It's been a pretty spectacular two years for Jess Glynne. She featured on several number ones in 2014, including Clean Bandit's Rather Be, and Route 94's My Love; and then her debut single, Right Here, made the top 10. In March 2015, her second single, Hold my Hand, was a huge hit that held the number one spot for three weeks, and after her debut album, I Cry When I Laugh, entered the UK Album Charts at number one at the end of August, she must have been pinching herself. Did she ever think she would achieve this kind of success so quickly? In a word, no.
“The success of Rather Be and My Love has been absolutely overwhelming,” she says, with a smile. “I couldn’t have asked for a better response, but when Hold My Hand went to number one, it was on a whole other level, as that was my first number one as a solo artist. For me, songs have a strong emotional connection, and to see the response to Hold My Hand and Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself has been amazing! It's a great feeling to know that people connect to these songs in the same way I do.”
I Cry When I Laugh is a fantastic mix of anthems, beats, and touching piano-led ballads, and features collaborations with a string of internationally renowned performers: Knox Brown, Naughty Boy, Starsmith, and Talal Riley, just to name a few. So what's the story behind the album title, then?
“[smiles] Well, the title is an actual fact about me, I really do cry when I laugh! But the overall theme is one of happiness, and never giving up,” she admits, openly. “At the time of writing this album, I was going through quite a tough break up, but I didn’t want the music to be sad, so I decided to make music about focusing on the positive, and living life to the fullest. You could almost say it's about hope out of heartbreak. Musically, it’s a combination of the things I love: soul, r&b, hip-hop, and dance.
"When I recorded Ain’t Got Far To Go with Knox Brown, that was the moment I really felt I was making the album that represented me, and Janeé 'Jin Jin' Bennett has been with me right from the start. She really understands me, and what I’m going through. And then there's Starsmith; he has really helped craft the record, and take it over the finish line. Now I honestly just can't wait to get out there and perform these songs to as many people as possible!"
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