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This is not the first time Katy B and Jessie Ware have shared the stage. The two British singers united at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend in May 2013 to perform a collaboration from an EP which Katy B released in December 2012. Nowadays, Ware is currently doing promotions for her sixth album ‘Superbloom’ due to be released in April, whilst Katy B has not released any music since the single ‘Paradise’ in March 2023. Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Billy Bragg also took to the stage. Bragg who is renowned for his politically charged lyricism took to Instagram earlier in the week to encourage fans of his to join him in supporting the cause. He inspired all attending to march together “to show our neighbours that we’ve got their backs” and urged fans to join him to “make unity visible”. This eclectic range of performers was a  reflection of London and the UK as a whole – a multicultural, diverse and all-compassing collection of communities.

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The march began in Park Lane where it then followed a route which finally made its way to Trafalgalar Square. Aside from speeches and performances, crowd chants of “say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here” helped to underpin one of the central themes which inspired the march. It is estimated that over a hundred charities as well as nearly fifty civil society organisations showed their support. Other celebrities who are also known to be proudly supporting the cause include Sir Lenny Henry, Paloma Faith, The Fontaines, James Acaster and Steve Coogan. Elsewhere, Green Party leader Zach Polanski and Labour MP Diane Abbott seemed to come together on a shared issue to galvanise the crowd to continue fighting for inclusion and community. In a speech to the crowd, Polanski declared “We will defeat hate. It’s time to make hope normal again.”

The Secret 7” initiative first launched in 2012, with the goal of amalgamating the interests of vinyl collectors and art enthusiasts by merging both artforms. Each year, seven different artists will release a different track which will each feature on 100 different 7” vinyl pressings. The 700 vinyls are all unique, as each sleeve is designed by a different creative, whether that be a renowned artist or a newcomer. Each version will only be available to purchase via auction, where the artist’s identity will be revealed after each record is sold.

Last year tracks from ‘War Child Present Secret 7”’ featured many legendary musicians: from Celeste’s ‘Stop This Flame’ to Paul McCartney’s ‘Pipes of Peace’ it was an unforgettable year for the initiative, as Aurora, Hozier, Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Chemical Brothers and The Specials all joined forces to raise money for the charity.

War Child presents #Secret7 is back!

This year you can design artwork for unique vinyl releases from @thecure, @frankturner, @GregoryPorter, @JessieWare, @keaneofficial, @scissorsisters and @SophieEB

Listen to the 2025 tracks and submit your design: https://t.co/OybXHXQrU5 pic.twitter.com/tO5NEu5v2H

— Secret 7” (@Secret7s) January 13, 2025

This year joining The Cure and Sophie Ellis-Bextor are Frank Turner, Gregory Porter, Jessie Ware, Keane and Scissor Sisters.

The forthcoming Secret 7” will include:

The Cure – ‘Warsong: Troxy Live 2024’

Frank Turner – ‘Be More Kind’

Gregory Porter – ‘Merchant of Paradise’

Jessie Ware – ‘Beautiful People’

Keane – ‘Black Rain’

Scissor Sisters – ‘Return to Oz’

Sophie Ellis-Bextor – ‘Devotion’ (Brand new exclusive track for War Child’s Secret 7”)

The unveiling of this year’s musical contributions for Secret 7” marks the opening of public submissions for each track’s artwork. All creatives are invited to submit their digital submissions between January 13 and February 28, here. Last year saw submissions from Stanley Donwood (renowned for creating cover art for Radiohead’s LPs), fashion designer Paul Smith, Gorillaz visual creative Jamie Hewlett and more.

Charlotte Nimmo, the Fundraising Engagement Director at War Child UK revealed motivations from this year’s Secret 7”: “This year has been horrendous for children caught up in conflict, but the money raised here will help us provide immediate emergency aid, and specialist long term support where it’s needed most”.

Continuing: “We pride ourselves on working with the best in music and creative arts to create something brilliant that ultimately changes the lives of some of the most vulnerable children around the world, and we can’t wait for everyone to see and hear, what has been created this year for Secret 7”. We are so grateful to the artists, both musical and visual, for supporting our work, and everyone that donates to help us do what we do”.

Secret 7″ brings together 7 iconic tracks from 7 of the world’s top musicians, each pressed just 100 times onto 7” vinyl.

Creatives everywhere are invited to reinterpret these tracks, producing 700 one-of-a-kind sleeve designs.

Find out more: https://t.co/JmnBcyvBHn pic.twitter.com/UXEh9gSkAQ

— Secret 7” (@Secret7s) January 13, 2025

This year’s Secret 7” edition reveals the music industry and War Child’s ongoing collaboration to raise funds for children in war stricken locations. Just recently Kate Bush released the anti-war animation ‘Little Shrew’ (which features her track ‘Snowflake’) to raise money for the charity, while The Lumineers are set to play an intimate gig at London’s Hoxton Hall on January 17 in partnership with War Child. The presence of music and art has been fundamental for War Child to bring their ethos and charitable initiatives into mainstream consciousness.

The annual Mercury Prize awards ceremony took place this week on Thursday 7th September at the Hammersmith Apollo London. The ceremony acknowledges the best of British music with their prestigious award for Album Of The Year, alongside a £25,000 prize.

Previous winners of the highly-respected award include Wolf Alice, Dave, Skepta, James Blake, and Little Simz, who took home last year’s prize with the album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert.

This year’s winners were Ezra Collective, with their 2022 album Where I’m Meant To Be, however they faced some stiff competition being shortlisted with other UK acts such as Arctic Monkeys, Loyle Carner, RAYE and Jessie Ware.

The full list of nominees for the 2023 Mercury Prize were:

• The Car by Arctic Monkeys
• Where I’m Meant to Be by Ezra Collective
• Actual Life 3 by Fred Again
• Beautiful and Brutal Yard by J Hus
• That! Feels Good! by Jessie Ware
• I Love You Jennifer B by Jockstrap
• False Lankum by Lankum
• Hugo by Loyle Carner
• Messy by Olivia Dean
• My 21st Century Blues by Raye
• Nymph by Shygirl
• Heavy Heavy by Young Fathers

Jessie Ware was nominated for her 5th studio album That! Feels Good!, which was released on April 28th of this year. The album includes singles such as “Pearls”, “Begin Again”, “Freak Me Now”, and the LP’s debut single “Free Yourself”, which the 38 year old performed live at the Mercury Prize ceremony.

Many of the other shortlisted acts performed on the Hammersmith Apollo stage, including RAYE, Shygirl, and 2023 winners Ezra Collective.

That! Feels Good! saw Jessie Ware achieve her highest placement on the American Top Album Sales chart, with the record peaking at number 16 for one week. Moreover, in the UK Albums Chart, the London-born singer celebrated her second top 3 entry, with the first being 2020’s What’s Your Pleasure?.

In July, Ware delighted fans with a new version of her song “Freak Me Now” that featured pop singer Roisin Murphy. The single was produced by electronic musician and DJ Stuart Price, who has produced for many artists including Madonna, The Killers, Gwen Stefani and more.

Jessie Ware will be hitting the road at the end of this year to promote That! Feels Good!. You can purchase tickets for the upcoming tour here.

Tour dates:

10/11/2023 – Victoria Warehouse – Manchester, UK

11/11 – Victoria Warehouse – Manchester, UK

13/11 – Barrowland Ballroom – Glasgow, UK

14/11 – Barrowland Ballroom – Glasgow, UK

17/11 – Alexandra Palace – London, UK

18/11 – Alexandra Palace – London, UK

Arctic Monkeys claim their fifth nomination for the Mercury Prize for there 7th album The Car, making them joint most nominated artists in the award history along side Radiohead.

A popular fan favourite single from the album The Car by Arctic Monkeys “There better be a mirror ball.”  along with singles such as “Perfect sense” and “Hello you” could see a second time win for the band.

Mercury Prize Awards celebrates its 32nd year, although last years show was cancelled out of respect, for Queen Elizabeth’s II death.

This years show will go ahead in all its glory on September 7th at 9pm and will be played on BBC 4 and on iPlayer, along with full coverage, from BBC Radio 6, as well as all BBC online and social media outlets. Showcasing some amazing artists, and their latest albums, viewers and listeners will have a whole host of talent to look forward to.

London’s Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, will hold this years award show and tickets are available to purchase. Hosting this years Mercury Awards is DJ and Television presenter Lauren Laverne. There is no further announcement as to whether she will have a guest presenter along side her.

Each performer announced will feature 10 live and two pre-recorded performances at the award show; however, both Arctic Monkeys and Fred Again will be touring in September and unable to attend this years show. Instead, a special film will be shown, to celebrate both of their award nominated albums.

Mercury awards see’s four nominations for the second time, from acts Jhus, Loyle Carner, Young Father and Jessie Ware.

Jessie Ware on release of her album That! Feels Good! which is the title track to the first song, wrote on her official Instagram page to say, “This album is no longer mine, its all yours!”

Jessie Ware in an interview with NME, commented on how she felt to be nominated for her album That! Feels Good!, a decade on since her last Mercury nomination. She said, “It’s nice to see brilliant artists and lovely to be amongst them. It’s amazing to be up for my second Mercury a decade on, and I feel proud of myself.”

This highly sort after award has previously been won by the likes of Portishead in 1995 with their album Dummy, Badly Drawn Boy in 2000 with album The Hour of Bewilderbeast and Arctic Monkeys in 2006 with album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not.

Mercury Prize Award has no categories, and is open to all musical genres, with 12 shortlisted ‘Album of the Year’ with 1 winner. The artist to win the award will take home, not only the ‘Album of the Year’ trophy, but also a cash prize of £25,000 pounds. Not to mention blow up their social media and public awareness.

The ceremony, which takes place on Thursday, 17 September, will honour the best British or Irish album released in the past year and provide the usual musical spectacle with live performances from many of the nominated artists and bands.

The first name on the 2023 shortlist is Arctic Monkeys, who claim a fifth nomination for their latest LP The Car – making them the joint most-nominated act in Mercury history alongside Radiohead. While Alex Turner and co. previously landed the award for their breakout album Whatever People Say I am, That’s What I’m Not in 2007, Radiohead have never won.

Listen to “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball” from The Car:

The Sheffield band’s rivals this year include four second-time nominees: Loyle Carner, J Hus, Young Fathers and Jessie Ware – the latter of whom received her first Mercury recognition in 2012. Ware’s fifth studio album That! Feels! Good! was met with universal acclaim, impressing critics and earning her a second top-three entry on the UK Albums Chart.

Listen to “Free Yourself” from That! Feels! Good!:

Meanwhile, Shygirl, Olivia Dean, Raye and experimental pop duo Jockstrap – whose latest studio effort I Love You Jennifer B claimed a top-ten position on both BrooklynVegan and Clash’s end of year lists – make their Mercury debut.

Other nominations include Fred Again.. with Actual Life 3, jazz ensemble Ezra Collective with Where I’m Meant To Be and the Mercury’s infamous “token” folk nomination – False Lankum by Irish group Lankum, whose new album has been hailed as the OK Computer of modern folk.

Listen to “Go Dig My Grave” from False Lankum:

While Raye’s inclusion on the shortlist brings the most vindication after her 2021 departure from Polydor and subsequent self-release of My 21st Century Blues, Fred Again..’s nomination has left bemusement in its wake, with the Independent describing his selection as “part of a long Mercury Prize tradition of championing at least one eye-rollingly bad album each year”.

A whole number of major pop acts didn’t make the final twelve, with Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, The 1975, Gorillaz, Lewis Capaldi and Rina Sawayama all missing out on nominations for their eligible albums. Little Simz, who won the award last year after beating stiff competition from the likes of Harry Styles and Sam Fender, also wasn’t shortlisted for her new album No Thank You.

See the full list of nominations below:

Arctic Monkeys – The Car
Ezra Collective – Where I’m Meant to Be
Fred Again.. – Actual Life 3
J Hus – Beautiful and Brutal Yard
Jessie Ware – That! Feels Good!
Jockstrap – I Love You Jennifer B
Lankum – False Lankum
Loyle Carner – Hugo
Olivia Dean – Messy
Raye – My 21st Century Blues
Shygirl – Nymph
Young Fathers – Heavy Heavy

Check out the official shortlist here.

The dance-pop diva took to social media on the 25^th April to announce the ten-date tour. Ware will be jetting off to the States to play around North America this October before returning to the UK to play three shows in Manchester, London, and Glasgow in November.

Tickets go on sale for the tour on Friday 28^th April at 10 am BST. Click here for tickets and more information.

Jessie wrote in the caption to the announcement, “I have never been more ready to tour an album! Touring my last album was the biggest thrill for me…the dancing, the choreo, I loved it all. The That! Feels Good! tour will be a continuation of that…but even bigger, even better, and even more dancing and a whole lot more of YOU!! My biggest UK shows ever!!”

Ware will also be playing three dates in Europe this summer in Portlaw, Paredes de Coura, and Biddinghuizen.

That! Feels! Good!, Ware’s fifth studio album, is out tomorrow (28^th April). The album is preceded by three euphoric singles in Jessie’s signature playful and sensual style: “Free Yourself”, “Pearls”, and “Begin Again”. Watch the video for “Pearls” below:

In an interview with the Independent, she said she wanted this album to “feel sensual and sexy”. She listed her influences for the soul and funk-inspired album as Minnie Riperton, Teena Marie, and Rotary Connection.

So far, the album has been a hit with critics receiving praise from NME, Financial Times, The Skinny, and Our Culture Mag. NME dubbed Ware a “forward-facing pop visionary” and gave the album a four-star rating. With vocals from fellow nu-disco icon Roisin Murphy, disco dabbler Kylie Minogue, and Jessie’s own mum Lennie Ware on the title track, how could it not be marvellous?

Co-producing the album is member of the Last Shadow Puppets and record producer James Ford and prolific record producer, DJ, and electronic musician Stuart Price. Ford worked with Ware on her previous LP.

In 2020, Ware’s fourth album, What’s Your Pleasure, put the artist firmly back in the spotlight. The record not only received widespread critical acclaim and a spot at number three on the UK album charts but also earned Ware a Brits Award nomination for Album of the Year. Jessie released the deluxe edition of the album What’s Your Pleasure? Platinum Pleasure including the sensational “Please” in 2021.

For Jessie Ware’s full UK & Europe dates see below:

04/08/23 – Curraghmore House & Gardens – Portlaw
16/08 – Praia fluvial do Taboão – Paredes de Coura
18/08 – Lowlands Festival – Biddinghuizen
10/11 – Victoria Warehouse – Manchester
13/ 11 – Barrowlands – Glasgow
17/11 – Alexandra Palace – London

‘’Pearls. Coming Thursday.’’

Ware announced the news of her upcoming album on her Instagram, with a glamorous photo of herself draped in pearls, captioning ‘’Proud to present my fifth album, That! Feels Good! To you all. Out 28th April & available to pre-order now. In the meantime, enjoy Pearls xxx’’

Jessie Ware has released four albums within her career, such as Devotion (2012), Tough Love (2014), Glasshouse (2017) and What’s Your Pleasure (2020).

Her fourth and most recent album was released in June 2020, with the album What’s Your Pleasure? 2020 was a year where most music was heard from the comfort of our own homes, due to the pandemic, but it didn’t stop Jessie Ware from generating success from the album release.

Jessie Ware worked with a range of co-writers and producers to develop the 2020 album, which combines genres such as disco, funk and pop.

The album overall was a commercial success and was nominated for album of the year at the 2021 Brits Awards. What’s Your Pleasure was the most downloaded album of the initial weekend it was released and it debuted at number three in the UK albums chart.

A reissue of the album was released in 2021, subtitled The Platinum Pleasure Edition.

The Londoner’s most recent music release was a single in August 2022, called ‘’Free Yourself” and In 2021, she teamed up Aussie pop star, Kylie Minogue, for the song ‘’Kiss of Life’’, which appeared on Minogue’s Disco: Guest List Edition LP.

Jessie Ware has received many recognitions throughout her successful music career. Being nominated for Six Brits Awards, Ware has also been nominated for a Mercury Prize and a MTV Europe Music Award, as well as a range of many other award nominations.

As well as her musical roots, Jessie Ware hosts a podcast with her Chef mother, Lennie Ware. The podcast is called ‘Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware’ and discusses family, food and general chit chat which is all at the comfort of her very own dinner table. Guests from the music industry, food industry and other fields of expertise, such as politics and culture, join their discussions. The podcast won ‘NME award for best podcast’ in 2020.

Jessie supported Harry Styles on his North American tour last year, in support of his album ‘Harry’s House.’ The tour was a huge success and a career high for Styles.

Jessie Ware’s upcoming album release is available to pre-order here. Her new single ‘Pearls’ is out now and you can listen to it here.

Ware co-wrote Remember Where You Are with The Last Shadow Puppets multi-instrumentalist James Ford; Zimbabwean-American folk-pop singer-songwriter Alexandra Shungudzo Govere; and Danny Parker, who has previously written tracks for Britney Spears, Shawn Mendes and Louisa Johnson. The single edit of the song retains the upbeat feel of the album version, whilst shaving two minutes off the running time.

Commenting on the release on her Instagram account, Ware said: “‘Remember Where You Are’ is finally coming out as a single – because Barack Obama gave it the seal of approval in his end of year song playlist (god bless ya Sasha Obama for putting Daddio onto Jessie Ware) and because I know how many of you love it. Thank you for all the messages about this song. It means a lot. We wrote it at a time of uncertainty but never did we expect Covid 19 to come and now, once again, this song has taken on a new poignancy.”

What’s Your Pleasure? – which was recorded over two years at London’s iconic Abbey Road Studios – was a commercial and critical success; reaching number #3 in the Official UK Albums chart and featuring prominently in numerous record-of-the-year lists compiled by the likes of The Needle Drop (#1), Rolling Stone (#9), Slate (#3), and Under The Radar (#5). The Guardian hailed the album’s “defiantly sexy, plush post-disco“; while NME described the LP as “pure escapism” and an “intoxicating cocktail of seductive beats, exhilarating choruses and sleek production.”

Ware had been hopeful of taking the record on the road across the UK this spring, with nine dates pencilled in for April. However, the ongoing uncertainty caused by the pandemic has forced the Londoner to push the shows back to the tail-end of the year, with existing tickets remaining valid for the rescheduled gigs. Addressing fans on Instagram this week, the singer said: “I’m so so sorry we can’t make the April WYP tour work, it’s just not safe yet. We have been working so hard to try and get dates that seem logical and as close as possible, whilst also being safe. Because when I tour this album, we are going to need to be up close and personal with each other!”

Ware added “There’s going to be dancing, dirty dancing, kissing, touching and hugging strangers and lovers! It’s going to be so much fun and to do it properly – and sensibly – this is when I have been advised, so we’ll see each other in December. I can’t wait. But I am sorry you’re going to have to wait a little longer for What’s Your Pleasure live. I promise it will be worth it.”

I’m so sorry we can’t make the April What’s Your Pleasure? tour work, it’s just not safe yet BUT we’ll see each other in December and I can’t wait. I promise it will be worth it. Original tickets remain valid on rescheduled dates. Get tickets HERE: https://t.co/Bvn2s3JbIg pic.twitter.com/w3TXAviqTN

— Jessie Ware (@JessieWare) February 5, 2021

A busy year lies ahead for Ware – not least as she is expecting her third child, as unveiled on last night’s edition of The Graham Norton Show. In June the Hammersmith native will also release a new book, Omelette: Food, Love, Chaos and Other Conversations, a ‘food memoir’ that follows in the footsteps of the singer’s acclaimed Table Manners podcast.

It’s almost a month now since the “Wildest Moments” singer dropped ‘What’s Your Pleasure?‘. The record is Ware’s glorious venture into the sonic territory of disco music, and even since the album has received widespread criticism for its lush and exquisite production, marking it Ware’s best album to date.

After the series of dance videos of songs from the albums with the likes of “Step into My Life“, “The Kill“, “Soul Control“, and “In Your Eyes“, the title track now gets a video treatment with the songstress herself starring in it. Directed by Vicky Lawton, the clip features Ware and few other dancers flaunting sensual moves like it’s a good old time when disco ruled the music scene.

“I love this video, I love this song and I love how filthy you’re all gonna be in the comments,” Ware wrote on an Instagram post about the “What’s Your Pleasure?” video.

ดูโพสต์นี้บน Instagram

WHAT’S.YOUR. PLEASHUUUUURRR Choreo – @icouldneverbeadancer Director – @vickylawton Prod : @blairurale Make up – @francescabrazzo Styling – @nellkalonji / @veritymaylane Hair – @patrickwilson Big thank you to my amazing dancers, @simonepowderly , @annaengerstrom , Barbara, @meshhenry, @Guillaumequeau and @prncejon – absolutely loved having you dancing, giving it everything being so up for it. I love this video, I love this song and I love how filthy you’re all gonna be in the comments.

โพสต์ที่แชร์โดย Jessie Ware (@jessieware) เมื่อ ก.ค. 24, 2020 เวลา 12:11am PDT

Ware is not the only artist in the scene right now who hopped on the disco genre. Dua Lipa’s ‘Future Nostalgia‘ is the first record of 2020 that slays hard with the disco element mixed with contemporary pop tunes. ‘Chromatica‘ by Lady Gaga is another impressive gigantic pop album based on dance and disco music. Meanwhile, pop legendary Kylie Minogue is the latest in the biz who recently jumpstarted a brand-new disco era with “Say Something” from upcoming fifteenth studio album ‘DISCO‘.

Back to Ware, in April 2021, the 35-year-old will go on tour in support of the latest LP all around the UK. The entire run comprises nine shows in total, two of which will take place at O2 Academy Brixton, London. Elsewhere, later this year, the “Save a Kiss” stunner also plans to launch a cookbook, inspired by her own podcast, Table Manner, run with her mother.

‘What’s Your Pleasure?‘ is available now on every streaming platform and as physical copies. Have a listen if you haven’t tried this pop excellency.

‘What’s Your Pleasure?‘ Live Tour 2021 dates
14/04/2021 — O2 Academy — Glasgow
15/04 — O2 Academy — Newcastle
16/04 — O2 Academy — Leeds
18/04 — Victoria Warehouse — Manchester
19/04 — Birmingham Academy — Birmingham
21/04 — Marble Factory — Bristol
22/04 — Guildhall — Southampton
24/04 — O2 Academy Brixton — London
25/04 — O2 Academy Brixton — London

The album, which has twelve tracks is fifty-three minutes of euphoric sounds and passionate lyrics which ends with a song called Remember Where You Are. This song, Jessie told Billboard, was written after Boris Johnson became Prime Minister and she felt the song reflects that “everything’s gone to shit, but remember what’s important” feeling that existed then and is prominent in 2020. Her intention is to remind everyone that while we feel held down by the world, we need to keep fighting.

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SO pleased you’re all loving What’s Your Pleasure? thank you @applemusic for all the amazing support on the album. If you haven’t heard it already, go have a listen xx

A post shared by Jessie Ware (@jessieware) on Jun 26, 2020 at 4:57am PDT

In an interview with Billboard, Jessie describes this album as the album she needed to make, for many reasons. One being that her previous album Glasshouse underperformed which led to a tough tour, financially and also mentally, leaving her in a “hard patch.” She also felt like her fans needed the album during the pandemic saying; “I think people need distraction at the moment, and that’s the beauty of dance and disco — it can provide euphoria.”

This is why Jessie was determined not to push the date back because of the global pandemic, instead opting to make the album as visual as possible, creating lyric videos and making the fans feel as involved. She added; “I know loads of people are going to get fans dancing, but we’re just trying to make it feel as artistic as possible. If we can get a visual for every song, that would be amazing.”

However, when Jessie realised that her original album release date would coincide with Junteenth, a celebration in America to honour the day of the emancipation of enslaved people in America on the 19th of June 1865, she decided to postpone the release of the album until the 26th of June. Jessie said in an Instagram video that “It’s an incredibly important day for Black voices, and I don’t want to distract from those voices or those experiences or stories in any way.” Jessie has spoken out openly about her support for the Black Lives Matter movement on social media and in an interview with the Independent. She has also attended protests in London, which she described as “peaceful and powerful” despite the media reports.

 

 

 

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An update on my album xx A post shared by Jessie Ware (@jessieware) on Jun 9, 2020 at 3:07pm PDT

Jessie has also accepted the chance to perform this album at Glastonbury 2021. While talking to the event organiser Emily Eavis on Jessie’s podcast Table Manners, Eavis asked Jessie right there and then would she perform at the festival. Jessie jumped at the chance saying; “Absolutely, 100 per cent. I was like, there, watching my opportunity to play this album pass me by.” She is the first artist confirmed for the festival.