Jessica Lois Ware (born 15 October 1984) is an English singer, songwriter and broadcaster. Ware came to prominence following the release of her debut studio album, '' Devotion'' (2012), which peaked at number five on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

, produced the single "

Wildest Moments "Wildest Moments" is a song by British singer Jessie Ware from her debut studio album, ''Devotion'' (2012). The song was released in the United Kingdom as a digital download on 29 June 2012 to positive responses and high acclaim. Critical recep ...

", and was shortlisted for the

Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the ...

. In 2013, Ware was nominated for the

Brit Award for Best New Artist The Brit Award for Best New Artist (previously Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act) is an award given by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), an organisation which represents record companies and artists in the United Kingdom. The accolad ...

. Her second studio album, '' Tough Love'' (2014), reached number nine in the UK and produced the songs " Tough Love" and " Say You Love Me", which was followed by her third studio album, ''Glasshouse'' (2017), which reached number seven in the UK. Her fourth studio album, ''

What's Your Pleasure? ''What's Your Pleasure?'' is the fourth studio album by English singer-songwriter Jessie Ware, released on 26 June 2020 by PMR Records and Virgin EMI Records. Ware and co-producer James Ford co-wrote all tracks, along with writers and producer ...

'' (2020), was released to critical acclaim, and reached number three in the UK. Ware has been nominated for a total of six

Brit Awards The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...

, four of them being for British Female Solo Artist. Ware also presents a food podcast titled ''Table Manners'' with her mother, Lennie Ware, which was launched in 2017.

Early life

Ware was born at

Queen Charlotte's Hospital Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital is one of the oldest maternity hospitals in Europe, founded in 1739 in London. Until October 2000, it occupied a site at 339–351 Goldhawk Road, Hammersmith, but is now located between East Acton and Whit ...

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, on 15 October 1984. She was raised in

Clapham Clapham () is a suburb in south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (most notably Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Early history ...

, London. She is the daughter of Helena (née Keell, usually called Lennie), a social worker, and John Ware, a BBC ''

Panorama A panorama (formed from Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film, seismic images, or 3D modeling. The word was originally coined i ...

'' reporter, who divorced when she was 10. She is the younger sister of English actress Hannah Ware.''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com Her mother was supportive in her early musical career and Ware considers her to be "her hero", saying "She brought up my sister, brother and me with so much love and fun and always told me I could do anything I want." Ware's mother is

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

and she was raised in the faith. Ware was educated at

Alleyn's School Alleyn's School is a 4–18 co-educational, independent, Church of England, day school and sixth form in Dulwich, London, England. It is a registered charity and was originally part of Edward Alleyn's College of God's Gift charitable foundation ...

, a co-educational independent school in Dulwich in South London, where she was a schoolmate of Florence Welch,

Jack Peñate Jack Peñate (; born 2 September 1984) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Early life Peñate was born in London on 2 September 1984, the son of an English mother and Spanish father. His maternal grandfather was author Mervyn Peake ...

, and Felix White of the Maccabees. She then attended the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

, where she graduated with a degree in English literature. After her studies, Ware briefly worked as a journalist at ''

The Jewish Chronicle ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', did sports journalism at '' The Daily Mirror'' and worked behind the scenes at TV company Love Productions. There, she was a colleague of Erika Leonard, otherwise known as

E. L. James Erika Mitchell (born 7 March 1963), known by her pen name E. L. James, is a British author. She wrote the best-selling erotic romance trilogy ''Fifty Shades of Grey'', '' Fifty Shades Darker'', and '' Fifty Shades Freed'', along with the compa ...

, the author of ''

Fifty Shades of Grey ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' is a 2011 erotic romance novel by British author E. L. James. It became the first instalment in the ''Fifty Shades'' novel series that follows the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, ...

''.

Music career

2009–2011: Career beginnings

In the years prior to releasing her first solo album, Ware did backing vocals at live shows for

(who took her on tour in the U.S.) and Man Like Me. Ware said she learned a lot during her time with Jack Peñate: "Performing with him was really good training, because I got to learn all about how other people do it – I was able to perform live without the pressure of being a lead singer. It gave me a taste of what to expect, and it prepared me for what I’m doing now." One of Peñate's bandmates, Tic, first introduced Ware to SBTRKT; Ware and SBTRKT went on to collaborate on "Nervous" (2010). She consequently met

Sampha Sampha Lahai Sisay (born 16 November 1988) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer from Morden, South London. Sampha is widely known for his collaborative work with Kendrick Lamar, SBTRKT, Jessie Ware, Drake, Kanye ...

, then known as SBTRKT's main collaborator. They created " Valentine" together, which was released on a special edition, heart-shaped vinyl by Young Turks in 2011. "Valentine" was partly inspired by James Blake's song "

The Wilhelm Scream "The Wilhelm Scream" is a song by English musician James Blake, released on his self-titled debut studio album. It is a cover of the song "Where to Turn" by Blake's father, James Litherland. The single was released in the United Kingdom on 3 ...

" and based on their own personal experiences in love. The music video for "Valentine" was directed by

Marcus Söderlund Marcus Söderlund is a Swedish music video, commercial and documentary director. He has directed music videos for several Swedish artists such as Yung Lean, The Tough Alliance, jj, Fibes, Oh Fibes!, Jens Lekman and Miike Snow, and has worked wi ...

. "Nervous", "Valentine" and an additional collaboration with DJ Joker ("The Vision") led Ware to a record deal with

PMR Records PMR Records is an independent record label founded by Ben and Daniel Parmar in 2011. Initially building recognition as a quintessentially British outlet plugged in to local dance/electronic music culture, with a keen awareness of the trajectory ...

. She also featured on ''

Ceremonials ''Ceremonials'' is the second studio album by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine. It was released on 28 October 2011 by Island Records. The band started working on the album in 2010 and finished it in 2011. The standard edition of ...

'', the 2011 album by

Florence and the Machine Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2007, consisting of lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, harpist Tom Monger, and ...

in which her good friend Florence Welch is lead singer. On 14 October 2011, Ware released her debut solo single "Strangest Feeling" on limited 10" purple vinyl, although the song did not chart on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

2011–2013: ''Devotion''

On 20 August 2012, Ware released her debut album '' Devotion'', which peaked at number five on the

. She then released "

Running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This i ...

" on 24 February 2012 as the lead single from her debut studio album, '' Devotion''. " 110%" was released as the album's second single on 13 April, peaking at number 61 in the United Kingdom. "

" was released as the album's third single on 29 June, peaking at number 46 in the United Kingdom. "Night Light" was released as the fourth single on 24 August. ''Devotion'' was announced as a nominee for the prestigious

that year. Ware toured in the United Kingdom in the early part of March 2013, supported by

Laura Mvula Laura Mvula ( Douglas; born 23 April 1986) is a British singer. A native of Birmingham, England, Mvula has gained experience as a young member or leader of a cappella, jazz/neo-soul and gospel groups and choirs. She was classically trained. In ...

, starting with Cambridge, Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham, Oxford, Bristol and ending in London. The United Kingdom tour was followed by a European tour in the second half of March 2013 and a US tour in April 2013. In the summer of 2013, Ware played many festivals all over the world, and at the end of 2013, Jessie went on tour in the United States again.

2014–2018: ''Tough Love'' and ''Glasshouse''

Ware's second album, '' Tough Love'', was released on 6 October 2014. Ware began writing the album earlier that year. The album peaked at number nine on the

, becoming her second top ten album. "Tough Love" was the first single to be taken from the album and released on 3 August 2014. "Tough Love" was compared to "Prince at his minimalist '80's best" by

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

. "Tough Love" is produced together with BenZel, the production duo composed of London post-bass producer Two Inch Punch and mega-producer

Benny Blanco Benjamin Joseph Levin (born March 8, 1988), known professionally as Benny Blanco (stylized in all lowercase), is an American record producer. He is the recipient of the 2013 Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is als ...

who Ware previously worked with on the single "If You Love Me"; Benzel are also executive producers of the album.

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently re ...

co-wrote the song "Say You Love Me". Ware played the Wilderness Festival (7–10 August 2014); a pair of additional dates at Berlin Festival 2014 (6 July 2014) and Sopot Gulf of Art (26 July 2014) that year. Ware contributed a song for

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accents ...

's third studio album, '' The Pinkprint'' (2014), called "The Crying Game" in which Minaj alternates between "devastating verses and pensive crooning" whilst Ware adds "haunting" and "soulful" vocals to the chorus. Originally, Ware only received a songwriting credit, but she was then credited on updated versions of the album. She also co-wrote the song " New Man" for

's third album, '' ÷'', and provided background vocals on it and two other songs. In October 2017, Ware returned to the stage after a two-year absence in anticipation of the release of her third studio album, '' Glasshouse''. Featuring contribution from

Francis and the Lights Francis and the Lights is an American pop project led by Francis Farewell Starlite. The term "and the Lights" refers both to the lights on a stage and pixels on a computer screen. Starlite often uses the Francis and the Lights name when credit ...

Cashmere Cat Magnus August Høiberg (born 29 November 1987), known professionally as Cashmere Cat, is a Norwegian DJ, record producer, songwriter and musician. He is best known for producing songs for artists including Kanye West, The Kid Laroi, Selena Gomez ...

Julia Michaels Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. (For further details on etymology, see the Wiktionary entry "Julius".) The given name ''Julia'' had been in use throughout Late Antiquity (e.g ...

and others, it was preceded by its first three singles "

Midnight Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours ...

", " Selfish Love" and " Alone". ''Glasshouse'' debuted and peaked at number seven on the

. In October 2018, Ware released the single "Overtime", later to be included on ''What's Your Pleasure (The Platinum Pleasure Edition)'' in 2021.

2020–2021: ''What's Your Pleasure?''

Ware's ''

'' was released on 27 June 2020, after being pushed back from its initial release date of 5 June. The first single from the album, " Adore You", was released in February 2019. This was followed by "Mirage (Don't Stop)" in November, "

Spotlight Spotlight or spot light may refer to: Lighting * Spot lights, automotive auxiliary lamps * Spotlight (theatre lighting) * Spotlight, a searchlight * Stage lighting instrument, stage lighting instruments, of several types Art, entertainment, an ...

" in February 2020 and then " Ooh La La" in April, "

Save a Kiss "Save a Kiss" is the fifth single by English singer-songwriter Jessie Ware off her fourth studio album, ''What's Your Pleasure?'' It was released 7 May 2020. It was written by Ware, James Ford, Shungudzo Kuyimbia and Danny Parker. Ford also pro ...

" in May and "What's Your Pleasure?" in July. The album was met with widespread critical acclaim. In April 2021, Ware announced an expanded edition of the album titled ''What’s Your Pleasure? The Platinum Pleasure Edition'' with a 11 June release date, along with the release of the single "Please." The reissue features seven additional songs, including singles "Overtime", "Please", and "Hot N Heavy", and a remix of "Adore You", for a total of eight additional tracks. Later that year, she collaborated with

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...

on the reissue of Minogue's fifteenth studio album ''

Disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...

'' entitled ''Disco: Guest List Edition.'' Their song " Kiss of Life" was released on 29 October 2021. Their collaboration after Minogue appeared on ''Table Manners'' in September 2020. In the episode, the pair spoke about writing together. Ware later joked that she'd "bullied" Minogue into a duet as the two further discussed a collaboration.

2022–present: Upcoming fifth studio album

During a set at the

2022 Glastonbury Festival The 2022 Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts took place between 22 and 26 June. The three headlining acts were Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar and Paul McCartney, with Diana Ross performing in the Legend's slot. This is the f ...

, Ware premiered a new single, "Free Yourself". It was released on July 19. The disco track was produced by Stuart Price.

Other work

Towards the end of 2017, Ware launched a podcast, produced with her mother, called ''Table Manners'' for Acast and Island Records about "family, food and the art of a good old chit-chat", featuring a new guest each week on the show. The first episode became available on 8 November 2017 and featured British singer-songwriter and friend

Sam Smith Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. After rising to prominence in October 2012 by featuring on Disclosure's breakthrough single "Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, they ...

. The show has since entered its tenth season, including guests such as

Randy Jackson Randall Darius Jackson (born June 23, 1956) is an American record executive and television presenter, perhaps best known as a judge on ''American Idol'' from 2002 to 2013. Jackson began his career in the 1980s as a session musician playing ba ...

Nigella Lawson Nigella Lucy Lawson (born 6 January 1960) is an English food writer and television cook. She attended Godolphin and Latymer School, London. After graduating from the University of Oxford, where she was a member of Lady Margaret Hall, Lawson st ...

, Sandy Toksvig,

Daniel Kaluuya Daniel Kaluuya (; born 24 February 1989) is a British actor. Prominent both on screen and stage, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and nomin ...

, Paloma Faith,

George Ezra George Ezra Barnett (born 7 June 1993) is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. After releasing two EPs, '' Did You Hear the Rain?'' (2013) and '' Cassy O (2014), Ezra rose to prominence with the release of his hit single, "Budapest", ...

Annie Mac Annie Mac (born 18 July 1978), is an Irish DJ, broadcaster and writer. She hosted a variety of shows on BBC Radio 1, including BBC Switch and ''Future Sounds''. She also DJed in various locations, including hosting her AMP (Annie Mac Presents) ...

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

and

. On 23 January 2019, Ware announced on her Instagram that she had created a unique premium kidswear collaboration called "Anyware Kids" launching online and in selected retailers Spring 2019, developed by award-winning designer George Reddings. The website officially went live on 31 March 2019. In 2021, Ware appeared as a guest judge on the second series of ''

RuPaul's Drag Race UK ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK'' is a British reality competition television series based on the American television series of the same name. The television series, a collaboration between the BBC and World of Wonder, premiered on 3 October 2019. T ...

''. Her appearance was announced on 27 December 2020. She expressed her delight on Twitter, writing, "Dreams do come true!!!!! Had such a great time with them."

Philanthropy

Ware is a

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to c ...

UK ambassador and travelled with them to

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mo ...

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the ...

and

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

to see the work they are doing there to help children who have fled violence. On 15 November 2014, Ware joined the charity group Band Aid 30 along with other British and Irish pop acts, recording the latest version of the track " Do They Know It’s Christmas?" at Sarm West Studios in

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road Ma ...

, London, to raise money for the 2014 Ebola crisis in

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali ...

. Ware was also part of the lineup for " Artists for Grenfell" charity single which was released to raise money for the families of the victims of the

Grenfell Tower fire On 14 June 2017, a high-rise fire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of flats in North Kensington, West London, at 00:54 BST and burned for 60 hours. 72 people died, two later in hospital, with more than 70 injured and 223 esca ...

in June 2017 and for The London Community Foundation.

Personal life

In August 2014, Ware married her childhood friend, Sam Burrows, whom she had met at school, on the Greek island of

Skopelos Skopelos ( el, Σκόπελος, ) is a Greek island in the western Aegean Sea. Skopelos is one of several islands which comprise the Northern Sporades island group, which lies east of the Pelion peninsula on the mainland and north of the island ...

, where the couple had previously become engaged. They have three children: a daughter (born September 2016) and two sons (born June 2019 and July 2021 respectively). Ware is Jewish. In 2021, she discussed her plans to have a Bat Mitzvah as an adult. She is a fan of

Manchester United F.C. Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd), or simply United, is a professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. The club competes in the Premier League, ...

She endorsed

Jess Phillips Jessica Rose Phillips (; born 9 October 1981) is a British politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Yardley since 2015. A member of the Labour Party, she has been Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguardi ...

as leader in the 2020 Labour Party leadership election.

Discography

* '' Devotion'' (2012) * '' Tough Love'' (2014) * '' Glasshouse'' (2017) * ''

'' (2020)

Tours

* Devotion Tour (2012) * Night + Day Tour (2013) * Tough Love World Tour (2014) * Glasshouse Tour (2018) * What's Your Pleasure? Tour (2021-2022) * Love On Tour (2022) (Supporting

Harry Styles Harry Edward Styles (born 1 February 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. His musical career began in 2010 as a solo contestant on the British music competition series '' The X Factor''. Following his elimination, he was brough ...

) Chicago dates only

Awards and nominations

Throughout her career, Ware has been nominated for several awards including six

nominations, four of them being for British Female Solo Artist. Also her debut album '' Devotion'' was shortlisted for the

for Album of the Year. On 17 June 2013, Ware was named as the

Skiddle ''Skiddle'' is a primary ticket outlet and online events guide based in the UK, with offices in Manchester, Liverpool, London and Preston dealing with event bookings, registrations, promotion and online ticket sales. It concentrates its core bus ...

Artist of the Week.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ware, Jessie 1984 births Alumni of the University of Sussex English Jews English women singer-songwriters English soul singers English women pop singers English feminists Feminist musicians Jewish singers People educated at Alleyn's School People from London Singers from London People from Hammersmith Living people British contemporary R&B singers English women in electronic music 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English singers Sophisti-pop musicians Ballad musicians Labour Party (UK) people Island Records artists Interscope Records artists