'I can't stress about what didn't happen': Why singer Joss Stone is as laid-back as ever despite her recent trauma
By Alan Jackson
Last updated at 8:00 PM on 23rd July 2011
She hit the news recently because of a robbery attempt, and YOU writer Alan Jackson met Joss Stone the day after the story broke. But her down-to-earth joie de vivre shines through as she discusses (royal) wedding outfits, her ‘damn cute’ boyfriend, her brilliant Devon community and her latest album
Joss on attending the royal wedding: 'It was like being part of a fairy tale, one of the tiny figures in the background in Disney's Cinderella. It was an incredibly special day'
Joss Stone is a strong candidate for the title of Perfect Hostess. ‘Great to see you again!’ she says, bestowing a hug in the kitchen of her Devon home. ‘So good of you to come all this way. The kettle’s on, but are you hungry? I’m about to try to make scones. If you’re feeling brave and don’t mind waiting a few minutes…’
Such openness and solicitude is rare from celebrities anyway. But this is the day after Joss found herself the subject of a global news story, two men having been arrested apparently en route to her remote address on suspicion of a planned robbery. The narrow lanes around her property are
heaving with film crews, photographers and TV reporters, all desperate to talk to the singer, 24, but only YOU is invited inside and given exclusive access.
I’ve interviewed Joss several times since she first made headlines as a precociously gifted 16-year-old who’d taken the world by surprise with The Soul Sessions. And by pure chance I was due here today to talk about a new album, LP1, recorded with former Eurythmic Dave Stewart, the debut release on her own label, Stone’d Records. The photo shoot has been postponed because police have advised her not to leave the house. ‘But come on down as planned,’ she told me. ‘It’ll be good to talk about something other than the robbery.’
So here I am with Joss, her mum Wendy, father Richard and younger brother Harry (they rushed round last night to make sure she was safe), a trio of Harry’s mates and an Exeter policeman, all preparing to tuck into tea and those scones, fresh from the Aga. ‘They look a bit like rock buns but hopefully they’ll taste OK,’ says Joss.
Later in the day, she puts out a statement thanking the public for their support and reassuring them that she’s ‘absolutely fine’ and ‘getting on with life as normal while the police continue with their enquiries’. In the short term that means heading off to the States to promote the debut album by musical collective SuperHeavy, on which she and Mick Jagger share lead vocals, accompanied by Dave Stewart, Damian Marley and Slumdog Millionaire composer A R Rahman.
‘I’m still fine,’ she tells me on her return, ‘if slightly baffled by it. I can’t stress about what didn’t happen. That would seem silly. Every job has positives and negatives and I guess this was one of the negatives that come with mine. I don’t expect life to be perfect. I just try to make it as fun as possible. That’s an option all of us have.’ She admits, however, that the experience has made her more security-conscious. ‘In that sense it’s been a blessing in disguise. I now lock all my doors and have installed a sophisticated alarm system. But it’s highlighted to me how brilliant the community down here is. Everyone around is like extended family, all of us looking out for each other. I could never live anywhere else.’
Every news report has included the ‘fact’ that Joss has a £9 million fortune. ‘Which isn’t helpful. It’s actually dangerous, as I’ve been discovering over the past few hours. I’m not worth anything like that, having had to pay to get out of my contract with EMI [she fought to leave the record label and become independent after its takeover by private equity firm Terra Firma]. But the idea that you have all this money just gives people another reason to hate you.’
And whether provoked by her supposed wealth, her mid-Atlantic accent on stage at the 2007 Brit Awards or the fact that she’s such a darling of the American music community (Motown legend Smokey Robinson has dubbed her ‘Aretha Joplin’ because her remarkable voice is a fusion of Aretha Franklin and Janis Joplin), British hostility is something Joss has had to get used to. ‘I was a child when I started out,’ says the Dover-born girl who moved to Devon when she was eight. ‘I’ve had to grow up with everyone watching me, which has been hard. It would have been nice if people in the UK had gone, “Good luck!” But hey… It’s why I like to hunker down in the countryside and ignore the world outside.’
Joss is the most natural, unaffected of stars, and nowhere was her down-to-earth approach more evident than at the recent royal wedding. While other high-profile guests paid thousands for their outfits, Joss rocked up in a high-street linen two-piece and still made every fashion commentator’s best-dressed list. ‘I never pay a fortune for clothes,’ she says. ‘I just wear what I think looks nice. I came back from Europe the day before [she’d been driving round France and Spain in a camper van with her boyfriend and her two dogs, rottweiler Missy and miniature poodle Dusty], then raced into Exeter with Mum, eventually finding my outfit in Hobbs. I borrowed the hat from a friend who runs a wedding shop. I loved the shape but it was hard to kiss people on the cheek while wearing it.’
And who was she attempting to kiss? ‘Everybody I met, darling!’ Joss laughs. ‘It was like, “Mwah! Mwah!” pretty much all the time!’
Princes William and Harry have long been fans and the joint friendship was sealed when Joss agreed to perform at 2007’s Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium. ‘So when I heard about the wedding, I contacted the guy who’s organised things when I’ve done gigs for them before and said, “If you need a singer…” They didn’t, which was a shame, ’cos I’ll sing for those boys any time. They’re so funny and such lovely people. I love the royal family. I’m so glad we have them as it makes our country special.’
Even so, she was surprised (‘shocked, even’) to be invited on the day. ‘I’ve never met Kate and didn’t at the wedding [contrary to speculation, Joss wasn’t invited to the dinner and evening party] but I was thrilled to be there at all. It was like being part of a fairy tale, one of the tiny figures in the background in Disney’s Cinderella. Because they love each other, you can tell. It was an incredibly special day.’
In fact, she admits, she is a big fan of weddings. ‘I love going to them and, yes, I always cry.’ Which begs a question or two… ‘Motherhood? Yes, I’d love to be a mum. But I don’t want a wedding! Or if I do marry, it’ll be ten years in, after I’ve had the kids. And it’ll be a spiritual marriage only. I can picture a lovely ceremony but there’s no way I’ll sign a piece of paper on the day.’
She couldn’t sound more certain. Is this reticence coloured by her parents’ experience of divorce in 2005? (They have both since married other partners.) ‘Totally, of course. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t.’
But there is a boyfriend – one of her brother’s mates, a handsome, tanned and friendly 22-year-old she’s known since schooldays (rather than lose the home in which she, her sister and two brothers had been so happy, she bought it from her parents following their split). ‘Oh, it’s such a pain being in love with someone. It’s just so irritating,’ she protests, giggling. ‘Like, “So I have to think about you all day now, do I? How annoying is that?”’
There’s a song about him on LP1, that atypically rocky though still soulful new album, recorded in Nashville, and it’s called ‘Last One To Know’. ‘Because sometimes everyone else can see what’s happening but you’re in denial and really are the last one to know. You’re like, “Go away from me. Go away!” But they just keep coming towards you like it’s inevitable and there’s nothing you can do.’
Actually there’s another song about him on the album too, ‘Somehow’. And another, ‘Landlord’, and another… ‘Oh, he laughs about all the songs I write about him. I’ve known him for a long time and he’s a good person, someone who sees me as me, not as Joss Stone [her off-stage self was christened Joscelyn Stoker]. Of course, the fact he’s best friends with my brother and that they’re like naughty schoolkids together often leaves me thinking, “I should be telling you off right now. Why do you have to be so adorable?” But, oh, he’s just so lovely.’
Could she describe him in one sentence? ‘How about, “My fabulous, gorgeous guy, the one with the nice little beard”? He’s so damn cute. I love him.’
These are strange times to be Joss Stone. Having previously hired and fired a number of managers, she is now handling her business affairs herself, is about to launch her first truly independent album – and, of course, there’s that trial in the offing (Junior Bradshaw, 30, and Kevin Liverpool, 33, both from Manchester, were charged the day after their arrest with conspiracy to commit robbery and conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm). Yet despite all this, I’ve never seen her look more at ease. ‘Life is good,’ she grins. ‘Or at least, it’s always interesting. Yes, it’s crazy but in a strange way that’s OK. I’m so glad I don’t live a boring life. It’s just that, sometimes, it all gets tiring and I think
to myself, “I really could do with a nap!”’
Joss’s new album LP1 will be released on Stone’d Records/Surfdog Records on 1 August
A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT SHE FANCIES
Book I like fantasy, angels and fairies, stuff that would never happen, so Fallen by Lauren Kate is one of my favourites. In fact, I love her whole series of books.
Music Yes Sir Boss is a six-piece ska band from the West Country that I’ve signed to my own label. Five guys and a girl, they’ve just made their debut album and are playing festivals all summer. It’s proper party music. You can’t not dance.
Clothes Sometimes I’ll wear jeans, hoodies and wellingtons for weeks on end — they’re just so comfortable. But every now and then I’ll want to look nice, even if there’s no one to see, so I’ll brush my hair and put on a pretty dress.
Accessories Earrings. I had my ears pierced when I was six so have been wearing them for ever. But I no longer buy expensive jewellery as I hate it when I lose things I love. Most of my stuff is around £2 a piece!
Beauty product Potion 9 by Sebastian. I all but killed my hair by over-dyeing it and this is like magic. It has totally saved my hair.
Style icon I love quirky, so Gwen Stefani. She’s a living work of art. I don’t know her but it looks as if her thought process each morning is, ‘What would it be fun to wear today?’
Saving up for A concert tour that takes in every country in the world. Whether it’s just me with a backpack or me and a band, I’m determined to do it.
JOSS’S GUIDE TO A SIZZLING SUMMER PARTY
Swanky venue or something low-key?
My idea of a mellow summer vibe is inviting friends round to hang out in the garden with me. We spend so much time in air-conditioned or centrally heated rooms that we can forget there’s a real world out there — and the smell of grass and flowers wakes up your entire body. I hate to sound like a hippie, but I think it’s important to be at one with nature.
So you’ll be barefoot, as you so often are in photos?
Are you kidding me? I don’t wear them all the time but I love shoes. My three cats are called Jimmy Choo, Louboutin and Vivienne Westwood (she does really weird, funky footwear, too).
What music?
I won’t bother with a sound system. You need two, ideally three, people who play instruments — even if it’s badly. A couple of guitars and something to bang on and we’re off!
For liquid refreshment?
Lots of beer and wine, chilled in the river at the bottom of the garden. I don’t bother with expensive labels because I can’t tell the difference.
And to eat?
Stuff straight from the barbecue, including skewers with tomatoes, peppers, Quorn and halloumi for the veggies like myself.
Smart or super-casual?
It’s nice to wear a little dress if it’s sunny. Boys, make a bit of an effort, but I don’t want to fight you for mirror space.
Anything else vital for a good night?
A bonfire! It brings everyone together.
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