Just being Jess
British artiste Jess Glynne on her new album and being at the right place at the right time.
JESS Glynne’s meteoric rise to one of Britain’s top artistes began before she even released her own debut solo single.
In 2014, she featured on Clean Bandit’s Rather Be and Route 94’s My Love, both of which hit No.1 on the Official UK Top 40 Charts. She also won a Best Dance Recording Grammy for the former. The 28-year-old’s debut album ICry When I Laugh was released in 2015, and went straight to the top of the UK album charts, producing two No.1 singles HoldMy Hand and Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself.
She then featured on Tini Tempeh’s Not Letting Go and Rudimental’s single These Days alongside US rapper Macklemore and Dan Caplen,
Officially released today, Glynne’s latest album, Always In Between has already produced her seventh No.1, I’ll Be There, making her the first British female solo artiste to have seven No.1 singles on the UK Top 40 Singles Chart.
In a recent phone interview from Britain, Glynne spoke about the new album and her past collaborations.
You hit No. 1 in Britain and got a Grammy before you even had your own solo single. What was that like? It’s pretty mad that I’ve been involved in some amazing records prior to releasing my own songs! I was really lucky to team up with amazing artistes like Clean Bandit and Route94.
Those relationships came about from them hearing my voice and wanting to work with me, and me hearing songs that was excited about. Everything happened at the right time and at the right moment, I
guess. The exposure I got helped people relate to who I am an artiste. It was a massive thing.
What did you learn from those collaborations?
I learnt to be open and give myself opportunities. Sometimes as artistes, we say no to things because we believe it is not what we’d do ourselves or something that doesn’t feel right.
But sometimes you’ve got to compromise. That has been a massive part of my career and success, and taught me a lot about myself.
You once auditioned for The X Factor when you were 15 years old, but dropped out. Do you look back and wonder what might have been had you made it there?
Going on a talent show is a different journey, with its own struggles. On a talent show, you sing other people’s songs in front of an audience that’s given to you. But once that show is over, you need to hold on to that and go on your own and make music that people are going to buy into and believe in.
When you do it on your own, you’ve got to build up the fan base and audience, and confidence in yourself to make music that people might want to listen to.
For me, going through the struggles and learning about the industry was very important to get where I am. It helped me to find my own style. It’s not easy finding who you are. It’s a process of writing and creating for years and years that develops you into who you are. What can we expect from your new album, Always In Between?
It’s a bit more grown up. It steps on from the last record, so it’s not too different, but it has its own story. It feels perfect for where I am right now and what I’ve been through. It’s the next chapter in my life.