Jessie J v Paramore Pop Slam!

Two of the biggest pop stars in the universe

are about to go into battle -

pop diva Jessie J

against the punk pair of Paramore.

There can only be one winner, so stay right here.

I'm Amberley Lobo and this is Pop Slam!

Going head-to-head, we've got...

# Ow! It's my party... #

Jessie J.

# Do what I want Do, do what I want. #

She's one of the UK's biggest female solo singers.

She's had a string of smashing singles,

including number ones Price Tag and Domino.

But how will she fare against...?

Paramore!

They are the pop punkers from America fronted by the feisty

red-headed Hayley Williams.

They are one of the biggest bands in the world and know how to rock.

It's going to be one epic Pop Slam, so who's team are you on,

Team Jessie or Team Paramore?

I'm going to be delving into the lives of these megastars to see

who has what it takes to win the ultimate prize in pop - the Ambo.

There is only one way to win the Ambo,

and that's by getting as many of my Ambo points as possible.

I'll be dishing them out over three slamming rounds of pop-osity,

where I meet the people who knew the stars back in the day,

then I check out how hard they've been working

and finally I scrutinise their style.

All before the big moment.

The winner of the Ambo is...

You may not agree with the outcome.

And if not,

go onto the CBBC website

and have your say.

But seriously, who do you think is going to win?

I mean, Jessie J has amazing fashion

and Hayley from Paramore has great hair.

And they can both sing.

I really don't know.

But there's only one way to find out, it's time for Pop Slam!

Round One - Pop Potential.

This is all about how our stars made it.

# You make my head shake

# I watch the glass break... #

She may be a massive superstar nowadays,

but back when Jessie J was just a gal called Jessica Cornish,

she was right here, in Seven Kings, in Essex.

# You treat me just like... #

And way before Paramore was selling out stadiums all over the world,

Hayley Williams and three of her friends were kicking back

right here, in Franklin, Tennessee.

So, how did Paramore and Jessie J become the megastars they are today?

I'm going to find out. First up...

# Like a shot of pure gold... #

..Jessie J.

# I think I'm about to explode. #

This is the actual street that young Jessica grew up on,

and this is the very house in which she lived.

Now, I know it might just seem like a normal street in Essex,

but this is the street that put Jessica Cornish on the road

to becoming Jessie J.

This is how Jessica made it big.

# Oh-oh-oh-oh

# Rock my world until the sunlight... #

Jessie J first hit the charts in 2010 when she was 22 years old.

# Dancing in the moonlight. #

But it was 18 years earlier

when she started her showbiz journey.

When Jessica was just four years old, she joined the Wenn Stage

School, which luckily for her, was just at the end of her street.

Handy!

These are the actual steps that Jessica would have

walked to the place that taught her how to be a pop star.

# Down like I'm a domino. #

OK, Jessica might not have walked quite like that,

but she did come here

three to four nights a week to do lessons in drama, singing and dance.

And I'm going to check it out.

# Take me down like I'm a domino. #

You're not going to believe this, but this is the actual room where

Jessica first started to learn how to sing and perform.

Hee-yah!

Take it away, Jessica.

# I can show you the world... #

Hello! Who's that playing Aladdin?

It's only Jessica during a Wenn Stage School performance.

So, while I was hanging out at the school, I caught up with Ian,

who actually used to teach her back in the day.

-AMBERLEY SINGS:

-# I can show you the world...

# Shining, shimmering, splendid... #

Eh? Eh? Who am I? Who am I?

Jessica?

Oh! Exactly! I'm Jessie J.

Now, Ian, you're obviously the director of this place.

Can you tell me anything about Jessie?

What was she like back in the day?

She was cheeky, bubbly, lippy.

Just your average sort of run-of-the-mill kid, really.

Did she have any super embarrassing moments when she was on stage?

Uh... She was playing Brat in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Whistle Down The Wind

in the West End.

She turned her back to the audience and got, unfortunately,

too close to the orchestra pit

and fell into the pit.

-Was she OK?

-She was.

She did have to go to hospital just to be checked out.

-What about the instruments, were they OK?

-Well, no.

Unfortunately, the second violinist didn't fare so well -

his bow went through his hand.

-No, it didn't!

-It did.

-Oh, no way!

-That must have hurt!

-I'm sure it did, yes.

-Did the show go on?

-It did after quite a break.

And how do you feel knowing that one of your students is just out

there and is a worldwide celebrity?

I think really we're just immensely proud of her.

Despite the odd accident, Jessica was riding high on stage.

That's three Ambo points for getting an early start.

However, offstage, life at her primary school wasn't so fun,

as she often got picked on.

# Mummy, they call me names They wouldn't let me play

# I'd run home, sit and cry Almost every day... #

But it was Jessica who had the last laugh,

as the experience inspired this awesome pop song.

# Oh, so you think you know me now. #

Here's two Ambo points for not letting anyone

get in the way of your dream.

# I'm still rising I'm still rising

# Yeah! So make your jokes, go for broke

# Blow your smoke You're not alone

# But who's laughing now?

# But who's laughing now? #

Jessica was finally on her way to super stardom.

And when she was 15, her talents won her an award on a TV show

that would change her life forever.

The year's best young pop singer, Jessica Cornish.

# Ooooh

# Yes

# You can reach me by railway... #

To win a competition like that is an incredible achievement.

And it just made her think, I can do anything.

Maybe this is going to be my future.

# With your mind... #

Being a brilliant prodigy is awesome work.

Take three Ambo points.

And after that, there was no looking back for Jessica.

# Everybody look to their left

# Everybody look to their right

# Can you feel that, yeah?

# We're playing with love tonight... #

We all know that Jessica made it.

But it took five years of hard work before she landed

her first record deal.

And then she took the UK by storm.

# Forget about the price tag... #

And it was this song...

-SHE SINGS:

-Cha-ching, cha-ching!

..that got to the top of the charts...

-SHE SINGS:

-Ba-bling, ba-bling!

..in 19 countries. Which is like 19 countries.

# It's not about the money, money, money

# We don't need your money, money, money... #

Jessica Cornish had finally become Jessie J.

That's two bling, ba-bling

Ambo points for making it.

It's an excellent start for our Jessie.

Meanwhile, 4,000 miles away, four kids from Tennessee

were about to become one of the biggest bands in the world.

-SHE SINGS:

-Paramore!

MUSIC: "Crush" by Paramore

-# Crush, crush, crush

-1, 2, 3, 4

# Nothing compares to... #

Paramore are the band who brought punk to pop.

# I was just counting on... #

If you think they might be too rocked out for you then

stick around, cos these guys have one amazing story.

And it all starts here in the sleepy town of Franklin, Tennessee.

With an unassuming teenager called Hayley Williams.

# If you want to play it like a game

# Well, come on, come on, let's play... #

It's here where she met three guys who together became

one of the biggest rock groups in the world.

This is how Paramore turned into global megastars.

# Nothing compares to

# A quiet evening alone

# Just the one-two

# I was just counting on

# That never happens... #

I bet you're probably wondering, how did Paramore get together?

Well, step one...

Hayley replied to an ad looking for a singer in a band called

The Factory, that's where she met the bassist, Jeremy.

Step two...

She came here at the weekends, to Franklin Classical School,

and that's where she met Josh and Zac, and Paramore was formed,

thank you very much. I'll be here all day.

MUSIC: "That's What You Get" by Paramore

So, Paramore had formed! Yay!

The next step happened was to start gigging.

And where better to begin that The End. Right here in Nashville.

# Oh-oh

# That's what you get when you let your heart win... #

The End is Nashville's premier rock venue.

And Paramore played here when Hayley was only 15 years old.

And I'm meeting the band's friend, Randall,

who was here at the very first gig.

Paint a picture for us, cos it was right here on this stage.

What was it like? Was it packed with people?

It was, yeah. It was wall to wall.

There was no sitting room or anything.

It was really high energy kind of stuff.

# That's what you get when you let your heart win... #

Do you think Paramore has changed much?

I don't think so, no.

It's interesting to see them world famous,

but every time I see Hayley she still runs up to me and hugs me.

Nothing's really changed.

Aw, well, Hayley can't be here now to give you a big hug.

But thank you seriously so much for the chat.

Gigging with the big boys at 15,

that's two brave Ambo points for getting your music heard.

And it wasn't long before Paramore had a record deal.

MUSIC: "Pressure" by Paramore

This is Paramore's first ever video.

And it was released when Hayley was just 16, in 2005.

Have two more Ambo points

for making vids at such a young age.

But success didn't come easy.

So they had to hit the road and go on tour.

And they didn't just do any old tour.

They did the hardcore punk festival that is the Warped Tour.

And drummer Zac was just 15 at the time.

For Paramore to be going on tour when they were 15 is absolutely crazy.

# You would've never known...

I can imagine that being a bit of a nightmare, having to gig at age 15.

Because I think it would seem fun at first but, to be fair,

you want your mum's cooking, really, don't you?

That's four punk rock Ambo points

for braving it on the road

on the Warped Tour.

With their music being released

and wowing audiences around the US, Paramore hit the big time, right?

Well, not quite. Despite having heaps of fans,

Paramore's first single from the album didn't even make the charts.

Awkward! But they didn't give up, obviously.

And it was their second album, Riot, which made them

big superstars in the US, UK and the best country of all, Australia.

Two albums and worldwide success

when Hayley was just 18 years old.

Three more Ambo points for global domination, guys.

Let's have a look at the scores.

It's a close one,

but Paramore's daring punk tour at

the age of 15 has put them

one Ambo point ahead.

Jessie J will have to pull out all

the stops in the next round.

If you're on Team Jessie and you're not happy,

get on to the CBBC website and have your say.

Round Two - Pop Success.

This is all about how hard these guys have been working to

stay at the top of the charts.

First up, JJ.

It's pretty obvious that our Jessie is a talented little scamp.

Not only does she have an amazing voice,

but she's also written all the songs on both of her albums.

Wow.

Not only that, but what you might not know is that she also

writes for other artists, including this gem of a pop track.

-SHE SINGS:

-# And the Jay Z song was on...

# And the Jay Z song was on

# So I put my hands up They're playing my song

# The butterflies fly away... #

Take three Ambo points for some awesome song-writing action, Jessie.

Like Jessie J, Hayley loves writing songs.

She's written the lyrics to every song on every Paramore record,

which is like 50 songs!

In fact, she likes writing so much that she wrote the lyrics to

Fences on their second album during an exam.

That's a bit naughty. This girl!

MUSIC: "Fences" by Paramore

I'm going to give you three Ambo

points for some writing creativity

but I'm going to take off two

for not concentrating in your exam.

Tut-tut.

It's not just Paramore's writing skills that set them apart.

As any true fan will tell you, the best thing about them is their gigs.

We are Paramore!

With a band like Paramore, it sounds great on record

but it sounds phenomenal when you see it live.

I actually went to see Paramore in concert when I was about 13.

I was dancing to all the music. I got the T-shirt.

I'm a massive fan of Paramore. I love them. Very, very special.

Paramore play arenas all over the world.

But even that's not enough for them.

In March 2014, they created their own floating

festival on a Caribbean cruise ship called Parahoy.

That's three Ambo points for putting in the gigging hours

and conquering land and sea.

But hold up!

They're not the only ones who aren't afraid to get up onstage.

And for Jessie, it proved to be a bit of a hazard.

In 2011, she seriously hurt her ankle

when rehearsing for one of her gigs.

Now, I wasn't there,

but I'm pretty sure I can imagine how this went down.

-AMBERLEY SINGS:

-# It's not about the money, money, money

# We don't need your money, money, money

# We just wanna make the world dance... #

Dance with me! Oops. Whoa! Ah! Oooh!

Oh, guys, I've hurt my ankle. I think it's broken.

Talent down. My career is over.

Or was it?

CHEERING

I made it!

That's right, your eyes aren't deceiving you.

That's Jessie J performing onstage with a broken ankle.

She could barely stand

and did every gig sat on a throne with her leg in plaster.

Yeah, unbelievable. I know.

MUSIC: "Mamma Knows Best" by Jessie J

Most people, if they hurt themselves, they'd probably try

and use that as an excuse not to have to go to work or school.

But Jessie J continued to perform.

So she almost turned this leg cast into part of her outfit.

# Something going down... #

That just really shows something about her work ethic.

Because nothing was going to get in her way.

She wasn't going to let any of her fans down.

And she had a schedule and she was going to stick to it.

One leg or two legs.

Now, that is dedication to the pop cause.

Five Ambo points to you, Jessie J.

# Take your stuff and roll

# Cos you're not... #

Once Jessie's plaster was off, nothing was stopping her.

And what came next was maybe her greatest achievement of all.

Performing in front of royalty at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

# I'm feeling sexy and free

# Like glitter's raining on me... #

Being asked to perform at the Diamond Jubilee really cemented

Jessie J's place in the pop world in the UK.

I do love a good royal connection.

Two regal Ambo points to you, Jessie.

And it's not just singing

that Jessie works so hard at.

In 2012, she was a coach on The Voice for two series.

Have another Ambo point

for some extra curricular activity.

Whilst Jessie's been on TV with Tom Jones, since Paramore have been

famous they've been working hard to get in touch with their fans.

For their second album, Paramore ran a competition where fans

could win a chance to sing on their record. Cue mass hysteria.

Amongst Paramore fans.

They entered lots and lots of videos online of themselves singing.

And the winner was Mary Bonney, from Virginia.

And we just so happen to be right outside her house.

# I've hoped for change and it gets better every day... #

This is Mary's winning entry video.

She didn't just get to sing on the album,

she also got to hang out with the band all day long.

And I'm going to get all the goss. So keen!

Mary!

# Whoa!

# Whoa!

# Whoa!

# Whoa! #

Mary, I'm not going to lie,

I'm devastated that I wasn't involved in this competition.

Tell me everything. How did it go down?

The best moment, I feel like, was when Hayley first walked in the room.

She walks in and she's really friendly. She's like, "Hey, Mary."

And the fact that she knew my name from the video...

She was like, "Oh, I loved your video. It was so funny."

I'm like, "You're great. You're amazing." She's so great.

# Haven't you people ever heard of... #

Mary was living the dream, and hanging out with

her favourite band before getting down to business

and singing on the song Born For This.

It was just like a couple of lines that we repeated back.

So it was me and my sister and all of them.

We're like yelling at these backing vocals. It was just... It was great.

# We were born for this

# We were born for this

# We were born for this

# We were born for this... #

When the CD came out,

if you look really closely in the liner, you can see...

Born For This - addition vocals - Mary Bonney.

And then my sister Kate Bonney. I'll always have that.

Wow, I've got to admit,

before this, I was a Paramore fan about this much.

-Now, I am just this big a Paramore fan.

-Awesome. Welcome to the club.

Paramore sure love their fans.

And have been working hard to give a little back.

Three Ambo points for some awesome fan love.

But how does all this work that Jessie

and Paramore have been doing affect their record sales?

Well, let's take a look-see.

# It's not about the money, money, money... #

No, it's not about the money,

but Jessie J has sold a whopping 6.4 million records in the UK.

Whereas Paramore have only sold 2.6 million records in Britain.

But have sold 13.8 million digital tracks in their home country.

That's two Ambo points to both artists.

That's Round Two over.

Let's check out the scores.

Both JJ and Paramore

are hard workers.

But Jessie's broken leg performances

have given her the edge.

Paramore has 20. Jessie J has 23.

It's all to play for

in the final round.

If you don't agree with me, then get onto the CBBC website

and get typing.

Round Three - Pop Style.

This is all about our celebrities' lives - clothes, cars,

pets or whatever else they splash their cash on.

Jessie and Paramore may be from totally different countries

and have totally different sounds, but there is no denying that

both Hayley and Jessie know how to stand out from a crowd.

# In the blink of an eye

# I was falling from the sky... #

Jessie J has a pretty strong style.

And to give us the lowdown, I'm going to talk to X Factor stylist,

Frank Strachan, who's actually styled Jessie himself in the past.

Jessie J loves to stand out a little bit.

Does that kind of help her, in terms of becoming a bigger pop star?

Oh, absolutely.

It's important, as a stylist, when you're dressing someone,

to make sure you don't just dress them to look nice,

because no-one talks or is interesting in someone looking nice.

You want to see something that's maybe a little bit wrong.

Maybe it's not exactly how you'd wear a dress

if you were going to meet your friends for lunch.

It's something that's a little bit askew that then is going to

get attention. It's going to get you in the press.

So Jessie's got the bling factor.

Three gl-Ambo points for an original style.

So if I want to get the Jessie J look, what's one thing I can do?

Even though she wears totally different outfits all the time,

she's always playing with fashion, she always goes for really big,

strong gold jewellery.

-Even like this cuff.

-Yeah?

-Big chunky cuff. Go on. Let's give that a go.

-Oh, yeah. Who am I?

-Jessie J.

Yes, I am. Put it here.

That's Jessie's fashion.

# Can't make my own decisions... #

But how will Paramore stack up?

It's fair to say that Hayley has her own distinctive style.

Or should I say styles? She'll wear anything, as long as it's cool.

# I've been changing... #

Have two quirky Ambo points

for mixing it up.

But that's not the whole story.

There's one thing you can't ignore about Paramore's style.

Hayley's hair. And you wouldn't believe it,

I'm about to get my hair done by her stylist, which is good timing,

cos I have a situation.

-Hiya!

-Hi.

Get in here.

-How are you?

-Really good, actually. I have a hair situation.

-I would say so.

-Do you reckon you could help me out?

Um... I think there's... I think so.

-I think we can do this.

-Let's get to work.

-Are you ready?

-I'm ready.

-I can't wait. I'm a little frightened.

I can't believe I'm getting my hair done by Hayley's stylist.

Brian is one of Nashville's top hair aficionados.

And I'm going to get all the goss on Hayley's locks.

Excited!

# It's just my humble opinion... #

Oh! I just feel like a new person already, Brian.

-We're on our way there.

-When did you first meet Hayley?

I met Hayley, let's see, eight, almost nine years ago.

I remember the first time I did her hair for a music video.

It was for Crush, Crush, Crush and I styled it.

# If you want to play it like a game... #

I thought she was cute and fun to begin with.

And then she got in front of the camera.

They said 'action' and it was like this completely different person,

came out of nowhere. I remember standing there going...

# Scribbled out the truth with your lies

# Your little spies... #

Is she really fun to work with?

Cos she seems like she'd just be up for anything with her hair.

Oh, it's... Yeah, the crazier, the better.

The more we're out there with stuff, the more she loves it.

And she's so creative. She comes up with a lot of her own looks.

Has she ever come up to you with an idea and you've been like,

I don't know about that, that seems a bit much?

Um, actually, yes.

And it's probably one of my favourite looks and videos that we've done.

It was Still Into You. The pink and orange hair was totally her idea.

And I was like, "Are you sure?"

And honestly, it is one of my favourite music videos and looks.

# Some things just, some things just make sense

# And even after all this time... #

Ah! Brian, hands down, I love it. I think it's amazing.

Thank you so much. I'm sorry for playing it safe.

Next time, I promise, we'll chuck some orange in

and we'll do a full Hayley. But bring it in.

'Brian is awesome!

'He sorted my hair out, and more importantly,

'makes Hayley's hair radical.

'Four hair dye Ambo points.'

# I stare at my reflection in the mirror... #

It's not just the clothes and hair that these two are about.

They also like to hang up the bling and do a thing or two for charity.

In March 2013, live on the BBC for Comic Relief, thousands watched

as Lenny Henry helped relieve Jessie J of her sleek black bob.

-Ooh!

-This is so going on eBay!

But Jessie was after more than a bit of a trim,

and had all her hair completely shaved off.

CHEERING

MUSIC: "Domino" by Jessie J

That's five Ambo points to Jessie

for changing her style for charity.

And, of course,

Paramore aren't afraid to get their hands dirty for a good cause either.

In 2010, Paramore went back to Florida, to where they had written

their first album, and helped build houses for underprivileged families.

That's when they were painting each other instead of the houses.

Five Ambo points for a DIY charitable style.

Hey, it's not all fashion,

hair and charity.

Taylor, the guitarist of Paramore,

spends his time collecting something totally random.

Gnomes. He has them everywhere -

in his garden, studio, wherever.

That's one extra gnome-tastic Ambo

point for an out there style.

And that takes us to the end of Round Three.

Well, guys, we're at the end of another Pop Slam,

and it has been amazing. But who has won the Ambo?

Will it be Jessie J or Paramore?

Let's find out what we've learned.

It's been a show of rock and pop.

But Jessie J and Paramore are not so different.

Both started out early, write their own songs, look amazing,

and like to do what they can for a good cause.

It's a very, very close Pop Slam.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's the moment we've all been waiting for.

The points have been counted and independently verified by me.

The winner of the Ambo is...

No way! It's Paramore!

Jessie, get out of here. Hayley, bring it in.

You must be feeling amazing. Let's see some more of you in action.

# I should be over all the butterflies

# But I'm into you, I'm into you... #

Hi, it's Amberley from CBBC.

You guys have just won Pop Slam.

Is this Paramore?

FAST, HIGH-PITCHED VOICE

Frank's Pizza Delivery?

I'm so sorry.

But, um, do you know Paramore?

The rock band?

No, it's a band. I don't suppose

you have their number?

INAUDIBLE SPEECH

That's all right. No, don't want a pizza. OK. See you. Bye.

# Still into you. #