1rUn3Zf

In the States, Peñate’s guitarist introduced her to renowned underground producer SBTRKT, and they
collaborated on a track, “Nervous,” which showcased Ware’s big voice and made a significant impact
on the UK club scene. A second one-off track, “Valentine,” recorded with another of the UK dance
scene’s key players, Sampha, displayed the sweeter, more delicate side of Ware’s talent. The one-two
punch of these tracks was enough to score the singer a UK record deal. The humble little girl from South
London was on her way.
Ware was getting the hang of pop stardom but the haze of insecurity that had initially plagued her
still hovered. Sure, she could work with other brilliant artists, but could she really stand center stage
and belt out a full set of her own tracks? “I needed to take a step back from being a dance vocalist,”
she explains. “As much as I love that scene, I wanted to set that apart and learn how to be a classic
songwriter.” So she retreated into the studio with a slew of collaborators and found her voice, which led
to her androgynous dame look and easeful-seeming confidence onstage.
“I wanted to combine electronic with a more classic songwriting,” she says. “I didn’t want it to feel too
‘of now,’ so that’s why I went back to beats and grooves of things I loved before, like Prince and Chaka
Khan and Grace Jones. I wanted to make downer R&B - songs that are beautiful and bittersweet, like
Sade. It was just about mixing it up in the right way.”
The glittery downbeat shimmer of Devotion represents the first moment in the songwriting process
where Ware truly felt like a singer. “I could finally express myself in the way that I wanted, with the
music I wanted.” The flirty swing of “Sweet Talk” captures the ecstatic terror of being reckless with a
new love. Ware’s intention to warm up dance music has been widely praised. That sensibility continues
with the two tracks Ware recorded specifically for the US release. “Imagine It Was Us” is “a fun dance
song,” Ware says. She modeled it specifically on the elated pop of ‘80s dance floor goddesses like
Janet Jackson. “I felt like it would be a fun one to play live at summer festivals,” she says. And, “Wildest
Moments” remix featuring A$AP Rocky is a reworking of one of Ware’s most stirring tracks. “I always
imagined this song having a rapper on it,” Ware says. “And I am so happy it’s A$AP.”
“I want to be a pop star, in the classic sense, like Annie Lennox, or Sade, or Whitney [Houston],” she says.
But behind the hoop earrings and shoulder pads are still signs of that pragmatic girl who thought she’d
spend her life writing about other people. “The whole timeless thing, it’s quite ambitious,” she muses.
“Mostly, I just want to make things I can be proud of if it all goes tits up.”
Ware recently released “Tough Love,” co-written and produced by BenZel - the first new music from her
forthcoming sophomore album.
jessieware.com
360 MAGAZINE
33