• October 20, 1989
• Jessica Hannah "Jess" Glynne grew up in London's Muswell Hill neighborhood, the child of music-loving parents. Her father owns a high-end estate agency in central London and her mother, Alexandra, is a former Atlantic A&R rep who quit when her daughter was born.
• She honed her soulful raspy voice from an early age. "I was just obsessed with soul singers who had these big powerful voices," Glynne recalled to The Independent. "I used to listen to Aretha, Whitney, Mariah and try and imitate them, note for note and riff for riff."
• Glynne's first sung in public during assemblies at Rhodes Avenue Primary School with her best friend. She recalled to MTV UK: "We used to sing 'Hero' by Mariah Carey; it was like my favourite song, we were obsessed with it. We'd do it as a duet and it's the first I remember performing. At secondary school I did a talent show and what did I sing? Hero [laughs]."
• The secondary school that Glynne attended, Fortismere School, has seen several other famous musicians pass through its classrooms. Its other famous pupils include Ray and Dave Davies of The Kinks and Rod Stewart.
• Glynne liked school as a kid, but not for academic reasons – it was the social life she enjoyed, "I talked out of turn a lot and got in quite a lot of trouble." she recalled to Billboard magazine.
• The flame-haired songbird spent four years honing her singing and songwriting while working in a boutique, a fitness center, a hairdresser's and brand management for a drinks company, Glynne signed a contract with Atlantic Records in August 2013, enabling her to become a full time recording artist.
• Around the time that Glynne signed with Atlantic, deep house producer Route 94 approached her about providing vocals for his song "My Love." The track was released in October 2013 and after Clean Bandit heard the tune they asked Glynne to feature on their song "Rather Be."
  
  The Clean Bandit collaboration topped the UK singles chart in early 2014. It also attained top-five positions on charts across Europe and Oceania, and was a top ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100.
  
  The success of "Rather Be" helped "My Love" to gain exposure, and the song became Glynne's second UK #1.
• I Cry When I Laugh, the title of Jess Glynne's debut album, was inspired by a personality quirk. "I do actually cry when I laugh it's a known fact about me, the minute I laugh I cry," she told HMV.com. "It's a fact about me."
• Glynne came out as gay while promoting I Cry When I Laugh. She explained that several of the tracks on the album were inspired by a girl that broke her heart. The pair had dated but the girl split with Glynne shortly after she'd signed her recording contract with Atlantic.
• Jess Glynne was scheduled to perform at the Isle of Wight Festival on June 15, 2019, but she canceled her set minutes before she was due on stage. The festival's boss, John Giddings, was furious and said that Glynne would "never be booked again."
  
  "The situation with Isle of Wight was a combination of things," Glynne told Rolling Stone of her eleventh hour withdrawal. "The doctor told me my vocal cord had hemorrhaged and if I want to continue singing, I need to immediately go on vocal rest. I was really run down. I had just been on tour with Spice Girls and my body gave up on me that day. I hate canceling shows and letting people down, but in that situation, I had no choice."

Comments

More Songfacts:

Watching The WheelsJohn Lennon

In the late '70s, John Lennon slowed his roll, becoming a househusband who baked bread and took care of his young son Sean. This inspired his song "Watching The Wheels," where he discovers the benefits of taking it easy.

Take My Breath AwayBerlin

"Take My Breath Away" from Top Gun was a huge hit for Berlin, but lead singer Terri Nunn was the only band member to perform on it. This caused friction that broke up the group a year later.

ContagiousThe Isley Brothers

The Isley Brothers became the first group to score a Top 50 hit in six consecutive decades when their song "Contagious" peaked at #19 in 2001. Their first entry was their song "Shout" in 1959.

I Missed AgainPhil Collins

Phil Collins' "I Missed Again" was originally "I Miss You, Babe," and was a very somber song about his recent divorce. Collins decided to lighten it up and inject some humor into the song.

I Kissed a GirlKaty Perry

Katy Perry's breakout hit, "I Kissed A Girl," was surprising to those familiar with her past: Her parents were pastors and she started off singing Christian music.

Try AgainAaliyah

Until December 5, 1998, a song had to be issued as a single to make the Hot 100. Aaliyah's "Try Again" was the first tune to top the chart based on airplay alone, without any sales figures being included.

Editor's Picks

Dino Cazares of Fear FactorySongwriter Interviews

The guitarist/songwriter explains how he came up with his signature sound, and deconstructs some classic Fear Factory songs.

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.

TV Theme SongsFact or Fiction

Was a Beatles song a TV theme? And who came up with those Fresh Prince and Sopranos songs?

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.