Joss Stone rose to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist. Her second album, the similarly multi-platinum Mind Body & Soul (2004), topped the UK Albums Chart for one week and spawned the top ten hit “You Had Me”, Joss Stone’s most successful single on the UK Singles Chart to date.
Both the album and single received a nomination at the 2005 Grammy Awards, while Joss herself was nominated for Best New Artist, and in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2004, was ranked fifth as a predicted breakthrough act of 2004. She became the youngest British female singer to top the UK Albums Chart. Stone’s third album, Introducing Joss Stone, released in March 2007, achieved gold record status by the RIAA and yielded the second-ever highest debut for a British female solo artist on the Billboard 200, and became Stone’s first top five album in the US. She released her fourth album, Colour Me Free!, on 20 October 2009, which reached the top 10 on Billboard. Stone released her fifth album, LP1, on 22 July 2011, which reached the top 10 on Billboard. Throughout her career, Joss Stone has sold 14 million records worldwide, establishing herself as one of the best-selling soul artists of the 2000s, and the best-selling British artist of her time. Her first three albums have sold over 2,722,000 copies in the US, while her first two albums have sold over 2 million copies in the UK. Joss has earned numerous accolades, including two Brit Awards and one Grammy Award out of five nominations.
She made her film acting debut in 2006 with the fantasy adventure film Eragon, and made her television debut portraying Anne of Cleves in the Showtime series The Tudors in 2009. The Soul Sessions Vol. 2 (2012) is her fourth consecutive album to reach the top 10 on the Billboard 200.
Joss grew up listening to a wide variety of music including 1960s and 1970s American R&B and soul music performed by such artists as Dusty Springfield and Aretha Franklin. As a result, she developed a soulful style of singing like her idols. The first album she owned was ‘Aretha Franklin: Greatest Hits’ at the age of 10; she clicked into Soul music more than anything else because of the vocals.
Joss Stone possesses the vocal range of a mezzo-soprano and contralto. She’s famous for performing barefoot and has been described as “the white Aretha Franklin” since her debut in music industry.
Her booming, soulful voice has been described as expressive, and manages to maintain these qualities throughout the registers. Her lower range has a beautiful cool, smoky tone to it whereas the belted voice is warmer with a gutsy, passion.
To book Joss Stone for your Event or Festival, call Big Foot Events on 01253 351100 to discuss your requirements.
