Merry Christmas, Love by Joss Stone is out now
Joss, 35, was belting out carols at the White House Christmas tree lighting ceremony just two days before this interview. âI met Joe Biden,â she tells me. âHe had the biggest smile Iâve seen on a president yet.â
Joss once famously greeted George W. Bush with âHiya George, wassup?â But she barely remembers meeting him now. âIt was so long ago. Joe seemed to have a good vibe. Theyâre just people, like you and I.â
She nearly missed the ceremony in Washington DC. âWe got in the car to travel six minutes and drove around the city for an hour looking for the entrance to the gig only to find it was just one block from our hotel. We could have walked it!â
You would not have known from the figure-hugging red gown she wore that night that English rose Joss had given birth to her son Shackleton just two months ago.
Or how difficult that birth had been. Stone needed an emergency caesarean after her uterus split during labour.
The cheery Grammy-winner has two children with her âperfect manâ Cody DaLuz â daughter Violet Melissa is two next month. Theyâre part of the reason she recorded Merry Christmas, Love â a heart-warming festive album.
âIâve wanted to make a Christmas album for years,â she says. âI genuinely love this time of year and now I have my babies, Christmas has become magical again. It’s childrenâs wonder that makes it more than just a party.
“So now I have Violet and Shack, there have years of magic to look forward to. Without them, this record wouldnât be as enchanting, so I have them to thank.â
In a market flooded with re-issues and cynical cash-ins, Merry Christmas, Love delivers real crackers fuelled by gospel, joy and enthusiasm.
Stand-out tracks include a gloriously soulful version of Hark The Herald Angels Sing, a dreamy take on Winter Wonderland and a lush Silent Night, warm enough to melt Scroogeâs ice-cold exterior.
âTheyâre songs Iâve loved for years. In The Bleak Midwinter holds a special place in my heart because it was one of the first songs I ever sang as a tiny little girl.â
She wrote If You Believe, one of two original tracks, for her children inspired by the movie, Polar Express.
âI wanted to tell them a story that explains what is about to happen and how wonderful it can be if you just believe.â
Joss recorded it in the heat of the Nashville summer. âEvery time we stepped outside, we were hit in the face with the sunshine,â she laughs. âBut every studio was well-prepared â they dressed the rooms with Christmas trees, over-sized candy canes and twinkly lights.â
It kept her in a cool Yule mood, especially as she was heavily pregnant with Shack. âIt made singing more of a challenge but making him and the record at the same time made everything more magical.â
Kent-born Joss, real name Joscelyn Eve Stoker has been making magic since her teens. She won the noew forgotten BBC TV talent show, Star For A Night, at 14; two years later she was selling out New York clubs, being filmed by MTV and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
She was 5ft 10 with golden tresses and a voice that saw her swiftly christened âthe black Arethaâ. Quite something. Yet Joss had no formal training. As a toddler she would sing along to her mother Wendyâs Whitney Houston and Anita Baker records, mimicking their throaty vocals.
At 16, her debut album The Soul Sensations became a global hit. In her whirlwind career she found herself performed with legends like James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart and Ringo Starr, and formed SuperHeavy with Mick Jagger, Dave Stewart and Damian Marley.
More big-selling albums followed including chart-topper Mind, Body & Soul, along with hits like You Had Me. But Joss thinks her biggest achievement was her Total World Tour. Between 2015 and 2019, she played 200 countries and only conked out in Iran.
âThey told me on arrival I was banned from the countryâ â Iran bans women musicians performing in public. âBut the immigration people were lovely; they were so upset they had to deport me.â
Joss credits her children for new album
When I ask later about unfulfilled ambitions she replies âPlaying a gig in Iran.â
In Afghanistan, Joss woke up to the sound of an explosion and was told âOh, that was a car bomb, donât worry about that.â
Donât worry?!? âThere was gunfire all around. If it happened in Devon youâd be freaking out.â
Most countries were âamazing,â she says. âSo many beautiful places and people; we visit charities in each place. In Peru there was a young boy named Harry who couldnât hear or see. When we went to Panama, we met the Hear The World charity and managed to link them up.
âNow Harry can see and hear after years of living in total silence and darkness. That was one of the best things that happened on the tour.â
Another was meeting ex-marine Cody, 32, at an airport in Belize in 2019. The connection was instant, love at first sight. The family currently live in Nashville, Tennessee, but Joss plans to move home to Devon at the end of next year, before Violet starts nursery school.
Relocation is no small challenge. Joss has rescue dogs, cats, and a large collection of crystals.
Home is the sprawling converted farmhouse she grew up. When her parents split and decided to sell it, she snapped it up. She was 18 and couldnât bear losing it.
Her father Richard has a fruit and nut import/export business. Mum Wendy, her original manager, used to rent out guest-houses on the property â one now converted into a studio.
Joss will spend this Christmas in Rhode Island with Codyâs kin; her sister Lucyâs family are flying over.
âItâs going to be fun â lots of singing and magic for the kids. I have a feeling snow might be on the cards⊠Weâre going to have an Air BnB so we can make Christmas dinner.â
Generally upbeat, the star survived two awful career lows â a 2009 legal battle with EMI to break free from her contract, costing her millions, and an evil 2011 plot to kidnap and kill her which led to the jailing of two men from Manchester.
Joss has only caught one England World Cup game so far â âIâve been too busy singing Christmas songs, but my dad keeps us updated on our family WhatsApp group.
âIâm always rooting for our team, fingers and toes crossed the lads kick buttâŠâ
Now sheâs focused on next yearâs 20 Years Of Soul European tour. Sheâs prone, she says to âSpinal Tap moments, like getting lost backstageâ at huge auditoriums. âThat still happens.â
Joss plays the London Palladium on 7th March 2023
Stone won The Masked Singer last year but wonât be taking on ITVâs jungle any time soon.
âI loved being the soulful sausage,â she giggles. âIt made us laugh so much from start to finish. I think Iâve got to quit while Iâm ahead though â no more mad challenge shows for me. The sausage was the pinnacle.â
Joss loves her loyal fans. âTheyâve always been so supportive. Iâve jumped from genre to genre and they stand with me. I really appreciate that. Itâs heart-warming to walk on stage to such encouragement and love.â
Despite doctors telling her she can no longer âgive birth naturallyâ, Joss still wants more children, either via caesareans or adoption.
âBut in between weâll tour and keep the music flowing,â she vows, adding cheerfully, âMerry Christmas to you all. Thank you for the support.â
- Merry Christmas, Love by Joss Stone is out now. Joss plays the London Palladium on 7th March 2023. Tickets from Ticketmaster.