Expansive, lush notes course through the 13 tracks of Jessie Ware’s new project, fittingly titled Superbloom.
The album, Ware’s sixth, is a striking fusion of euphoric and vibrant sounds, built upon lyricism that speaks to the songwriter’s continued journey in defining her identity — both as an artist and as a woman navigating motherhood and relationships with others and herself.
Singles “I Could Get Used to This”, “Ride”, and “Automatic” hint at the glitter-dusted, pleasure-drenched soundscapes Superbloom has cultivated, while tracks like “Love You for” and “Mon Amor” demonstrate Ware’s determination to explore the duality between her softer side and the glamour diva that fans around the world have fallen for.
Superbloom has been an exercise in rediscovery for Ware – through the music, she has unlocked a new chapter of spirited artistry.
“It does feel like I’m just getting started, in a way. That’s what’s so exciting,” she tells Rolling Stone AU/NZ.
A self-proclaimed “41 year old popstar,” Ware’s catalogue has become synonymous with massive emotional swells and vocal moments, though speaking with her, she’s the first to admit that the big voice is one she’s still becoming comfortable with.
“I’ve only just started doing choreography in the last few years and I’m only just starting to let you hear my voice,” she says. “The fact that I’ve had the grace and time to be able to do that, has been great. I marvel at these popstars who can just do it from the off.
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“I had to find myself, I had to learn things about myself. What I loved and particularly what I didn’t love. I feel so confident as an artist now, I feel like I have carved out this world for myself and for others to join me. Hopefully I’ve always done it with some type of integrity. It feels like a celebration now.”
“I was really excited about the fact that I was ready to really go there vocally,” she adds. “It’s a fine line between arrogance and ambition, right? I was determined to push myself vocally and also, songwriting-wise. Something I knew I needed and I wanted [to do].”
Superbloom feels like a natural companion project to 2023’s That! Feels! Good! and 2020’s What’s Your Pleasure? — albums that brought Ware critical acclaim.
This disco-pop playground is an area Ware was excited to revisit, working with producers James Ford (Kylie Minogue, Arctic Monkeys), Barney Lister (Olivia Dean, Obongjayar), Karma Kid (DUCKWRTH, Bakar), Jon Shave (Charli XCX), TommyD (Janet Jackson), and Stuart Price (Madonna, Dua Lipa) to bring her vision to life.
With a mix of previous and new collaborators coming together with Ware’s own meticulous direction and approach, Superbloom lands with the sort of energy that begs the listener to get lost in.
“I know how hard we all worked and how much I demanded of people in the studio,” she reflects. “I appreciate everyone jumping on board with me, letting me fulfill what I needed to do. I feel very proud of this record because it is grand, it’s ambitious; maybe more so than what I’ve done before.”
“I wanted it to be coherent,” she adds. “I wanted it to feel like step up and on from That! Feels! Good! and What’s Your Pleasure? I know how much What’s Your Pleasure? has been held in people’s hearts, so I wanted to be able to surprise and delight the listener. I hope I’ve done that. I’m still excited by it and I’m so proud of it.”
Inspiration for Ware’s new material came from experiences lived over the course of four years spent on the road and off; along with touring, Ware’s profile has grown in the online space, largely due to the success of her Table Manners podcast.
Launched in 2017 with her mother, the show has featured intimate and open conversations with a wide range of artists, from Sir Paul McCartney to Ed Sheeran and Kylie Minogue, and has continued to take great strides in recent years. Ware notes how much the podcast even influenced her songwriting for Superbloom, “good conversations” making way for chemistry-drenched lyricism.
Pouring herself into a fantasy soundscape that allows her to let loose, is an element of Ware’s creativity that she relishes.
“Maybe it makes me a psychopath, I don’t know,” she laughs. “I love the chameleon that I can become in these ways. I’m always surprised at how confident I can sound in these quite sexually-driven songs. I’m always quite surprised that I know what to say in those moments, because it feels so far away from my real life.”
The mother-of-three, who has successfully been able to maintain a shield of privacy surrounding her off-road life, has brought family to Superbloom. The record features her children’s voices, a decision Ware made so they will eventually be able to understand their mother’s unique art space.
“I’ve been so fiercely protective of them, I still am. I don’t mention their names, anywhere,” Ware says. “Here, I selfishly wanted them to be in my world for a second. I wanted us to have this tiny, little moment that we could enjoy. That when they grow up, they can show their kids.”
The release of Superbloom brings a moment of reflection for Ware, as she looks back at her own evolution from the singer who made her debut in 2012. 14 years on from the release of her sophisticated and soulful Devotion album, Ware can still recognise the 28 year old who made those important first steps into the spotlight.
She can still be found in the DNA of Superbloom, Ware explains.
“It’s definitely been a return,” she muses. “There’s much more control, wisdom and confidence. Much more autonomy. I love Devotion but at that time, I was a really new songwriter; I was quite scared and wasn’t really wanting to show off much of my voice or myself. I didn’t know how much I could do. I’m hoping [Superbloom] it’s an open invitation for anyone to listen to it. I think it doesn’t satisfy just one genre. The more the merrier will come and listen to it, that’s my hope.”
Bringing Superbloom to fans in a live capacity is something Ware is already working on; a new set list bubbling away, even as the songs were coming together in the studio. The relationship with her fans is one Ware speaks about with reverence and warmth; it is one that is forever tied with how this music makes the audience and artist feel in equal measure.
“I love performing and I think we’re going to have so much fun together with this show,” she grins. “Whether it’s the intimate moments of ‘Love You for’ which will be me and a piano; or the big, bombastic moments of ‘Don’t You Know Who I Am?’ or ‘Mon Amor’. I can see it all and I’m excited.”
“There is this pride in everything. The warmth and generosity of my fans is everything,” Ware continues.
“They seem so proud of me and I am so proud of them. They’ve raised me up from being a very terrified performer, to feeling completely cherished and respected. I feel that my fans are such good fun. They’re also the types where I feel I could go for dinner and a drink with every single one of them and have so much fun. I do feel like it’s so addictive being in a room with the fans, I hope they are making friends or they’re all getting off with each other. It’s a gloriously beautiful time together, and I love it.”
Jessie Ware’s Superbloom is out now via EMI.
