You can’t blame Jess Glynne for still being in bed at 12 o’clock. It’s been an exhausting year for the 24 year old, with two numbers 1s as a featured artist and one top 10 single lead single under her belt.
“Yeah, I’m just chilling. Living the dream!” she says with a laugh.
“I haven’t even been outside yet”, she replies when asked about the weather in Muswell Hill, “I went a bit too hard at V Festival, so sorry if I sound tired. I’ll have to get up soon though. I’m doing a session later in King’s Cross.”
Keeping the ball rolling, Glynne is playing as part of this year’s Guinness Amplify, a new initiative aiming to support new Irish music. What made her want to get involved?
“I think the idea behind it is great – new talents and artists being able to live their dream. There are so many amazing acts out there, and there’s more talent than ever.”
“It’s not just about the voice anymore”, she continued, “The public want that new person with a fresh face. They want to hear something different. That desire for ‘the whole package’ is more prevalent than ever.”
Glynne is quick to acknowledge, however, that breaking into the industry remains a tumultuous journey. When asked about the biggest challenge facing artists today, she says: “There is no easy way into the music industry. I had to do the music thing as well as other jobs to keep me going. Mum worked in the music industry, and I got contacts through that.”
“You have to make your own success. You have to put yourself out there. I had people saying to me, ‘Jess, is it really going to happen?’ But when people heard me sing, people were like, ‘Shit! Oh my God! Who is this?’” she laughs.
Their reaction is expected – Glynne possesses a soulful tone reminiscent of her influences Amy Winehouse and Lauryn Hill, a depth far beyond her young years. Her voice is so soulful, in fact, that numerous commenters on the video for her debut single ‘Right Here’, expressed surprise in the fact that she was white.
“It’s amazing!” she laughs again. “It’s a compliment when people think you have that much soul.”
On representation in the music industry, Glynne has been vocal. Recently, she came out in support of Ed Sheeran after he topped BBC Radio 1Xtra’s poll on the most influential artists in black and urban music. The poll was criticised by rapper Wiley, accusing the BBC of representing a “backwards” music industry.
“I didn’t say that much … “Glynne bristles.
“Look, urban music is urban music”, she says, “If people believe Ed is that person, cool. If that poll said ‘black people only’, you know what? Cool. People voted for him. That’s amazing. Across the board, let it be about the music. It should always be about the music.”
Glynne describes the year as “unreal”, having topped the charts with Clean Bandit’s baroque pop Rather Be, and Route 94?s house smash My Love. Was the magic quality of both tracks immediately obvious to her?
“When I heard those songs, I knew they were great”, Glynne says unequivocally, “I heard the potential straight away. They made for a great start to the year.”
Her own single, Right Here, showcases a much more disco-inspired sound. Does Right Here represent her best as an artist?
“I don’t think so, in all honesty”, she says, surprisingly, “It’s a bit of me, yeah. But not all of me.”
One can only assume her album, due later next year, will provide even more diversity than her previous releases?
“I think the album will be a perfect follow-up to everything. I think people are expecting a dance album. It’s far from that. It’s like … Soul, R&B and pop. Very upbeat. Prince influenced … People will be pleasantly surprised.”
Glynne is concentrating on finishing her album this year. By the sounds of it, she is not one to rush things. “It would have been very easy to put out the album this year after Rather Be and My Love. It’s easy to put out an album for the sake of it. But I didn’t want to put out an album for the sake of it.”
Glynne debuted in a year when the British market was saturated with female solo artists with competition from the likes of Chloe Howl, Foxes and Ella Henderson, did she feel on pressure to deliver as a result?
“We’re all different”, she says firmly, “It’s something we should support. We shouldn’t be pitted against each other.”
“The whole year has been a highlight!” she says, “It’s been the start of my whole career, hopefully.”
Beyond completing her album, what’s next for Jess Glynne? “In my head, the plan is: finish the album this year, and release it next year. Other than that, I like to take each day as it comes.”
She is setting her sights on America, “definitely – but all in good time.”