range as a singer and writer. The EP included Figures and Gatekeeper, and it also included other songs that talked about love, anger, and the life of a young woman trying to find her way. Kiddo was praised for its honesty, and it proved that Jessie could make a complete record, not only a few strong songs. Fans liked the way the EP felt like a diary, with each song opening a new page in her life.

In 2018 she released Being Human in Public, another EP that went even deeper. The record included the song Imported, with the singer 6lack, a track about a love that crosses borders and about the pain of distance. It also included songs about family, about being a daughter, and about the pressure of being watched by the world. Being Human in Public was nominated for awards, and it won Jessie a Juno Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year in 2018. That award was a sign that Canada had noticed her, and it gave her a new level of respect in the music world.

These EPs showed that Jessie was not in a rush to make a long album. She was taking her time, releasing short records that were full of feeling, and letting each one teach her something new. That patience is important, because a young artist who rushes can lose the truth that made people love her. Jessie kept her truth, and she kept writing songs that felt like real life, even when real life was messy, sad, or angry. Her fans trusted her because they could hear that she was not pretending.

During this period she also worked with other big artists, writing songs and singing on tracks that reached new audiences. She worked with Calvin Harris, she wrote for other singers, and she began to be known as a writer as well as a singer. That work gave her more experience, more money, and more confidence, but it did not change her core. She was still the girl from Brampton who sang on the street, and she still wrote about her own heart first, before she wrote about anything else.

Before Love Came to Kill Us and the First Album

In 2020 Jessie Reyez released her first full album, Before Love Came to Kill Us. The album was a big step, because a full album asks a singer to tell a longer story, to keep a feeling across many songs, and to show that she can hold an audience for an hour. Jessie did that with a record about love, about loss, and about the way love can both save a person and hurt a person. The title itself was dramatic, and the songs matched that drama with raw and honest words.

The album included the song Love in the Dark, a track that became a favourite for fans who had loved someone in a hard time. It also included Coffin, a song with Eminem, which brought her to a wider audience and showed that she could stand next to one of the biggest rappers in the world and still sound like herself. Working with Eminem was a sign of how far she had come, from busking in Toronto to singing with a global star, and she handled that step with the same honesty she had always shown.

Before Love Came to Kill Us was praised by critics and by fans, and it proved that Jessie could make a long record without losing her voice. The songs were not all the same. Some were soft and sad, some were angry and strong, and some were tender and hopeful. That mix made the album feel like a real life, with many feelings in one story, and listeners could find their own story in her songs. It was a record that people played again and again, because it spoke to their own hearts.

After the album, she toured and she played festivals, and she met fans who knew every word of her songs. Touring a first album is a test for any singer, because it asks her to sing the same songs night after night and still make them feel true. Jessie passed that test, because she sang with the same fire she had on the street, and the crowd could feel that fire. She was no longer a new artist. She was a singer with a real album, a real audience, and a real place in R&B music.

Yessie, Paid in Memories, and a Career That Keeps Growing

In 2022 Jessie Reyez released Yessie, her second album, a record that showed a new side of her music. Yessie was bolder, more playful, and more confident, and it included songs that talked about joy, about dancing, about love that feels good, and about a woman who knows her own worth. The album showed that Jessie was not only a singer of sad songs. She could also make music that felt free, strong, and fun, and that freedom was a sign of growth.

Yessie was praised for its energy and its honesty, and it gave fans new songs to love. It also showed that Jessie was still experimenting, still trying new sounds, and still willing to take risks. A singer who only repeats her first hit can become boring, but Jessie kept moving, and her audience moved with her. That willingness to change is one of the reasons her career has lasted, because she is not afraid to try a new sound when her heart tells her to.

In 2025 she released Paid in Memories, another album that continued her story. The record talked about the past, about the price of fame, about love, and about the memories that shape a life. It showed a more mature Jessie, a woman who had lived through a lot and who was ready to tell the truth about it. Fans liked the way the album felt like a conversation with a friend who had grown up, and critics praised its honest writing and its strong voice.

These later albums show a career that is still growing. Jessie is not a singer who had one hit and then disappeared. She is a singer who keeps writing, keeps touring, and keeps finding new ways to say what she feels. She has worked with many artists, she has won awards, and she has built a loyal audience around the world. Her story is still being written, and each new album adds a new chapter to a life that began on the streets of Toronto.

A Fearless Voice for Women and for Latinas

Jessie Reyez is known for speaking openly about the problems women face in music. Gatekeeper was only the start. She has talked in interviews about power, about respect, and about the need for women to be safe in studios and on tours. She has said that she wants young women to know that they can say no, that they can speak up, and that their voice matters. That message has helped many young singers, and it has made Jessie a role model for women who want to work in music.

She is also a proud Latina voice in a music world where Latino artists are often asked to fit into a narrow box. Jessie does not fit into a box. She sings in English, she talks about her Colombian roots, and she shows that a Latina singer can be many things at once: strong, soft, angry, joyful, and honest. That example matters for young Latinas who want to make music, because it shows them that they do not have to hide who they are to be heard.

Her influence can be seen in the way many young R&B singers now write with more honesty. They talk about real feelings, they talk about real problems, and they do not try to make their pain sound pretty. Jessie helped to open that door, and she did it by being brave first. A singer who speaks first makes it easier for others to speak, and Jessie has done that again and again, in her songs and in her interviews.

Today her place in music is secure. She has a loyal audience, she has awards, she has albums that people still play, and she has a reputation for truth. She began as a girl busking in Toronto, and she became a voice that the world listens to when she speaks. That journey, from the street to the stage to the wider world, is the heart of her story, and it is why her music still feels urgent and alive.

The Voice, the Stage, and the Crowd That Listens

One of the clearest things about Jessie Reyez is the way her voice sounds live. It is not a polished pop voice that hides every crack. It is a raw voice, with breaks and breaths and a roughness that makes the words feel real. When she sings live, the crowd can hear the effort, the pain, and the joy in her voice, and that makes the show feel honest. A fan who has heard her on a record will hear something even stronger on stage, because the voice is not smoothed by a studio. It is a living voice, and it changes with the night, with the room, and with the feeling of the moment.

Her stage presence is also part of her power. She does not hide behind dancers or big effects. She stands with a microphone, she looks at the crowd, and she sings as if she is talking to each person in the room. That direct style can be hard, because it leaves nowhere to hide, but Jessie likes that honesty. She wants the crowd to see her, to hear her, and to feel what she feels. That closeness builds a strong bond, and it is why her fans are so loyal. They do not only like her songs. They feel as if they know her.

She has also used her platform to talk about mental health, about love, and about the hard parts of life. She does not pretend that fame makes life easy. She talks about anxiety, about sadness, and about the pressure of being watched, and she does it in a way that helps fans feel less alone. That openness is a gift, because many young people struggle with the same feelings and think they are the only ones. When a singer they love says the same thing, they feel understood, and that understanding can help them to keep going.

My Take:

I think Jessie Reyez is one of the bravest singers of her time, and I say that because bravery in music is not only about a loud voice. It is about telling the truth when the truth is hard, and Jessie does that in almost every song she writes. When I hear Figures, I do not hear a singer trying to sound pretty. I hear a woman who is hurt, who is waiting, and who is honest about that hurt. That honesty is rare, and it is why her songs stay with me long after they end.

I admire the way she started. She busked on the street, she taught herself guitar, and she built a career without a rich family or a famous school. That path is hard, and many people would have given up. Jessie did not give up. She kept singing, she kept writing, and she kept believing that her voice mattered. I think that is a lesson for anyone who has a dream and no clear road to it: start where you are, use what you have, and keep going, even when no one is listening yet.

What I like most about Gatekeeper is that it did more than make a good song. It started a conversation. Many women in music had faced the same problem, but few had named it so clearly in a song. Jessie named it, and she made it impossible to ignore. That takes courage, because speaking about power can bring trouble, and it can make people uncomfortable. But a singer who speaks the truth helps others to speak too, and that is a gift that goes far beyond music.

I also think about her Colombian roots, and how proud she is of them. She does not hide her heritage, and she does not let anyone tell her to be less Latina to be more popular. That pride matters, because many young Latinas look for a singer who looks like them, who talks like them, and who understands their life. Jessie is that singer for many people, and she carries that role with strength and with warmth. She shows that identity is not a limit. It is a power.

There is a part of her story that makes me think about love, and how she writes about it without making it simple. Her songs about love are not only about happy endings. They are about waiting, about being ignored, about loving someone who does not love you back, and about the pain that comes with that. That is real love, and it is the love that many people actually live. I respect a writer who tells the truth about love, even when that truth is sad, because it helps listeners feel less alone in their own pain.

I also respect the way she has grown as an artist. Kiddo and Being Human in Public were short and raw, and they showed a young singer finding her voice. Before Love Came to Kill Us was longer and deeper, and it showed a singer who could hold a whole album together. Yessie was bolder and more joyful, and it showed a woman who was learning to enjoy her own power. Each record is a new chapter, and each chapter feels true to the time when it was written. That growth is a sign of a real artist, not a singer who repeats one hit forever.

For a young listener, I think the lesson is to speak up. If something is wrong, say it. If you are hurt, write about it. If you are proud of who you are, show it. Jessie did all of those things, and her career grew because of them, not in spite of them. That is an important lesson, because many young people are told to stay quiet, to be polite, and to wait their turn. Jessie did not wait. She sang, and the world listened, and that is a powerful example.

I do wonder sometimes if her honesty can be hard for her, because a singer who writes so openly about pain must live with that pain in public. Every interview, every show, every fan who asks about a sad song brings the feeling back. That is a heavy price to pay for art, and I respect her for paying it. She does not hide her feelings to protect herself. She shares them to help others, and that generosity is a kind of strength that many people do not see.

When I think about her work with Eminem on Coffin, I see how far she has come. She started on a street in Toronto, and she ended up singing with one of the biggest rappers in the world, and she still sounded like herself. That is not easy. Many singers lose themselves when they work with a big star. Jessie did not lose herself. She brought her own voice to the song, and the song was better because of it. That tells me that her voice is strong, and that she knows who she is.

I also think about her Juno Award, and what it means for a Canadian singer. A Juno is a sign that your own country sees you, and it is a proud moment for any artist. Jessie won Breakthrough Artist, and she did it by being herself, not by copying a popular sound. That win must have felt like a reward for all the years of busking, writing, and waiting. I am glad she got that recognition, because it shows that honesty can win, even in a business that often rewards imitation.

In the end, I see Jessie Reyez as a singer who turned a hard start into a strong voice, and a painful story into a song that helps others. She turned her Colombian roots into pride, her busking days into strength, and her pain into power. She is not a singer who makes music to please everyone. She makes music to tell the truth, and the people who need that truth find her, again and again. I hope she keeps singing, keeps writing, and keeps speaking, because the world needs more voices like hers.

One more thought stays with me. When I hear her music, I think of a woman standing on a small stage in a smoky room, singing into a microphone with all her heart, while a crowd listens in silence. That image is simple, but it is also the heart of her work. She does not need a big show to be powerful. She needs only a song, a voice, and the courage to tell the truth, and she has all three, in abundance, every time she sings.

I also keep thinking about the way her songs age, and how they will still matter in ten years. A song about waiting for a call, about loving someone who does not love you back, about standing up to a powerful man, those are not songs for one year. They are songs for any year, for any person who has felt the same pain. Jessie wrote them for herself, but she also wrote them for all of us, and that is why they will last. A true song does not grow old. It grows deeper, and her songs are already deep.

Finally, I want to say that her story gives hope to young women who feel small, who feel ignored, or who feel that the music world is not for them. Jessie was small once, she was ignored once, and she was told in many ways that her voice did not fit. She kept singing anyway, and now the world listens. That is a hopeful story, and it is one that I will remember. If a girl from Brampton can do that, then many other girls can do it too, and Jessie has shown them the way with her voice, her courage, and her truth.

I also think about how her music will be remembered, and I believe it will be remembered for its truth. Many pop songs are made to be forgotten, to be played for a summer and then replaced. Jessie’s songs are made to be kept, to be played when a person is sad, when a person is angry, and when a person needs to feel strong. That is a different kind of music, and it is a kind that lasts. I think people will still be listening to Figures in ten years, and they will still find their own story in it.

Another thought that stays with me is about her work as a songwriter for others. Writing for another singer takes a different skill, because you have to understand their voice, their story, and their feeling. Jessie has done that well, and it shows that she is not only a performer. She is a writer who can step into another person’s life and find the right words. That skill is rare, and it makes her a complete artist, not only a star with a good voice.

I also want to note how she handles success. She has won awards, she has worked with big stars, and she has played big stages, but she still talks about her life in a simple and honest way. She does not act as if she is above her fans, and she does not pretend that fame has made her perfect. She stays close to her roots, she stays close to her family, and she stays close to the truth. That grounded way of living is a good model for any young artist who wants a long career.

When I look at her whole story, I see a woman who refused to be quiet, who refused to be small, and who refused to let anyone else tell her story for her. She told her own story, in her own voice, with her own words, and the world listened. That is a powerful lesson, and it is one that I will keep. A voice that tells the truth is a voice that can change a life, and Jessie Reyez has changed many lives with hers.

I also think about the way her songs help people who are learning English or Spanish, or who live between two languages. Jessie sings in English, but her feeling crosses language, and a listener who does not speak every word can still feel the pain and the power in her voice. That is a gift of music, and it is one that Jessie uses well. Her voice speaks in a language that goes beyond words, and that is why her songs travel to many countries.

Finally, I want to remember her as a singer who made the music business a little more honest. She spoke when others were quiet, she sang when others were afraid, and she showed that a young woman from Brampton could change a conversation. That change is not small. It is a real legacy, and it will outlast any single album. I hope young singers remember her courage, and I hope they find their own courage in her songs.

I will keep listening to Jessie Reyez, not only for her voice, but for her courage. Her songs remind me that a person can be hurt and still be strong, that a person can be angry and still be kind, and that a person can tell the truth and still be loved. Those are lessons that go beyond music, and they are lessons that I need to hear again and again. Jessie sings them with a voice that is raw and real, and I am thankful for that voice.

Her voice will stay with me, because it is a voice that tells the truth, and truth is rare. I hope she keeps singing it for many years, for herself and for all the people who need to hear it.

Her voice will stay with me, because it is a voice that tells the truth, and truth is rare. I hope she keeps singing it for many years, for herself and for all the people who need to hear it, and I hope young singers learn from her courage.

When I hear Jessie Reyez on a quiet night, I think about how her voice carries courage in a way that few singers can match, and I think about how much the world needs that courage. Her songs do not hide from pain, they face it with honesty, and that is why they still help listeners who are learning to speak up for themselves.

I will keep Jessie Reyez’s records close, because they remind me that a brave voice can change a conversation, and that a song about truth can help a person who has been hurt to feel strong again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where was Jessie Reyez born and where did she grow up?

Jessie Reyez was born on 12 June 1991 in Toronto, Ontario, to Colombian parents, and she grew up in Brampton. She taught herself guitar, busked on the streets of Toronto, and began writing songs about her own life while she was still young.

What song made Jessie Reyez famous?

Figures, released in 2016, is the song that made her widely known. It is a raw song about unreturned love, and it was shared by many listeners who felt the same pain. Gatekeeper, released the same year, also brought her wide attention for its brave story.

What is Gatekeeper about?

Gatekeeper is a song and short film about a music producer who tried to use his power over a young singer. Jessie wrote it to name a real problem many women face in music, and it helped to start a wider conversation about safety and respect in the industry.

What are Jessie Reyez’s albums?

Her first album was Before Love Came to Kill Us in 2020, followed by Yessie in 2022 and Paid in Memories in 2025. Before those albums she released the EPs Kiddo in 2017 and Being Human in Public in 2018.

Who has Jessie Reyez worked with?

She has worked with Eminem on Coffin, with 6lack on Imported, and with Calvin Harris and other artists as a singer and songwriter. She has also written songs for other singers, which helped her to learn her craft.

Is Jessie Reyez still making music today?

Yes, she is still making music and touring. After Yessie and Paid in Memories, she continues to write, record, and perform, and she remains known for her honest songs and her fearless voice.