In 2005 I started work on the X Factor.
It was year two of the show and an exciting time for us all, contestants and crew alike.
Emily and Ollie were 10 and eight and at that point, hanging around backstage at TV shows during rehearsals and being in the audience for live broadcasts became normal life for them.
During those times they hung out with other kids around their age, playing video games or watching TV or just generally having fun together.
Jamal and Tanisha Edwards, the children of Brenda Edwards, were spending their weekends in the same way. Emily and Ollie remember them fondly.
As the years have gone by I’ve stayed in touch with Brenda who has had her ups and downs including suffering from breast cancer a few years ago. She always remained the same positive, wonderful woman and I remember being so pleased when she got the job on Loose Women because I knew her feisty no-nonsense personality would be so perfect for the show.
Brenda was always very proud of both her children, but Jamal became incredibly successful at a young age.
Jamal saw a gap in the market where young artists needed to be seen and used the early days of YouTube to launch his SBTV channel. From there, his entrepreneurial skills and his incredible work ethic changed the way that many young artists were seen for the first time.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that he changed the face of the UK music scene, and many artists may not be where they are today were it not for Jamal. These artists include Ed Sheeran, Stormzy, Dave, Emeli Sandé and dozens of others.
As many of you will have seen on the news, Jamal died very suddenly this week at the age of 31.
I have found it very difficult to process this fact for many reasons.
Jamal was such a lovely young man, so proud of Brenda, and when I saw him out and about at gigs, he was always friendly, always the same. Everyone who met him or talked of him said the same. He was one of life’s good guys.
My heart just goes out to Brenda and Tanisha. They were such a close-knit little family, and as Brenda lost both her parents in a car accident when she was very young they only really had each other.
Even though I knew what an incredible legacy Jamal was leaving behind and how much he had achieved, I was astounded by the huge media reaction following his death.
So many messages from A-list artists and even from Prince Charles have been posted in the last few days. The outpouring of grief and love has been unprecedented for someone who many people who weren’t in the music business would not even have heard of.
I hope hearing just how much he was loved and how incredibly well he was regarded, goes some way towards comforting Brenda in this heart-breaking time.
In Brenda’s own words: “Our love for him lives on, his legacy lives on. Long live Jamal Edwards MBE, MBA, PHD.”
Stormy weather
So, has your garden furniture survived the storms?
We got home from Hawaii wondering if our trees would still be standing, but they were fine.
When we headed on holiday, I was sure Boris Johnson wouldn’t survive the week, never mind the trees, but it looks like he has more lives than a cat.
Prince Andrew also seems to have survived his latest drama.
He may think it’s all over, but I don’t think the British public will be forgiving him any time soon.
In other news, the Queen seems to be doing OK with Covid, and here in England the ball is firmly in our court as to whether we test, mask up, isolate when ill, or just pretend that Covid has vanished.
That’s not going to go well I don’t think.
People will be reluctant to stay at home if they aren’t going to get paid, and who can blame them?
Most people, especially young, fit and healthy ones, will be happy to totally ditch the masks.
And if we are going to have to pay for testing and it is no longer a legal requirement, many people won’t bother, and again who can blame them if the rules have been lifted?
We all want our freedom back and it will be wonderful if it can happen, but let’s hope and pray than no new variants come and bite us.
Have a good week,
Yvie x
