R & B, Adult Contemporary, Neo-Pop – none of these descriptions would be wrong when describing UK singer Jessie Ware’s music. While she released her debut album “Devotion”; last year to massive critical success – the singer has yet to make a name for herself on this continent. That’s not a problem though – Jessie is just happy to be making a living from her music. “I remember thinking it was really cool when I quit my job to be a backing singer”;. It was with that Jessie’s career began to take off. After making numerous guest appearances on various club-oriented tracks, the 29-year-old finally stepped into the spotlight and released the much more stripped down “Devotion”; – an album that’s still spawned an incredible six singles!
Although she has yet to receive the kind of fan base she has back home, Jessie is currently on the road touring the album on our shores and couldn’t be more excited about it. “I really like touring in North America – the crowds are very loud and warm and open and they shout at you in like a really encouraging way.”; She’s also been able to play the role of tourist a bit but perhaps not as much as she would like. “I do feel like I’m on holiday a lot of the time it’s, don’t get me wrong, I work very hard though but I’m seeing all these places that I’ve heard about or I’ve seen films about.”;
“The album sounds a bit bigger I think live… I definitely kind of belt a little bit more.”; That can be attributed to Jessie’s amazing voice. Admittedly she’s got some pretty outstanding influences. “(I) loved Whitney Houston – I used to listen to her all the time when I was little. I love Chaka Khan. I love Grace Jones – Sade is my queen.”; After listening to her music it’s easy to hear why she was such a hit back home and why she’s destined to be a hit here as well. After powerhouses like Amy Winehouse, Adele and Florence Welch, it’s clear that the female British Invasion is still underway and Jessie has no plans to slow it down!
~ By Jonathan Knox