Jess Glynne
photo: drew de f fawkes · cc by 2.0 ↗Jessica Hannah Glynne grew up in a Jewish family in Muswell Hill, North London, the daughter of a mother who worked in music A&R, and broke through in 2014 as the featured voice on Clean Bandit's 'Rather Be' and Route 94's 'My Love,' both UK number ones. Her husky, gospel-sized soul voice and euphoric dance-pop production carried her 2015 debut 'I Cry When I Laugh' and made her the first British female solo artist to score seven UK number-one singles. Across three albums she has fused classic soul phrasing with contemporary house and pop, building anthems of resilience and self-acceptance.
Glynne has said 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' was the album that motivated her to start writing songs, and Hill's confessional, plainspoken soul writing shows up in Glynne's habit of turning private hurt into direct, first-person address.
listen forCue Hill's 'Ex-Factor' before Glynne's 'Take Me Home' — listen for the same bruised, conversational ache in the verses that keeps swelling into a raw, unguarded plea over a slow, patient groove.
Glynne has named Whitney Houston among the vocal legends she draws on, and it surfaces in her full-throated, gospel-rooted belting and in the way she pairs a huge soul voice with bright, euphoric dance-pop rather than balladry.
listen forThrow on Houston's 'I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)' then Glynne's 'Hold My Hand' — hear how both ride a bright four-on-the-floor pulse straight into a wide-open, gospel-sized chorus built to be shouted back.
Glynne has cited Amy Winehouse as an important influence, and it registers in the smoky grit of her lower register and in a North London soul-revival lineage that filters classic R&B through a contemporary British voice.
listen forPlay Winehouse's 'Back to Black' next to Glynne's 'Right Here' — notice the same husky, retro-soul weight in the lower notes and the way each phrase leans a beat behind the groove before it resolves.