Joss Stone to wrap 20th anniversary tour this week at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino

Brian Blueskye, Palm Springs Desert Sun

March 12, 2024 at 7:02 AM·5 min read

In 2001, Joss Stone won the BBC talent show "Star For A Night." It was an accomplishment that marked the beginning of her career. Her classic soul sound and artistry have since captivated a global audience.

Two years later, the British singer released her debut album, "The Soul Sessions," which was a lauded presentation of 1960s and 1970s soul and pop covers like The Soul Brothers Six' "Some Kind of Wonderful," Aretha Franklin's "All The King's Horses" and The Isley Brothers' "For The Love Of You." It was a critical and commercial success, selling over five million copies worldwide.

Two decades and seven albums later, Stone, now 36, continues to push the bar higher and is astonished by her achievements.

“I never thought I’d get to this stage of the game,” Stone told The Desert Sun. “You put in a couple more years and it’s like, ‘Oh, this is a real job,’ then it becomes more serious, and you hope and pray you can do it forever. A horn player said to me, 'Anything that's a wind instrument, including a voice, is a perishable skill.' I'm singing after 20 years thinking, 'Oh my gosh, I kept my voice and need to keep it more.'"

Stone is wrapping up the final dates of her 20th-anniversary tour and will perform Friday at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino.

Joss Stone will perform at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif., on March 15, 2024.

Performing timeless music

From the moment she burst onto the music scene, Stone has stayed true to her roots in classic R&B and soul. Her sound is influenced by legends like Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight & The Pips, James Brown and Betty Wright.

Stone loves the heartfelt emotion and soulful qualities found in blues, jazz, and soulful rock music. Her music pays tribute to the enduring classics that have influenced American music, and her passion for these genres shines through in every note she sings.

“Certain (genres) are always going to be there because they’re good and help us feel. I think that’s in soul music, and it’s hard to say what genre it is. It doesn’t have to particularly be R&B but it lives nicely there,” Stone said.

She recorded a reggae album

In 2011, Stone was announced as part of SuperHeavy, which also featured Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, Eurythmics multi-instrumentalist and producer Dave Stewart, multi-instrumentalist A. R. Rahman and reggae singer Damian Marley. The supergroup released a self-titled album but didn’t continue.

“When we made SuperHeavy songs during the day, Damien had a studio down the hallway to finish his ‘Distant Relatives’ album with (rapper) Nas. I didn’t want to go to bed and was supper buzzing from the session we had in the day. I would go down and hang with Damien, listen to what was going on there and the sessions were full of people,” Stone said.

July 22, 2023 : Joss Stone performs at the Jazzopen 2023 at Altes Schloss in Stuttgart, Germany.

The short-lived collaboration and encouragement from Marley inspired Stone’s 2015 reggae, hip-hop and world music album, “Water For Your Soul.”

“Reggae was a big deal for me growing up. My dad played Linton Kwesi Johnson constantly. I gravitated towards Aretha Franklin, but there was always Linton. I love that those two things can coexist. If you listen to Bob Marley tunes, they’re soul with a different rhythm,” Stone said.

Working with a rock legend made her comfortable

Stone's journey as a musician began as a teenager and she immediately made her mark with the release of "The Soul Sessions" at 16. Despite her talent, she struggled with feelings of nervousness during the early years of her career, owing to the presence of more experienced and older musicians in her band.

But working with Stewart during the SuperHeavy sessions put her at ease, and he subsequently produced her 2022 album, “Never Forget My Love.”

“Dave is all about feminine energy and very caring. If you sit in a room with him, you’ll tell him your life story. It just happens, because he will pull it out of you — he cares and wants to know. It’s like talking to a therapist, and I think that’s why I’ve become such good friends with him. If you give your heart to Dave, he will make a song out of it and make you feel safe,” Stone said.

Jeff Beck and Joss Stone perform on stage during The Royal British Legion's Festival of Remembrance matinee performance at Royal Albert Hall on November 8, 2014 in London, England.

‘I will never do that again’

Even though she was unable to tour during the pandemic, Stone managed to continue working on new music while she was pregnant with her first child. But she realized touring and performing concerts during her second pregnancy in 2022 was "very stupid."

“I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to be one of those supermoms. I’m going to carry on, f—king make a human and tour,’ I will never do that again. If I’m blessed to get pregnant again, I’m not touring,” Stone said.

“It’s so embarrassing. I couldn’t think properly and of course, it’s exhausting. The fact you need to pee every 10 minutes is exhausting. But it was my voice that pissed me off, because I couldn’t sing properly. You have these hormones that relax all your muscles, not just your hips. It’s every muscle in your body, including your vocal cords.”

'I want to see change for the women of the world'

In 2019, Joss Stone was scheduled to perform a concert in Iran. She was detained upon her arrival by Iranian authorities and deported shortly after. The country has laws that prohibit women from performing in public. Even though Stone has performed in many countries around the globe, she still hopes to perform in Iran someday.

“I’m on a mission and I want to see change for the women of the world. There are some amazing women out there who are incredibly brave and stand up for women’s rights. It’s tough to do because some of them lose their lives and some are in prison for 20 years or more. There’s so much of this world we don’t know about and a lot of beauty in the world we don’t pay attention to,” Stone said.