Jess Glynne can’t imagine it’s already the five-year anniversary of her most up-to-date album, 2018’s All the time In Between. “It truly is mad,” the British pop star tells Billboard of All the time In Between, which turned 5 on Oct. 12. “A lot has occurred in my life, personally and in my profession. … It was by no means the plan for that to be so lengthy. But it surely’s simply, life occurs, proper? And I believe I’m now accepting of that.”
Over that previous half-decade, the 34-year-old singer-songwriter — greatest recognized within the U.S. for her smash Clear Bandit collaboration “Moderately Be,” however with 9 solo prime 10 hits on the UK’s Official Charts — skilled profound private loss as an inadvertent skilled catalyst. In 2021, considered one of Glynne’s shut pals handed away, inflicting the pop star to pause her profession and “do quite a lot of self-work,” she says. Glynne re-emerged from mourning with reevaluated priorities and a revamped crew, signing with Roc Nation for administration final 12 months and with Republic Data as her stateside label.
With that in thoughts, Glynne has handled 2023 as a chance to ramp as much as her third studio album, due out subsequent 12 months. “This 12 months has been a basis for me to get myself again into the world of music and creativity,” she says. “It’s actually been a journey, and it’s been experimental, [but] I really feel like I’ve a extremely sturdy imaginative and prescient for this album.”
Final Friday (Oct. 20), Glynne additional previewed that imaginative and prescient with “Pal of Mine,” an absorbing pop anthem with manufacturing that pulls from drum-n-bass and vocal runs that remind the world why Glynne is taken into account such a powerhouse. Written with Jin Jin, Ollie Inexperienced and DJ Sub Focus, “Pal of Mine” permits Glynne to ruminate on the altering contours of a relationship: “We stated some issues and we crossed the road, “ she sings, “however will you continue to be a good friend of mine?”
Glynne says that the principle hook of “Pal of Mine” got here inside a 20-minute interval throughout a studio session. “Whenever you break up with somebody, you’re mourning the lack of one thing, however you continue to need to have the ability to have that individual in your life, as a result of they imply a lot to you,” she explains.
“Pal of Mine” is Glynne’s third single of 2023, following the fuzzed-out clap-along “Foolish Me” and the thumping dance providing “What Do You Do?,” which have been launched in April and July, respectively. These three songs not solely recommend a extra reflective tone for Glynne’s upcoming album, but additionally a diversification of sound, with totally different slants on her soulful pop bedrock.
“With this album, I really feel like this chapter has been fairly thrilling, and refreshing,” says Glynne. “I really feel like I’m in area.”
