Soul Sensation: Joss Stone

Grammy-winning Joss Stone tells Richard Lord about her truly global approach to touring, her collaborations and making a difference about her truly global approach to touring, her collaborations and making a difference.

- Richard Lord

There aren’t many musicians who take the term “world tour” quite as seriously as British singer, songwriter and actress Joss Stone. Her current Total World Tour aims to do exactly what it says on the tin: visit every country on the planet.

Stone has undertaken some mammoth tours before (her Introducing Joss Stone World Tour of 2007-2008 featured 100 dates), but the current effort is ambitious even by her standards. Of the countries she’s visited recently, she says she’s been particularly taken with Vietnam and Swaziland. “I try to schedule in enough time for me to rest so that my voice still works,” she says. “There’s not much time for that, but we do our best.”

Stone needs little introduction these days. The nouveausoul chanteuse with the instantly recognisable, powerful, deep and emotion-drenched voice has taken the world by storm since the release of her 2003 debut album, The Soul Sessions. With total album sales of more than 14 million, at 28 years old she is already counted among the most successful artists in the UK entertainment industry.

The singer has garnered much acclaim along the way. In 2007, she scooped a Grammy for her performance of Family Affair with John Legend and Van Hunt on a Sly and the Family Stone tribute album, and she has picked up three other Grammy nominations, along with two Brit Awards in 2005 and three MOBO nominations. She performed at the Grammys in 2007, and at the Super Bowl pre-game show in 2006.

Funky Town 

Left to Right: Michael Mcdonald, Gladys knight, Ashford & Simpson, Joss stone, Smokey Robinson, Lionel Richie and Cedric the entertainer perform at the Motown 45 anniversary show in los Angeles.