Ms. Ware, when do you feel most powerful as an artist?
I feel the most powerful when I’m in the room singing and performing for my fans. There’s nothing more powerful than going to do the job that you want to do. That’s a power in itself. Just being able to have authority and autonomy… That’s all power. So for me, there’s nothing sweeter than when I’m in the room with my fans. You’ve written the song, you’ve doubted yourself, you’ve changed things, you’ve vocaled it, you’ve decided what the orchestration is going to be, you’ve committed to it being on the record, you’ve then placed it in the part of the record that you think it’s right for. You hope that pays off. And then there’s the point where you’re getting to perform that live, and there’s a reaction, and there’s a love back. It’s a moment of: Okay, I’ve made the right decisions and this is the moment.
Have you always felt that way about performing? It seems like it could also be a really vulnerable moment, especially if you’ve written lyrics that are more personal.
Oh, it used to be terrifying, and I used to pepper it with a lot of comedy and chat in between songs to kind of calm my nerves and distract the audience. But actually, I think that didn’t do my music or my self service… It was just a tactic to feel like I could survive on stage for an hour. I was so terrified at the beginning because I felt like I hadn’t proved myself and there was this constant need to prove myself. It was kind of a weird stage fright, and it’s taken a long time to get to the point where, although I still get nervous and I still do a wobble on my vocal, don’t get me wrong — I try and enjoy every ounce of being on the stage now, because I’m so lucky to do it. I’ve got the experience, I’ve built this relationship with my fans, I trust myself more.
“I become this character. I’m stepping into that role, and then I can step back out.”
You’ve also become really celebrated for being so in touch with the sensual side of yourself, especially with your last two albums That! Feels Good and What’s Your Pleasure. How is it to perform that kind of music?
It’s funny because I’m actually incredibly private, and that sensuality that you mentioned has really become this thing that I feel completely thrilled by to write about and to celebrate. It’s all about freeing yourself. Even with my new album, I’m exploring sensuality but in a more gentle, warm way, while my last albums had more of a melancholy. And then when I think about performing, I kind of have to see it in a different setting. For example, when I toured What’s YourPleasure, my choreographer created this microphone whip for me, which was something really different for me! But it felt amazing doing it, I felt so confident — and that was because it’s the performance. It’s the stage, it’s a different setting. My private life is still private because I become this character. I’m stepping into that role, and then I can step back out.
Does that confidence also just grow with age and experience?
It definitely gets easier to just take up space and not apologize and feel like you deserve a place. But it’s also about having good and bad experiences, knowing how good the good experiences feel, knowing how I could have had more good experiences if I hadn’t stressed out so much. You know what I mean? I think I’m just trying to appreciate what I get to do a bit more, and that’s giving me more confidence. I’m also working harder on my voice, I’m taking singing lessons and I’ve changed my technique in the last few years. After all, your voice is your instrument, it’s a muscle you can train, and I think paying attention to it and knowing the work isn’t finished, not being complacent… This has all helped me learn to settle my mind and my anxieties a bit more.
How else do you keep anxieties at bay as a musician and ensure that the music making process is still a beautiful thing?
One important thing for me is self-care, I take care of myself. It’s been really good on this new record because I’ve been able to live my life while writing and creating, my wonderful children and my husband have been such great support for me, they keep me grounded, and help me remember that not everything is about the making. I still live my life. When I am making something, I surround myself with who are not “yes” people.
What does that mean exactly?
Well, they are people who challenge me, but who have incredible ideas and generosity. The most important thing for me is to try and have a beautiful experience in the studio. Songwriting for me is really about alchemy on the day. I thrive off other people and collaborating. In the past, I’ve had sessions where it’s not felt right, and I’ve always maintained that the best work comes from working with people that you get on with. When I made my first record, there was such a nurturing quality to David Okumu, my producer. It was incredibly insular and so beautiful, and that’s the template for me. I always want to keep the beauty of how I made that first record, and that’s why it feels so good that my new record has really been made on my terms. That is so important, because we’re so lucky to do this as a job. I don’t want to tarnish that. I’m lucky enough to be creating and I don’t want it to feel like a business transaction.
Has there been a time where you struggled in that respect? I know that the making and release of your album Glasshouse was a challenging time for you, for example.
You know, I wasn’t in the best place to be putting out music at that time. I was trying to do everything! I was I was pregnant with my first child, I didn’t have the stability of knowing how my career was going to pan out. It was such a crossroads, I was trying to navigate the business and motherhood, and trying to prove that you can do both. I think I did things for the wrong reasons, to prove something to other people, not to prove to myself. I regret that; I was scared and apologetic and worried. But I don’t feel that way anymore, because I kind of created my own world to be able to survive and exist and thrive. I want my work to feel truthful and organic and beautiful, and I know that about myself and my process.
Five albums down the line and you seem incredibly comfortable in being yourself these days. Is that how you hope to embark on the next five albums?
Oh, I love that you’re thinking about five more albums! (Laughs) It’s the most amazing feeling to feel like you have these different eras and these different moments and these different pockets of storytelling from your life. I just want to keep on testing myself, I want to keep on learning and challenging myself because that’s what is so motivating — even outside of being a singer and a songwriter. I want to be a good mum and be with my family, I’m still learning about being a mother every day. I want to learn to DJ, I want to learn Spanish, I want to make more podcasts, I want other things than just being a popstar. That’s all going to keep me motivated.