Of all the record-breaking artists in UK chart history, Jess Glynne seems like something of an anomaly.
Despite having more number ones (seven) than any other British female solo artist, four of them have come as a featured artist on other groups’ tracks — including Clean Bandit’s ubiquitous Rather Be which helped make her name in 2014.
For stretches of her headline show at the O2, it felt like the popularity of the collaborations might overshadow her solo material. There was no doubting the quality of her voice on tracks such as the emotive ballad Take Me Home though, while her fantastic band added a verve and muscularity to her songs — qualities rarely captured on the records.
Lush three-part harmonies from the backing singers added to soulful takes on You Can Find Me, 123 and Rudimental’s These Days too.
The sense of occasion for this homecoming show, taking place just a few weeks after the release of her second album Always In Between, wasn’t lost on her either. “Dreams do come true … I’m just a little girl from north London,” she told the crowd, seemingly genuinely overwhelmed, before tearing up during a heartfelt performance of Broken.
For all the slick stage productions and lavish arrangements though, the most intimate moment was perhaps the most impactful. Glynne shared a message of self-love and acceptance before performing Thursday, the most expressive track from her new album, alone but for a single guitarist.
Taking centre stage physically and figuratively, she provided the standout moment of the evening and gave a performance which proved more stirring than any collaboration — finally, Glynne seems to be leaving life as a “featured artist” behind and stepping out on her own.
