In today’s music industry, it’s rare to find a talent like British singer-songwriter Jessie J. Her gifts lie in solid melodic composition, a wealth of pop music knowledge and versatility. She’s a well-known presence throughout the music industry, having written Miley Cyrus chart-topper Party in the USA, and other hits for artists like Chris Brown. But her greatest gift by far is a unique voice, which can only be closely described as the power of Patti Labelle combined with the agile melismatic skills of Whitney Houston. But even comparisons to those singers don’t quite fit Jessie J.

And fitting in, at least for marketing to US audiences, has been the issue. Of course she is not entirely without her successes in the United States.  Her song Domino reached Number 6 on the Billboard charts, and she had another significant worldwide hit with ‘Price Tag‘…  both of which came from her debut album Who You Are.  But due to a string of bad decisions by her management, most Americans know very little about her or her incredible talent.  While finding great success in countries like Brazil and her native UK, the artist has struggled to even have the chance of releasing music stateside.  In fact, the singer’s entire second album Alive has yet to be brought into the US market.

After a rocky road, Jessie J is giving US fans another go.  This week, her new co-single Bang Bang with fellow pop stars Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj was released worldwide, and was an immediate success.  Thus far, the song has already skyrocketed to Number 1 on US iTunes, as well as 20 other countries, cementing its status as a certified hit.

The tune is a fun romp into the world of pop collaboration (something surprisingly missing so far in 2014), and could be destined to become one of this decade’s “girl power” anthems.  All three ladies bring their best on this fiery track, but instead of being a vocal duel, the trio manages a fair level of cohesiveness.  Jessie J and Ariana Grande both have a great show of their respective vocal skills, while Nicki Minaj almost steals the show with her rapid fire rap. It’s a great song for the summer.

Besides the official record, Jessie J did a live acoustic version of Bang Bang. With just her and guitarist Lewie Allen Jessie J proves her worth as one of today’s best pop singers, navigating massive registration shifts with utmost precision and clarity. As Vibe magazine said when tweeting out the video, “she kills it.” Check out the track below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUq0JjJiTho

Here is the record version with partners in crime Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj…