For Jessie Ware, the past few years have been a series of happy accidents.
"There are so many great singers out there," says the 28-year-old London-born singer, whose U.K. debut, "Devotion," was recently nominated for a Mercury Prize and whose domestic debut, EP "If You're Never Gonna Move," is set to arrive Jan. 15 on Cherrytree Records/Interscope. "I just seem to be in the right place at the right time."
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Now, Ware has her sights set on the United States with shows at New York venue the Box (Dec. 10) and Los Angeles' Bootleg Bar (Dec. 13) ahead of the EP. Ware returns stateside for a six-date trek beginning Jan. 14 at the Sinclair in Cambridge, Mass., booked by Marty Diamond at Paradigm.
"My goals for Jessie are absolute nationwide domination, but in a respectful, incremental and organic way," says Cherrytree head Martin Kierszenbaum, who first encountered Ware when Island Records U.K. co-presidents Darcus Beese and Ted Cockle invited him to watch her perform in London.
In line with Cherrytree's previously successful campaigns for Ellie Goulding and La Roux, the label is taking a slow-burn approach to its latest British signing. Music has been serviced to noncommercial stations and Kierszenbaum is confident Ware will naturally gravitate toward top 40 formats. "I believe the caliber of the record is such that we're going to end up at top 40 radio," says Kierszenbaum, who's eyeing a spring U.S. bow for "Devotion."
In the meantime, Ware is happy to take each day as it comes. "I don't think too far ahead because I want to appreciate what's happening now," says the artist, who's been racking up A-list cosigns. ( Katy Perry recently tweeted: "This lil' lady is going to be massive.") "It doesn't feel like work. It feels like a real adventure."
There's an ambient quality to her voice that lends to this style of music really well.
