Rising UK neo-soul and pop star Olive Jones announces debut album “For Mary”, shares stunning single and video “Kingdom”

Olive Jones announces her debut album For Mary, to be released March 13th on Nettwerk.  For Mary is an impressive statement from a legitimate rising soul star that is sure to cement Olive as one of the country’s finest and essential new artists.

Alongside the announcement, Jones shares a powerful new single “Kingdom” a purposeful, emotionally charged reflection on the increasing division, a search for hope, and for common ground in an ever more divided world.

“I was so upset by Brexit and even more upset by the arrogance and ignorance of Britain as a country during that time. So, this is my political anthem about the buffoon that made it happen.”

STREAM AND SHARE “KINGDOM”
https://olivejones.ffm.to/kingdom

WATCH VIDEO “KINGDOM”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL4LhYOSLss

Singer-songwriter Olive Jones has a unique way of making us feel heard through her music. With her gorgeous soul and blues-influenced sound and stunning voice, Olive draws you into her world, as though she’s singing for you and you alone. Her debut album, “For Mary”, encapsulates this into one cohesive work, placing her at the forefront of a British soul renaissance.

“Your first album is like a tapestry of yourself,” Jones suggests. “I’ve been writing songs for so long, and each of these tracks has its own story and a moment in my life – so the record is a quilt made from all those patches.”

Titular track “Mary”, inspired by her longing to protect a loved one from their struggles with poor mental health. The title character is fictional, inspired by a number of people in Jones’s life who have been impacted, in myriad ways, by mental health issues. “A lot of people close to me were affected, and I also grew up in an era where it wasn’t really spoken about,” she says. “I think it’s changed a lot since, but the song felt to me like an opportunity to explore that feeling of wanting to be there for someone, and the helplessness of perhaps realising that you can’t.”

Jones skilfully turns her pen to complex subjects with poetic flair, weaving in wonderful turns of phrase that she sings in a sweet, honeyed lilt.  Her remarkable musicality harks back to Jones’s childhood by the coast in Dorset. “It was idyllic but there was no music scene,” she recalls with a laugh. Fortunately, her parents had “really good taste” in music, and she was fed a steady diet of jazz and soul from a young age. “There was a lot of Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Miles Davis…” she says. “I remember being really moved by Davis’s work “Blue in Green” from his iconic album “Kind of Blue”, listening to the harmonies and the expressive nature of it.”

For Mary is a remarkable debut, testament to Olive’s maturity and confidence as an artist. Together with emerging producer James Wyatt (George Ezra, Ellie Goulding, Lianne La Havas), and by incorporating classic influences with timeless or otherwise timely themes, Olive has created a record that will resonate with listeners for years to come.

Tracklist:

Mary
A Woman’s Heart
All in My Head
Planes
Kingdom
End of Time
Summer Rain
Colour On The Wall
Talk About Love
Mary Come Home
Blossom Tides

UK & European tour dates:

April 7 – Birmingham, Sunflower Lounge

April 8 – Leeds, Brudenell

April 9 – Glasgow, Poetry Club

April 10 – Manchester, Deaf Institute

April 13 – Amsterdam, Paradiso

April 14 – Berlin, PrivatClub

April 16 – Antwerp, Trix

April – Paris, La Boule Noire

April 22 – Bristol, Louisiana

April 23 – London, EartH

April 24 – Brighton, A L P H A B E T

April 25 – Poole, The Nave at St Peter’s