Joss Stone was obsessed with soul music from a young age. By the time she was in her early teens she had begun to intuitively hone her now trademark gravelly-but-lustrous vocals by singing along to Aretha’s Franklin’s Greatest Hits. At thirteen, she began singing and secured a record contract at 15. She also recorded her debut album, The Soul Sessions. It was released in 2003. Joss has returned to the place where she started it all – 10 years after her debut album, The Soul Sessions Volume 2. The album was a stunning example of vocal poise, passion, and power. It charted in both the UK and the US in the Top 20 and received some of her best reviews in many years. 2014 will see Joss finish her seventh studio album and embark on her most ambitious project yet, the Total World Tour. Joss began the Total World Tour in April 2014. She has already performed in Morocco, Dubai and Swaziland as well as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Lesotho. This is Joss’s most ambitious project. Her goal is to perform in every country in the world. Joss hopes to work with local musicians in each country, performing both her original songs and indigenous music. Joss will also be working with many good causes, and learning about important environmental and humanitarian issues during the trip. The Lesotho visit was a collaboration with HRH Prince Harry’s charity Sentebale. The gigs will vary in size, from a concert in Sydney to a jam session on one of Burma’s undiscovered beaches. The tour’s second leg begins in July 2014 in Lebanon and continues to 13 European countries, including France, Germany, Spain, France, Germany, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Czech Republic. Joss’s critically acclaimed 2003 debut on the music scene (which predated the plethora soul-inspired female musicians that followed her) was a huge success. 2004’s Mind Body was her second album.
