Jessie Ware interview: "I'd trust Ed Sheeran with my life"

On her debut album, Devotion, Jessie Ware received widespread acclaim for her sophisticated take on soul-pop that channelled the diva greats she grew up listening to.

Fast-forward two years and she’s back with her second LP Tough Love; a similarly classy affair albeit with added confidence and experimentation. We caught up with Jessie to find out more:

Tough Love is a very emotional album, Jessie. Is everything okay?

“Everything is great! I’ve just got married and my honeymoon is booked so I’m good. I’m just being melodramatic. I like to live in a fantasy world sometimes so just ignore me.”

Getting married, going on a honeymoon and releasing an album at the same time sounds like a recipe for disaster…

“Honestly, it’s been really good! Having two massive things coming up has meant I’ve not been able to stress too heavily about either one. They balance each other out. Maybe for the next album I’ll get preggers. I was half expecting to trip down the aisle and get a bloody nose, but everything went great.”

Is it harder to write songs about love and relationships when you’re happily in one?

“I’ve been very happy for a while now and my relationship is very strong. I like to do more of that storytelling thing. Of course there are personal elements in there, but I like to be able to tell stories and I think I write my best songs when I’m doing that. I did the same on Devotion – Wildest Moments was about my best friend, but a lot of the songs like Sweet Talk weren’t about anyone specific.”

How do you get yourself into that headspace?

“Sometimes I think as if I'm living in an ‘80s American teen film. I felt something when writing the songs for this album but it’s not necessarily all about me. I hope people are okay with that!”

There’s a lot of love out there for Devotion. Was the idea of sitting down and starting album two ever a daunting prospect?

“I think it helps that I never stop working. I wrote a lot of the album in between touring which made it feel less pressured than sitting down in room and starting a new album. I didn’t feel particularly under pressure as I don’t think I’m particularly well known. I’m not a household name and I haven’t topped the charts or anything like that. In fact, the whole process was easier than with Devotion.”

What’s the best song on the album?

“It depends on my mood! Say You Love Me is something I really look forward to performing live. On the other hand, I love the sexy vibe of Kind Of… Sometimes… Maybe.”

You previously said you were channelling Whitney Houston and Chaka Khan and on Devotion; who did you look to for inspiration for this album?

“I didn’t plan for so much of that diva vibe on Tough Love, but that said, there are a few sassy numbers that seem to go off well when I played them out the other day. Hopefully there’s still a bit of diva there. If I had to put together a playlist of inspirations it would go...

So you’re inspired by a lot of the classics, but is there anything in particular you’re enjoying on the charts at the moment?

“I absolutely love Ariana Grande – I feel like she can do no wrong at the moment. She’s f**king great. Break Free is so damn catchy. She’s got the best voice ever! Rixton are great as well – really lovely guys and f**king talented.”

Looking at the list of collaborators on the album - including BenZel, Miguel, Benny Blanco, Dev Hynes – working with Ed Sheeran on Say You Love Me must have been a very different experience?

“He was brilliant - it felt amazing to work with him. I'd feel like I could trust him with my life even though we didn’t know each other that well a the time. He came over and we quickly wrote this song. I’m very, very lucky to have experienced working with him. He’s one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet and so generous.”

The album is out now. What happens next?

“I tour the s**t out of it!”

How many more Jessie Ware albums do you think there will be?

“I’d like to keep pushing albums out until I die if I’m honest. I’ll be here as long as people have me.”

Jessie Ware's Tough Love album is out now.