Skylar James- finished article

Skylar James- article

With a smile from ear to ear, and a body that leaves boys queueing, it’s hard to believe that less than two years ago Skylar James was someone you’d walk past without a single bat of the eyelid. Today, in her lavish London penthouse, Miss James opens up to me on her past, present and future. Sitting on the couch next to me, I see an innocent young girl, little more than eighteen who oozes confidence from every angle. Wearing UGG slippers and a Juicy tracksuit, anyone would think she was your average University student, Netflix and chilling in her spare hours. Her laugh is contagious, and her mysterious smile draws me in, anticipating me to ask more about her gripping story. Her makeup is neutral and age appropriate while her hair resembles that of a pineapple, piled on the top of her head. “Sorry about the mess!” she says as she removes the mouldy pizza boxes from the couch next to me. Her apartment is airy, but nothing can tame the unmistakable smell of vodka wafting in from the kitchen. I learn later that this is the smell from the remainders of last night’s bottles (from her house party, obvi).

Skylar’s transformation has wowed the world. At just sixteen, she wowed the world as she climbed the escalator of success. However, I learnt very quickly that she hasn’t always lived on a high. ‘My upbringing influenced my music career massively’, explains Skylar as she stares into the distance. ‘Failing repeatedly throughout my teens, and watching my Mother fail to fufill her role as a Mum gave me a drive, an ambition that led me to success’.

 Brought up in the rural town of Beverly, East Yorkshire, Skylar had, what she describes as a ‘drastically unconventional’ childhood. Her parents were married, but her Father worked abroad, ever since she was a young child. He only visited the family on special occasions, or when he had time off. ‘He was a great dad, but we saw him very rarely. It was hard, but we got used to it’. By ‘we’, Skylar refers to herself and her younger brother Tom, who currently studies at secondary school. The family were hard done by and Skylar’s mother barely scraped by day to day. ‘Some days I’d go without a meal’, she recalls. When Skylar reached the age of twelve, things started changing. Her Mother found out about ludicrous affairs her Father had been having whilst abroad. After a tough divorce, Skylar’s father pretty much detached himself from her and Tom. He visited the James’s once a year at most, and called once a month if he wasn’t too busy with whoever the latest girlfriend was. “It reached the point where seeing the phone flash up with dad’s number felt like a punishment” she says. Devastated by his lack of honesty and integrity, her Mother spiralled into a downwards tunnel of depression. “There was no way of guiding her away from the dark cloud that persistently rained over her”, Skylar tells me gravely. “Her behaviour was abnormal, irregular”. The day before Skylar turned thirteen, her Mother, Charlene became aggressive and violent. “She would pull out my hair and whip Tom until his back was raw”, she tells me through angry tears which gush down her face. Sadly, Charlene’s abuse went unnoticed. When the kids were at school, they didn’t tell a soul, for fears that they’d be abandoned and neglected by her. “She was the only real parent we’d ever known. We didn’t want to lose the Mother we knew, and at one point, had loved”.

By the time Skylar was attending secondary school, her Mother’s actions had had a devastating effect on her. “I had no drive to work, no incentive to achieve”, she explains. The only role model she’d ever had was uninspiring, depressed and unstable. Skylar’s grades were concerning, and significantly inadequate. “I found myself in a place where I had nothing and no one except Tom. That is until I found my love for music”. Desperate to get away from her personal life, Skylar joined the community choir, and found that she had a passion for singing.  She recalls her experiences at the Church Hall. “When I opened my mouth, it was as if nothing around me was real. I felt alive. The conductor pulled me aside one day and told me I had a gift for singing. He told me to always pursue my dreams, and to play on my strengths”. The conductor mentored Skylar, and two years later she enrolled at the London Academy Of Music. The academy helped Skylar to turn her life around. With a bit of funding and a lot of coaching, she became the ‘most gifted student’ they’d ever had. Agents were queueing for Skylar, desperate for her to let them manage her.

Just a week after leaving the academy, Skylar performed at her first gig. ‘Tom was there to support me, he’s been there for me throughout’ she says, smiling. Six months later, she produced her debut album You, in 2015. “I couldn’t believe it. I started seeing my face on magazine front covers! It felt electric, incredible! It was a dream come true. 40 million twitter followers later, Skylar was touring. “Tour was an absolute high. We were like a family- me, my brother, my manager Paul and the team”. She laughs, remembering the time she turned up almost half an hour late to a concert. When asked about her appearance, she says modestly, “My stylists were like magic wands on feet! They turned my plain face into a work of art!”.

And then I bring up the awkward question that we all want to know the answer to. Any boys? Skylar shrugs. “I’ve been so busy, what with my career beginning that I haven’t really had a chance to be honest. I’d love to settle down but right now isn’t the time. I can’t lie, I have had a good few flings though!”. With the pressure of almost 10 million fans worldwide, Skylar is careful not to reveal too much.

For Skylar, the sky is her limit. “After what I have achieved, I think anything is possible” she says, reflecting on her life. When asked what advice she’d give her fans, she tells me, “whenever I go up onstage, I take a moment to remember my background. My beginning. I never think I’m lucky, because I’m not. What I have achieved was not down to luck or chance, it was down to dedication and hard work. Never limit yourself, and always believe”- Skylar James.