Jess Glynne | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Glynne performing atSouth by Southwest in 2015 | |
| Born | Jessica Hannah Glynne (1989-10-20)20 October 1989 (age 35) Hampstead, London, England |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2013–present |
| Works | Discography |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Labels | |
| Website | jessglynne |
Musical artist | |
Jessica Hannah Glynne (born 20 October 1989) is a British singer. She rose to prominence in 2013 as a featured artist on the singles "Rather Be" byClean Bandit and "My Love" byRoute 94, both of which reached number one on theUK Singles Chart. Glynne signed withAtlantic Records to release her debut studio album,I Cry When I Laugh (2015). Despite mixed critical response, it debuted atop theUK Albums Chart and spawned the singles "Hold My Hand" and "Don't Be So Hard on Yourself".[2]
Glynne's second studio album,Always In Between (2018), debuted at number one in the UK and saw continued success with the singles "I'll Be There", "These Days", "All I Am", "Thursday" and "One Touch"; the first of these made Glynne the first British female solo artist to have seven number one singles on the UK Singles Chart. After parting ways with Atlantic Records, she signed with EMI Records to release her third studio album,Jess (2024).
Glynne has achieved multiple accolades throughout her career, including aGrammy Award and nineBrit Award nominations. She was considered one of the "Most Influential People Under 30" byForbes magazine in 2019.
Jessica Hannah Glynne was born inHampstead[3] and raised inMuswell Hill,North London, in aJewish family.[4] Her mother, Alexandra (née Ingram), worked inA&R in the music industry.[5][6][7] The family name was originallyGoldstein, but her grandfather changed it to Glynne.[6]
She applied for the television showThe X Factor when she was 15 years old, but dropped out of the audition process following a disagreement with the producers.[8][9]
She attended Rhodes Avenue Primary School, then attendedFortismere School, where she completed herA-levels in 2008, and took various jobs at a boutique, a fitness centre and a hairdresser's.[6]
After a period spent travelling the world, Glynne worked for a music management company in her late teens and began networking with songwriters and producers, eventually honing her artistry for four years.[6][8]
Glynne completed a month long music course at anEast London college,Access to Music London, where she met her future collaborators: songwriterJin Jin and producer Bless Beats.[4][9] One of Glynne and Jin Jin's compositions caught the attention ofBlack Butter Records, who signed Glynne to a publishing deal and introduced her to music managers and lawyers.[10] Black Butter co-president Joe Gossa said of Glynne, "her voice just flipped me out, there was a fierceness to it. She can talk about everyday things in this way that's just epic".[11] She signed a contract withAtlantic Records in August 2013, consequently leaving her job at the time in brand management for a drinks company.[6]
In 2013,deep house producerRoute 94 approached Glynne about rewriting and providing vocals for his song "My Love".[12] It was later released as a single in February 2014 and reached number one on theUK Singles Chart.[13] It was later certifiedplatinum by theBritish Phonographic Industry. British bandClean Bandit heard "My Love" and approached Glynne to feature on their song "Rather Be".[12] Band member Jack Patterson spoke of "a real subtlety of emotion in her voice".[11] The collaboration produced the single which also charted atop the UK charts, becoming the third fastest-selling single and moststreamed song of 2014.[14] The single attained number one and top five positions on charts across Europe and Oceania, and was a top ten hit on the USBillboard Hot 100. Both "Rather Be" and "My Love" received nominations at theBRIT Awards for Best British Single.[15] For her work on "Rather Be", Glynne won theGrammy Award forBest Dance Recording and was nominated for Song of the Year at the inauguralBBC Music Awards.[16][17]
In July 2014, Glynne's debut solo single, theGorgon City-produced "Right Here", was released. It charted in several countries, including at number six in the UK. Glynne appeared at many British music festivals during mid 2014, includingBestival,Glastonbury,Lovebox,V Festival andWireless.[5][8][18] She toured around the UK from October 2014, beginning in Sheffield and finishing at the Electric Brixton in London.[19] Also during 2014, Glynne collaborated on songwriting projects withLittle Mix,MO,Rudimental, andTinie Tempah.[9][20] A second collaboration withClean Bandit, "Real Love", was released in November 2014 and reached number two in the UK.[21]
Glynne's second solo single, "Hold My Hand", was released in March 2015. It debuted at number one in the UK, where it spent three weeks.[22][23] In June 2015, Glynne was featured on "Not Letting Go", a single by English rapperTinie Tempah. It also reached number one in the UK, bringing Glynne's total of UK number one singles to four.[24] She underwent surgery on her vocal cords in mid-2015 and consequently cancelled several live performances, including theGlastonbury Festival.[25] Glynne's debut albumI Cry When I Laugh was released in the UK in August 2015, following the number one single "Don't Be So Hard on Yourself".[26][24][27] It features contributions from Knox Brown,Naughty Boy,Starsmith,Talay Riley, andSwitch, as well as her regular collaborators Bless Beats and Jin Jin.[28][29]I Cry When I Laugh entered theUK Albums Chart at number one and later received a triple Platinum certification.[2]
In October 2015, Glynne appeared onthe twelfth series ofThe X Factor as a guest judge atCheryl's Judges' Houses segment.[30] The same month, she presented theVice magazine-produced documentary filmThe Brit Invasion, which documented the rise ofEDM and British dance music in the United States.[31] Glynne's track "Take Me Home" was released as the officialChildren in Need 2015 charity single in November[32] and peaked at number six in the UK, becoming Glynne's eighth overall top ten single in the country. Glynne embarked on her first UK arena tour in November, titled the Take Me Home Tour.[33]
In October 2016 and later in 2017, it was reported that Glynne was working with some "big" producers for her second album, includingEd Sheeran. One of the songs recorded was "Woman Like Me",[34] which was later given to the bandLittle Mix for their fifth studio albumLM5. In January 2018, Glynne featured onRudimental's single "These Days" alongside American rapperMacklemore andDan Caplen. The song was a commercial success, initially charting at number two for seven consecutive weeks behind "God's Plan" byDrake, before claiming the number one position in March. With this achievement, Glynne became the first British female solo artist in UK chart history to have six number-one singles.[35] In May, Glynne performed atBBC Radio 1's Big Weekend inSwansea. Later that month, the lead single "I'll Be There" from her second album was released. The song later reached number one in June, becoming Glynne's seventh chart-topping single of her career. In August, second single "All I Am" was released and charted at number seven in the UK.[36] The following month, the albumAlways In Between was released, becoming Glynne's second number one album. Her third single "Thursday" was released in October 2018 and has peaked at number three in the UK.[37]
Glynne embarked on her Always In Between Tour from November 2018, covering Europe, the UK and the United States, over 50 dates.[38] Many of the tour dates on the United States leg of the tour includedLeon Bridges as a featured Artist.[39] Also in November 2018, Glynne was announced as a special guest on theSpice Girls'reunion stadium tour, held in 2019. Glynne was due to perform at BBC Radio1 Big Weekend in 2019 however dropped out at last minute.
At the2019 Brit Awards Glynne received five nominations, including Best British Female and Best British Single with both "These Days" and "I'll Be There".[40]
In June 2019 Glynne received a lifetime ban from theIsle of Wight Festival when she cancelled her set, giving only 10 minutes warning.[41] The singer confessed that her reason for cancelling was after a heavy night ("It is true that I went out and celebrated the end of the Spice World tour.") and, later that month, cancelled a number of gigs "on the advice of her vocal surgeon", including a headline performance at the Rochester Castle Concerts.[42] However, the ban was revoked less than a year later.[43]
Following a disagreement with her record label about the future direction of her music, Glynne split fromAtlantic Records in January 2022.[44] In October 2022, it was confirmed that Glynne has signed toUnited Talent Agency to represent her worldwide, alongside signing to the management division ofRoc Nation.[45] A month later, Glynne confirmed she had signed a new record deal withEMI and would be releasing new music in 2023.[46]
When announcing her first release, "Silly Me", under EMI, she confirmed that the split with Atlantic and her management had been amicable and focussed on Glynne wanting to explore a new sonic direction. "Silly Me" was released 28 April 2023 and was co-written with Knox Brown, P2J Mike Horner. Glynne also confirmed other song titles for an upcoming album, including "Promise Me", "Love Is Not Enough" and "Enough". Much of the album was recorded between 2022 and 2023, while between labels. It included studio sessions withGreg Kurstin,Malay andBoots.[47] A second song, "What Do You Do?" was released on 14 July 2023.[48][49] On 26 April 2024 Glynne launchedJess, her third studio album, and was then presented with the prestigiousBRIT Billion Award for achieving over 1 billion streams in the UK.[50]
Glynne's musical influences includeFrank Ocean andAmy Winehouse.[51] She citesAdele,Sam Cooke,Destiny's Child,Aretha Franklin,Whitney Houston andEtta James as inspirations for her vocal style and rappers such asEminem,Jay-Z andKendrick Lamar for her songwriting.[9] She has also listedIndia Arie,Beyoncé,Mary J. Blige,Girls Aloud,Spice Girls,Mariah Carey andMavis Staples as musical inspirations.[52][53][54] Glynne said thatLauryn Hill'sThe Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was the album that motivated her to start writing songs.[12]
Glynne was previously in a relationship with a woman that ended acrimoniously in 2013.[55] WhilstI Cry When I Laugh was inspired by that particular break-up, Glynne has stated that she does not wish to be labelled aslesbian orbisexual. "I've only ever been with one girl in my life and that's the girl from my album. It was hard at the beginning of the relationship, because until then I had only ever gone out with guys. But I am who I am," she told theDaily Star in August 2015. "I'm never going to put a label on my sexuality and people should never feel uncomfortable about who they love. I pray one day we get to a point where it's no longer a thing."[56]
In an October 2018 interview withAttitude magazine, Glynne said: "[My sexuality] is just not something that I've ever enjoyed talking about because I am a private person, and it's not something that is necessary for people to know. It's not something that I'm scared of, it's just something that I don't entertain in a deep way. I don't like to put myself in a box in anything in my life."[57]
Glynne is anArsenal supporter and has been in a relationship with sports broadcaster and formerEngland women's andArsenal women's footballerAlex Scott since the summer of 2023.[58]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Neighbours | Herself |
| 2019 | The Voice Australia | Herself |
Headlining
Supporting
| Year | Awards | Category | Recipient | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | MOBO Awards | Best Newcomer | Herself | Nominated |
| BBC Music Awards[59] | Song of the Year | "Rather Be" | ||
| LOS40 Music Awards[60] | Best English Language Song | |||
| 2015 | International Dance Music Awards[61] | Best Featured Vocalist | ||
| Billboard Music Awards[62] | Top Dance/Electronic Song | |||
| Grammy Awards[63] | Best Dance Recording | Won | ||
| Ivor Novello Awards | Most Performed Work | |||
| Best Contemporary Song | ||||
| Brit Awards[64] | British Single of the Year | Nominated | ||
| British Single of the Year | "My Love" | |||
| British Video of the Year | ||||
| MOBO Awards | Best Song | "Not Letting Go" | ||
| Best Female Act | Herself | |||
| Q Awards | Best New Act | |||
| MTV Japan Video Music Awards | Best New Artist International | |||
| MTV Europe Music Awards[65] | Best New Act | |||
| Best Push Act | ||||
| Best UK & Ireland Act | ||||
| BBC Music Awards[66] | Song of the Year | "Hold My Hand" | ||
| 2016 | Ivor Novello Awards | PRS For Music Most Performed Work | ||
| Brit Awards[67] | British Single of the Year | |||
| British Breakthrough Act | Herself | |||
| British Female Solo Artist | ||||
| Silver Clef Award | Best Newcomer Award | Won | ||
| Glamour Awards[68] | Next Breakthrough | |||
| The A&R Awards | Breakthrough Artist Award | |||
| ASCAP Vanguard Award[69] | Vanguard Award | |||
| EDM Song Award | "Hold My Hand" | |||
| BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards[70] | Best British Solo artist | Herself | Nominated | |
| MTV Europe Music Awards[71] | Best World Stage Performance | |||
| BBC Music Awards[72] | British Artist of the Year | |||
| 2018 | NatWest British LGBT Awards | Music Artist of the Year | Won | |
| Attitude Awards[73] | Music Award | Won | ||
| 2019 | Global Awards[74] | Mass Appeal Award | Herself | Nominated |
| Best Female | ||||
| Best British Artist or Group | ||||
| Best Song | "These Days" | |||
| Most Played Song | Won | |||
| Brit Awards[75] | British Video of the Year | Nominated | ||
| British Single of the Year | ||||
| "I'll Be There" | ||||
| British Female Solo Artist | Herself | |||
| Ivor Novello Awards[76] | Most Performed Work | "These Days" | Won | |
| 2020 | Global Awards | Best Mass Appeal Award | Herself | Nominated |
UK singer brings old-school R&B panache to her second album
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