Jess Glynne

It’s been an extraordinary few years for Jess Glynne. She recently became the first British female artist to secure seven number one singles, yet she’s only released one album... until now, that is. Her much-awaited second offering, Always In Between, dropped on October 12th, and is an evolution in terms of songwriting, production, and musicianship. The core of it was put together on location: a week locked away in a house with close friends, producers, and writers; and the results speak for themselves. We chat to the uber-successful Londoner at Abbey Road Studios about her musical journey so far, and how working for a music management company eventually paved the way to penning hit songs.

Seven number ones - that’s a hell of an achievement... But has it really sunk in? “It doesn’t feel real, to be honest, but it is very overwhelming,” Jess admits, with a smile. “I’ve had so much success with those songs, yet I’ve only had one album out. It’s mental!” I ask Jess to tell me about the ins and outs of her new record, Always In Between.

“It’s the best representation of my life over the past three or four years; since the last album, and all I have been through,” Jess reveals. “The title comes from my lifestyle, and living two lives: getting used to being Jess Glynne, and just Jess. You are constantly pressured in this role to be perfect; have a yes or no, be right or wrong, put yourself in a box; so part of the theme is self-acceptance, and that I don’t always need to have an answer. It takes a while to be at one with that, but it’s got to a point now where I am content with who I am, and don’t need to justify it.”

Conversation turns to songwriting - co-writing, in particular - and how it can be a strange process. I ask how that panned out for her when putting album two together.

“With this album, it was a bit like that at the beginning: we were writing in the USA for two months, as the label wanted me to write with other people. I compromised, and was open to their suggestions, as they were with great songwriters and producers,” Jess says. “I took [my best friend] Jin Jin with me, who I write a lot of my stuff with; it was good, but intense, as getting in and out of sessions with different people constantly was a real challenge.

“When I got back, I felt I had a lot of amazing songs, but they were quite all over the place, so it didn’t feel like an album. It felt like everything got lost, and I didn’t know where I was going with the music. The label wanted something I didn’t understand, and there was a clash – I took a step back, if I’m honest, I didn’t know if this was what I wanted to do.”

It got to the point where Jess sat down with the label, told them she didn’t feel good, and wanted to take a break.

“They understood, as it was a weird process; and we all knew something wasn’t connecting. I also had my own shit to deal with at the time,” Jess recalls. “And at the end of 2017, I was ready. I wanted to go into a house with the people I wanted to work with, plus a few extras. So we went away for a week to Sussex: it was free, real, organic, and honest; and we made music as music should be made.

“I did it in a week in a natural way, with people that I love, and who know me; and then the people that I didn’t really know before actually felt like family by the end. I think it’s the way you approach it; this album has taken two and a half years, and I have approached it three of four times separately, but it only worked the last time I approached it; that is when it connected.”

GETTING INSPIRED

When it comes to songwriting, Jess says there is no set path, as such - it’s more about the vibe.

“I do something different every time. I think it depends on your mood, who you’re in with, if I have a melody in my head, or if there’s a certain genre I want to approach. Sometimes it’s melody first, sometimes music, sometimes it’s the lyric.”

Is there ever a time during the songwriting process that a lyric is too personal or vulnerable to make the cut?

“It’s weird... With this album, a few times I questioned what I had written,” Jess reflects. “Music for me is like a therapy; it’s my way of a release. And the majority I have written are with Jin Jin. She brings out a lot of me, and makes me feel I can be or say anything. It’s amazing to have that partnership.

“So yes, there have been times I have felt that, but then I have been convinced otherwise [smiles]. So this is more conceptual than the first record; more honest, and more vulnerable. It’s a bit scary, and I am a bit nervous, but I have done it now, and I can’t go back! [laughs]”

When starting out, Jess says she always knew she could sing, but it was only after gaining experience within the music business early on that she realised she was an artist.

“I guess you dream, don’t you? When I left school, all I could think about was music, so I wanted to give it a go.

“I never liked studying, so there was no point going to uni or college, as I didn’t have the attention span. I knew what I was like! [laughs] So I went travelling, and when I got back, I got a job in a music management company. I worked there for about 12 months alongside an artist very closely, and got to understood a lot about how it all worked.

“It was a big eye opener, and weirdly, it taught me how not to do it as an artist. This artist [I was working with] was young and sporadic in life, and didn’t take opportunities that were there; he was more focused on the fame and the girls. It was quite painful to see. We eventually parted ways, and the company knew I wanted to do my thing; so then I focused on music.”

“Music for me is like a therapy; it’s my way of a release...”

BEHIND THE MUSIC

We start to talk more about the new album, and the songs within it. Firstly, the single, All I Am. I tell Jess I feel it has a wonderful message, as it’s so easy to forget about the people involved in the making of a record, and the support system and network behind it. But it sounds like she had a moment where she really appreciated it.

“That is literally it - you summed it up,” she says. Phew. “From the outsider’s perspective, there is so much that goes on in music that you never see. There are so many songs you write that never see the light of day; so much graft not just on making a song, but so much around it. Even after writing the album, it might take another eight months to finish it, if not more.

“So much goes in: so much emotion, so many bodies; and they all want you to win. I am so lucky to have worked with such inspiring people, who are so loving, caring, and supporting. It’s so important to appreciate them.

“All I Am happened in that week [in the house], and got started when I wasn’t in the room; it was amazing to come in to that energy. A really happy moment. So yeah, it makes you reflect on the people in your life that make you you.”

And on the flip side, what would Jess say helped her the most to get to where she is now?

“I think I learnt early on when I worked at the management company. I also did a weird artist development course thing, which really opened my mind. It was a year long, but a day a week, and I had two jobs at the time; but I thought ‘why not?’ It was cheap, but I had no money, so it wasn’t cheap! [smiles]

“My parents had funded a lot already, so I didn’t want to tell them about it. I started in the September, and it got to January, and I still hadn’t paid! My mum sat me down, said she had seen a letter – I said that I just thought I would wing it – and she said, ‘you’re an idiot, I’ll pay it’, which was amazing. So I did the course, and it made me create my own opportunity.”

“That and the management company showed me it isn’t just about having a voice. When people say you sound like Adele or Rihanna, it’s such a compliment when you’re younger, but it isn’t about sounding like someone else, it’s about sounding unique, and you having a reason to do what you do. As an artist, you need to say something, and that is the difference between singing and being an artist.”

And what a sound she does have. I ask Jess if finding that sound was as tricky as I suspect. “Oh, the hardest thing,” she says. “Also, finding the voice in what you’re saying. I wrote hundreds of songs, and there are so many dips; I knew what was a great song, and what wasn’t; you know when you hear it, it’s a feeling you get. I remember being with Jin Jin in the studio writing Home – it was my first session with her – and then Bad Blood. But with Home, I knew, ‘OK, I’m here, everything changes now’. It was the way it felt, and everything came together in this one session. And I felt it writing that song. So that happened, and within months, my whole life had changed. It was amazing, because I can now reflect on it, and see that path – it was very exciting, but amazing to see the connection, and how it all unravelled.” Big question: on stage, or in the studio? “I love live. Bringing songs to life, being on stage with a band. And I love the energy in live music. But I am not a born performer! I am social, and can entertain, but I find it a very nerve-wracking thing; it isn’t something that comes naturally to me,” Jess says. “But it is something I have learned to love. I used to feel very alone on stage; I didn’t feel comfortable, so it was so important to have a band that were like a family.

“On stage, everyone has each other’s back, and it’s a very close and nice vibe. That is what I needed to be able to do a live show. Everyone has ideas; you put this amazing thing together, so now I am so excited to get on stage. It is embedded; I don’t think it will ever feel natural, so the whole build up is very, very nervewracking for me.”

Finally, I ask Jess which tracks from the new record stand out the most to her.

“Hate Love is a very vulnerable song, but very important for the album, and something I am very proud of. 1,2,3 is favourite on the album; the way it was created, and the feel of the song makes me feel good, so that sums up the album for me. And Thursday I am very proud of; lyrically, I think it’s important for people to hear. It sums up the whole journey of self-acceptance, I think.”

Jess Glynne’s Always In Between is out now on Atlantic Records, and comes highly recommended. A special thanks, too, to Abbey Road Studios for the marvellous hospitality.

@JessGlynne www.jessglynne.com