Jessie Ware Quotations

I've turned down songs that would be much easier to play on the radio that I don't think should be on the album. Maybe I've shot myself in the foot.

I always liked how people like Grace Jones and Annie Lennox pushed it with the videos. I'm not the most stylish person at all, but there's something about playing dress-up for the day and playing the role of a singer.

I feel like I've got far more gay fans in America... Maybe they caught wind that I have a cute Jewish brother who's gay.

I have moments, like a guy saying to me on the tube, "You know, you look a lot like Jessie Ware."

American fans want to meet you, and they wait for that autograph by the stage door. In the UK, it doesn't really happen that much.

I sung from an early age and I was always given nice parts in school musicals, but I definitely wasn't the golden girl. I didn't have the guts. You've got to have a real confidence in yourself to be like: "I'm gonna be a singer and write songs." I never thought it would go anywhere because it's so unattainable to be a singer.

My grandfather was a Russian-Jewish immigrant who lived in Northern Ireland and apparently when he sang in the synagogue he made everyone cry.

I went to university and studied English literature, and I forgot about music. I was gonna be a journalist. But then I decided to try and be a backing singer, and my mum was like, "Go for it." If that didn't work, I was gonna go to law school. I was just being boringly sensible; trying to be a singer felt a bit indulgent.

If you're from South London you feel like you're always trying to win people over, so perhaps that underdog passion comes through.

If I make a song where I'm happy, I sound completely mad - I think my voice is better-suited for sadder songs.

Ice cream is my comfort food.

There are so many great singers out there.

I can't eat before I go onstage because I've learnt that burping on stage isn't a good thing. It's all about acid reflux.

I am just trying to keep it real.

Good music shouldn't have a shelf life.

A female vocal can lift a song.

Meanwhile, I get to make an album. I feel like I've been very lucky. There is a guilt when I see people I know who work really hard, then I'm like, "Oh, I've got to do an interview today." I'm so appreciative of all of this, but it does feel like the bubble will burst at some point and it will all have been a dream.

For me 'You & I Forever' is celebrating the person you love being by your side. This is what it means to others

I had just finished a run of shows in the States and went to NY to work with BenZel for a couple weeks, mainly as a different focus to touring. I didn't have any expectations or pressures with what would come out of those two weeks, and think 'Tough Love' sums this up. It was me experimenting with my voice and having fun with it. It just felt right and kind of dictated the route of the next album, much like 'Devotion' did on my first album

I've become one of those annoying people who brings their own food on to planes.

I started meeting the right people, like [producer] Dave [Okumu], who explained to me how songwriting is really simple - "just like shitting," he said. "You gotta let it all out." When he put it like that, however disgusting it is, it made a lot of sense to me.

I dress in a sophisticated and classy way - I always dress in a way I know my mother wouldn't be embarrassed to see.

I did my dissertation on Kafka.

I don't know if fame will come.

I want to look classy and sophisticated. For the "Running" video, I wanted to make a bit of a statement and to be slightly over-the-top. I'm not taking the piss out of myself, but I'm not taking myself too seriously, either. I'm just having fun and trying to pretend I'm a pop star, really.

I'm not a complicated person.

I would like to think I am feminist in some sorts.

I want to be as feminine and classic as possible.

I always have to pretend I'm somebody else to give the best performance. It kind of feels like I'm acting; it's definitely an exaggerated version of me. I'm a very normal, down-to-earth person, but I wanted the videos to be striking, so I have to lay it on a little bit.

I love Barbra Streisand and Sade who've both had careers in soul and I want my music to have that timeless quality that isn't necessarily now.

I like how strong Sade is and how she doesn't give away too much.

I guess I'm a real fan of older music, and that's what shaped my taste and the way I sing.

I tried a couple of pop writers - none of the big, big, big ones - but it didn't work for me. I do have a commercial voice; I'm not quirky. I'm very normal and that's probably why I like people like Barbra Streisand and Whitney Houston. It's no-nonsense. They sing well, and that's it.

I don't think too far ahead because I want to appreciate what's happening now.

I don't know if I should say this, but I feel more like a singer than an artist.

Dance music has pushed its way into the mainstream. Which is good for me.