Sometimes that was detrimental, though: Being kind of aware of what kind of album I wanted to make means I would second-guess myself. I felt like I could speak my mind a bit more in the studio-not that I was never told not to speak there the first time, but this time I knew what I wanted to do and was more confident in my approach to it. The new people were essentially friends too, and that was important to me. It was all the people from the first record, 'cause I adore everyone, and we're such good friends after that. What headspace were you in when writing this record? I'm interested in the kinds of things you were thinking about with Tough Love. I'm not nervous, I just want people to have it so you don't have to do this kind of ickling out, entice people to pre-order it. A lot of people probably have it now, it's probably leaked. Waiting is painful, but it's also a big deal. How does it feel to listen to these songs now, after you've put them away for a while? Tough Love is a shift away from your last record, Devotion. We caught up with Ware and talked about curbing self-doubt, the new record, Kate Bush performances and those awkward middle school years.

Tough Love comes out October 21 on PMR/Friends Keep Secrets/Interscope Records.

Two years and a world tour later, Ware's back with Tough Love, a sharper and more commanding record.Īs its title implies, the songs on Tough Love are at once compassionate and fiery, and Ware flexes her impressive vocal range over tight funk grooves, R&B and burning pop ballads, along with a star-studded group of collaborators that include Miguel, Ed Sheeran and Arctic Monkeys producer James Ford. After collaborating for years as a backup singer and working with artists like SBTRKT, the emotive singer released her stunning Mercury Prize-nominated debut, Devotion, in 2012. If you think that contemporary pop is floundering, South London soul chanteuse Jessie Ware is here to prove you wrong.

I can hear your voice jessie dance