Temperatures may be frigid around most of the country, but Jordin Sparks is on fire! The American Idol season 6 winner has been heating up the gossip scene after a high-profile breakup with pop star Jason Derulo. But her candid feelings about HWSNLBN (“He Who Shall No Longer Be Named”) and some shedding of her good girl image have also caused an inferno as they’ve played out on wax with her Salaam Remi-produced #ByeFelicia mixtape.
So the stage was set for Sparks to spill much about her personal and professional lives during her #JordinGetsIntimate special for BET.com, facilitated by Power 105.1’s Angela Yee of The Breakfast Club and filmed Wednesday, January 14th at New York City’s Goldbar. And the Speezies (the name for her longest, most devoted, dedicated, die-hard fans) were out in force, some proudly boasting the number of hours they traveled to see the Phoenix native during the taping. Obviously, the energy was up, and all eyes and ears were on Jordin, whose last release was 2009’s Battlefield and last major project was the Whitney Houston-starring film, Sparkle.
Taking that opportunity up, Ms. Sparks quickly got candid about the breakup. She shared what she described as the out-of-nowhere demise of the relationship, how she wishes nothing but the best for him in his future endeavors and what the next man will and won’t get from her. But those details are better left to the gossip sites.
As the intimate conversation continued, Jordin opened up about how her music was affected by things ending with her ex-beau and also recently turning 25 — an age that’s given her years to experience things she only sung about in the past, such as love and dancing all night at the club. Turning this way and that to address the audience in the near-throne-like chair, Sparks says #ByeFelicia tracks like “Double Tap” with 2 Chainz took her outside her carefully crafted pop box, especially given that it’s a song that, she said, would be more likely to come from some of her peers. She also talked about the personal meaning to the track “11:11” and expressed pride for “It Ain’t You,” her response to “female-dissing” songs such as “No Air” collaborator Chris Brown’s “Loyal.”
Still, Sparks gushed about Brown and how she’d love to team up with him again on a song. After all, “No Air” did get a GRAMMY nod for the pair, who were both 17 when it was recorded. So much has changed since then.
As the evening winded down, one fan called Sparks — who revealed she’s lost 55 pounds since appearing on Idol — her fitness inspiration. The young woman had baked a platter of mini gluten-free cupcakes, collectively frosted with icing spelling out Jordin’s name. An overwhelmed Sparks thanked the fan and then the pair took pictures with the pastries. Unfortunately, the cupcakes decided not stick around and slid off their tray … frosting first to the ground. Horrified, Sparks apologized profusely, though the fan seemed OK with being cemented into a memorable experience with the faux pas.
- Advertisement -Jordin’s next album — Right Here, Right Now, set for a spring release — seems to be building solid buzz, and consensus was that her blunt responses and openness about her breakup with Derulo are welcome in the PR-controlled world of music.
Perhaps she’s being naïve and she’ll regret sharing the intimate details on or off her records— or maybe she’s just growing in front of an audience of millions, reminding us that pop stars, no matter their roots, still have a bit of humanity.
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