Joss Stone on Recording The Soul Sessions, Vol. 2
Photo courtesy of David Venni1/4Why did you decide to make another album of cover songs?
"It sounded like fun! The guy who signed me and did the first Soul Sessions with me said, 'hey, Joss, remember the Soul Sessions? Want to do it again?' I said, 'why not?' I wish I had a deeper reason, but I don't really have a deep reason for anything I do; I just do it because it's going to be fun and good music will come from it."
Do you have a favorite song on the album?
"'I Got the Blues;' I love the strings, the organ, the whole thing. I really like how it changes pace halfway through. 'Teardrops' and 'I Don't Want to Be With Nobody But You' are good ones, too."
Photo courtesy of David Venni2/4What do you think makes for a powerful cover song?
"It's important to not do a karaoke version. If you're going to cover something, have a reason for doing it. My reason for doing the Soul Sessions or covering any song is because I love the song and want other people hear it. It's cool to be able to shed some light on a song that maybe didn't get enough as much attention as I think it should have."
Photo courtesy of David Venni3/4When you released your first Soul Sessions album, you were sixteen. How have you grown as an artist since then?
"I didn't know what I was doing then! I'm not a kid anymore. If you haven't changed drastically from age sixteen, there's probably something wrong with you. It applies to my music, too. I feel happier and more confident in what I'm doing now because I know how to do it. There will always be more to learn—for instance, I don't play any instruments. Back then, I was completely nervous all the time because I was listening to Aretha Franklin, Anita Baker, Gladys Knight, and then I'd put on what I made earlier in the day, and I'd be like, 'this is horrible!' But now I feel like I don't even care that much. I just like to play music; it doesn't matter to me what happens after that. If people like it, that is really awesome. If people don't like it, it's okay. I'm going to make another album. It doesn't matter. That alone makes the music sound different."
Photo courtesy of David Venni4/4Do you have any words of advice for girls who want to break into the music industry?
"First, sit down with yourself and think what your goal is. What do you want? What kind of singer do you want to be? And I don't mean genre. I mean, what kind of life do you want? Do you want to be very famous? Do you want to be famous for your singing? Do you want to be a style icon? Do you just want to sing to pay your bills? There are so many reasons why people do things. You have to decide what makes you happy and what you want. The most important thing in this whole process is to write that out and don't forget it. One day, I looked in the mirror and I'd done so many red carpets and photo shoots that I had so much makeup on and my hair was breaking off because I'd curled it so much. I thought, when was the last time I sang? I want to be a singer; I want to make music; that's what I want to do. I had to remember why I started."
