Jess Glynne

Who knew a trip to Pizza Express could inform a young teenagers life so greatly? One evening in 2003, Jess Glynne’s parents returned home from a night in Soho with a signed CD by a new singer they had seen performing at the restaurant’s regular Jazz night. “It had such a profoundly immediate effect on me,” remembers Jess of her parents playing Amy Winehouse’s debut album, ‘Frank’. “I’d always loved the big pop vocals of Mariah, Beyoncé and Whitney, but hearing a woman’s voice that was basically a jazz vocal, so full of individuality? Then realising she was British and still a teenager? That was the moment I knew I wanted to be as singer too.”

Glynne is a woman in possession of a rather fantastically distinctive vocal herself. You’ve already heard the 24 year-old’s richly evocative voice on Clean Bandit’s No.1 classical-dance smash ‘Rather Be’, which is the highest selling January No.1 since 1996 with sales in the UK alone of over 600,000, earning platinum status.

The track very nearly didn’t happen though. “I’ve never sung on a song that I haven’t written myself, so initially I wasn’t at all sure about doing it,” Jess admits. “But then I met the band and we went to the studio and had such a great time recording it. I absolutely love the song and I’m so happy to have been a part of it.”

She also lends her lead vocal to a second number 1, Route 94’s incredible House-flavoured ‘My Love’ which also debuted at number one in the UK. When that track was premiered as Zane Lowe’s Hottest Record, Adele tweeted “TUUUNE” with Lily Allen tweeting that Jess was “slaying the top 3!!!!!!!” as ‘My Love’ hit the top of the charts whilst ‘Rather Be’ held the number three position.

Now it’s time for Jess to introduce her own sound, a distinguished mix of “Hip Hop with a soul voice and a sprinkling of pop.” Hip-Pop-Soul perhaps? She laughs. “I’m really influenced by people like Eminem and Kendrick Lamar, but then I also love singers like Frank Ocean, Jasmine Sullivan and Anthony Hamilton.” Jess also identifies ‘Aretha Franklin’s tone, Etta James’s soul, Eva Cassidy’s character and the songwriting of Lauryn Hill’ as having been heavily influential on her, both as singer and songwriter. “Hearing Lauryn’s ‘Superstar’ had a big effect on me because it made me realise you could write about subjects other than love and people could still hugely relate to what you were saying.”

“I know that I’m one of a number of British girls to release this year,” says Jess. “But I’m confident in who I am. What makes me different is my experiences, my personality, my songwriting. I’ve had different life experiences, like we all have, and all of that makes me who I am – me.”