Jessie J slipped a few not-so-pleasant nods to her ex-boyfriend Channing Tatum into her new album, but she made sure he was totally cool with it first.
In a new interview with The Guardian, the singer revealed that Tatum gave his full blessing after she played him the track featuring the cheeky Magic Mike reference. And according to Jessie, “he was” perfectly fine with it.
The moment appears on Complicated, a song from her sixth studio album Don’t Tease Me with a Good Time, released November 28. On the track, she reflects on a turning point in her life, singing, “Met a Magic Mike, will that ever be forgotten? ‘Cause everything they write / That’s the headline and the topic.”
Jessie and Tatum dated from 2018 to 2019, and she admitted it wasn’t always easy. “It did get frustrating. It felt that everything I read about myself was about him,” she told the outlet.
Still, the two remain on good terms. “Oh, he’s so sweet. Oh my God, yeah! Channing is such a sweet guy,” she said, adding that they always had “such a good time together.”
Fans think Tatum pops up in another song too — Throw It Away — but Jessie keeps it playful. “Yeah, I reckon there’s probably a little bit of that in there,” she laughed, though she clarified the track wasn’t just about him. Her time dating in Los Angeles provided plenty of material.
After a decade in California, Jessie moved back to England last year to build a more grounded life with her partner, basketball player Chanan Colman, and their son Sky.
“I just felt the new chapter was going to be here,” she said, calling the shift back home the change her growing family needed.
