Jessie Ware

Gripping young singer-songwriter Jessie Ware worked her way up to prominence in just a few short years, cementing herself in the community of talented multihyphenates like her friends and colleagues Adele, Ed Sheeran, and The Maccabees. Although Jessie Ware, born Jessica Lois Ware in London, England, might be the most famous name in her family, she was certainly not the first to take to show business. Her father John Ware was a television journalist most famous for his longstanding run on "Panorama" (BBC One 1953-), and her older sister Hannah Ware was a film and television actress with credits in the likes of "Boss" (Starz 2011-12) and Steve McQueen's "Shame" (2011). Ware was raised primarily by her mother Helena, a social worker, following her parents' divorce in 1994. Ware's academic and early professional pursuits were largely literary; she studied English Literature at the University of Sussex until 2007, and then explored a brief career in journalism, earning publication at outlets like The Jewish Chronicle (in keeping with Ware's maternal heritage) and The Daily Mirror. Additionally, Ware inched her way closer to the spotlight working backstage production for companies like Love Productions. In 2009, Ware began her singing career as a backup performer for British musicians like Jack Peñate (a schoolmate of Ware's), Man Like Me, and the associated acts of SBTRKT and Sampha. With the latter artists, Ware made her most prominent artistic contributions yet in the creation of the songs "Nervous" (2010) and "Valentine" (2011), respectively. 2011 would prove a particularly prosperous year for the young musician, aligning her with the high-profile act Florence and the Machine (whose lead singer and namesake Florence Welch was also a school friend of Ware's), and granting Ware her own single, "Strangest Feeling." The following year would see the release of her debut album, Devotion, which earned particular favor for songs like "Running," "Wildest Moments," and "110%" (later retitled to "If You're Never Gonna Move" due to legal issues). Ware's second album, Tough Love, hit shelves in 2014, featuring contributions from fellow big name young artists like Ed Sheeran, Miguel James Ford, and Kid Harpoon. The album included the hit single "Say You Love Me," which became the young singer's first American hit.