Profile of Joss Stone on Famous Like Me

Joss Stone (born Joscelyn Eve Stoker on April 11, 1987) is a British soul singer. She is also the head spokeswoman for The Gap, replacing Sarah Jessica Parker. She is known for performing barefoot.

Biography

Joss Stone was born in Dover, Kent, England in 1987. She grew up listening to American R&B and soul music performed by such artists as Aretha Franklin; as a result, she developed a throaty style of singing like her idols. At 14, she appeared on Star for a Night on BBC Television singing Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman". She told MTV News, "I kind of clicked into soul music more than anything else because of the vocals. You've got to have good vocals to sing soul music and I always liked it ever since I was little."

In 2002, she decided to back her ability by flying out from England for an audition in New York City with S-Curve CEO Steve Greenberg.

The Soul Sessions

She then flew to Miami to start work on her debut album, The Soul Sessions. She collaborated with people with solid credentials in the Miami soul scene such as Betty Wright, Benny Latimore, Timmy Thomas and Little Beaver. She also worked with contemporary acts Angie Stone and The Roots.

The album consists of classic soul tracks by Wright, Franklin, Laura Lee and Bettye Swann. Released in late 2003, it reached the top 5 in the UK albums chart, and also made the top forty of the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart. The lead single, "Fell in Love with a Boy", which was a reworking of The White Stripes' song "Fell in Love with a Girl", reached the top twenty of the UK singles chart. The second single, "Super Duper Love (Are You Diggin' On Me?)", also reached the top twenty.

Joss was already working on an R&B debut album when the Soul Sessions were recorded. Much of this R&B album was scrapped following the success of the Soul Sessions, which remains by far her biggest selling album, even though it was recorded with the same criteria and in the same amount of time as most studio demos.

Mind, Body & Soul

After achieving critical acclaim for The Soul Sessions, Stone recorded an album full of original songs in 2004 titled Mind, Body & Soul. It proved to be an even bigger success than her first album, as it debuted at #1 in the UK (breaking the record for the youngest female ever to top the albums charts there, a record previously held by Avril Lavigne) and just missed the top ten of the U.S. Billboard 200, after peaking at #11. The lead single, "You Had Me", became her first top ten in the UK. Follow-up singles "Right to Be Wrong" and "Spoiled" both made the top forty, and "Don't Cha Wanna Ride?" the top twenty.

In February 2005, Stone was nominated for three Brit Awards, of which she won two; Best Female and Best Urban Act. She was also nominated three times at the 2005 Grammy Awards, where she sang barefoot on stage with rock legend Melissa Etheridge. Their performance of "Cry Baby"/"Piece of My Heart" was released as a single, and, through aid of strong digital downloads, became Stone's first top forty U.S. hit when it debuted at #32 (where it ultimately would peak) on the Billboard Hot 100.

In July 2005, Joss performed at the London Live 8 concert.

Discography

Studio albums

1. 2003: The Soul Sessions #4 UK, #39 U.S., U.S. Certification gold
2. 2004: Mind, Body & Soul #1 (Debut) UK, #11 U.S., U.S. Certification: Platinum

Singles

• The Soul Sessions
  • 2004: "Fell in Love with a Boy" #18 UK
  • 2004: "Super Duper Love (Are You Diggin' On Me?)" #18 UK

• Mind, Body & Soul
  • 2004: "You Had Me" #5 UK, #6 Portugal **2004: "Right To Be Wrong" #29 UK
  • 2005: "Spoiled" #32 UK
  • 2005: "Don't Cha Wanna Ride?" #20 UK

• Misc.
  • 2005: "Cry Baby"/"Piece of My Heart" (with Melissa Etheridge) #32 U.S.

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