Beyond her powerful vocals, Jessie Ware has become known for her bold fashion statements, and Tuesday is no different.
The pop singer greets me over Zoom in a lime green silk robe, fresh from a fitting. As we chat about Mercury in Retrograde and our lunch choices, I awkwardly point out what I think is a piece of salad on her head—only to be corrected with a laugh.
“That’s not lettuce, that’s a marabou feather,” she says—a fitting accessory for Ware in her current musical era.
The British singer has been redefining disco in the 2020s, effortlessly turning every venue she steps into into the Pearl Club, accompanied by her backup singers and dancers, the Pearlettes. Ware’s rise in recent years has been nothing short of remarkable, positioning her as the UK’s modern-day answer to Donna Summer.
Known initially for her soulful ballads, Ware’s sound took a turn during the pandemic with her fourth album, What’s Your Pleasure?, which became a surprise hit.
Its sophisticated, disco-infused vibe provided a much-needed escape during lockdown. Last year, she fully embraced the party atmosphere with her fifth album, That! Feels Good!. This summer, she’s been captivating audiences across Europe and North America with her theatrical celebration of modern disco.
“It’s been amazing,” she tells The Standard. “I feel really grateful. And it’s been a big kind of leap, I feel like we are becoming that act that people want to come to and say, ‘Oh, you'll have a good time at the show’.
“And that's all I wanted. That's what all I've wanted for a very long time.”
Part of Ware’s charm lies in her ability to balance two personas—one as a pop-disco diva and the other as a down-to-earth, relatable friend. When I mention her recent onstage comment about Wildest Dreams being Taylor Swift’s favourite song, she laughs, “I really chat some s**t in my shows.”
It's this blend of self-awareness, humor, and undeniable talent that makes Ware so endearing, both on and off the stage. Her appeal only grows when I tell her she’s become the subject of Swift-lore.
A small corner of the internet believes Ware will be featured on a rumoured mixtape called Revanche, a spin-off of Swift's re-recorded Reputation (Taylor's Version) album. Though the release date is still under wraps, Ware is quick to clarify that, while she’s flattered by the speculation, there’s no truth to the rumours of a collaboration, calling the idea “f***ing jokes”.
“As much as I would love to be like ‘I couldn't possibly say’, I've never f***ing heard that, and that's amazing,” she laughed. “And I love that I'm even getting included in any of the Swifties conversations about new music that is f***ing jokes and fab.”
But that doesn’t mean she’s not open to working with Swift should the opportunity arise. Praising the American singer, she added: “To be honest, I'd love Taylor to give me a ding, because my daughter is truly obsessed, and now my husband, we all are. Our whole long car journey to Cornwall was soundtracked by Taylor's version albums, and I'm here for it.”
Ware has previously met Swift and while quipping “I'm obviously still dining out on that”, she described the superstar, who just concluded the European leg of the Eras Tour in London, as “very sweet” after she attended the show in June.
“We've got lots of mutual friends. Esta Heim always says, ‘She's one of us, girl, you'd love her. You'd love her. We've got to get you together’ so who knows, watch this space?” she said with a smile.
Ware has known Haim for years and considers them close friends after collaborating on their 2013 track Days Are Gone, alongside long-time friend Kid Harpoon, the hitmaker behind songs for Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus, Lizzo, and Florence + the Machine.
Harpoon, whose real name is Tom Hull, also worked with Ware on her debut album Devotion, where they crafted one of her most iconic tracks, Wildest Moments, a powerful bell-synth anthem.
While they haven’t teamed up since 2019’s Mirage (Don’t Stop), Ware hints at a possible reunion as she wraps up her current album cycle and looks ahead to a new musical era. She's all in for another collaboration, and she'd love to bring her old friend Jack Peñate into the mix too.
“I text him the other day,” she reveals, before adding: “I feel like there's something to be done with us three, and maybe I just need to take a trip to Los Angeles, or when he comes over here.
“I'd love to work with Kid Harpoon again. I love him. He's my really good pal and I feel like we've got some more 'Wildest Moments' in us.
“We need to just bring up the tempo this time.”
Hinting at what her next chapter could look like, Ware teases: “I've got a plan that this record is going to kind of finish off this kind of disco world that I've had so much fun in, and then the next record I kind of want to do something a bit different. So maybe that would work.”
Ware and her friend, presenter Clara Amfo, have recently teamed up with OVO for the energy company’s Beyond campaign. Ware describes it as a rewards program that offers “loads of little thank yous for greener behavior,” including exclusive VIP music experiences and events at OVO venues.
While it's now more rewarding for consumers to make eco-friendly choices, Ware is also focused on using her platform as a touring artist to encourage her fans to adopt greener habits.
“It's something that I struggle with,” she shares. Aside from the help of OVO at home, Ware explained that she’s teamed up with Murmur, a music, arts and environmental charity, with a mission to “transform these industries from the inside out”.
She continues: “There's a certain amount that's out of your hands, unfortunately. So, I think it's about trying to use your platform and trying to be able to, even if it's like the simple things of demanding on your rider that you have no plastics.”
Ware emphasised that “it takes artists working together to drive change” and pointed to examples like Ellie Goulding, who now uses “more sustainable lighting” on her tours, and Coldplay, who incorporated kinetic dance floors and energy-storing stationary bikes into their latest world tour, allowing fans to help power the show as they dance or pedal.
“I think all these things are talking points that it's about how and be it,” she adds. “As an artist, it's quite hard when you have to get on planes to go to places to be able to do your job.
“But I think it's about having bigger conversations with companies and how do we change how an artist can tour live? Because I think that's where it's quite problematic.
“But at home, you can do your bit, can't you? And you can have insulation, you can have smart meters, you can turn off you’re all of that. And I try and do that. But as an artist, I think it's important, we do have a responsibility, but it's about how does that conversation get easier to be had, and how can we move it along?”
