Joss Stone signs with ICM Partners worldwide
Joss Stone has signed with ICM Partners for worldwide representation. The signing expands Stone’s relationship with the agency, whose concerts division previously represented her in North and South America only.
The British soul singer-songwriter was formerly represented by Diplomats of Sound in her native UK.
Stone released her critically acclaimed debut album, The Soul Sessions, in 2003. Since then she has released seven studio albums which have sold over 15 million copies worldwide, and won a Grammy Award and two Brit Awards
She recently debuted her first solo single in three years, the gospel-tinged ‘Walk With Me’, and during the pandemic launched a successful podcast, A Cuppa Happy, and a weekly Facebook Live cooking show, Cooking with Joss.
Stone is set to release her eighth studio album this fall, produced by Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart. She is also making the leap to the big screen with her first voice role, starring alongside Edward Norton in the animated film Paper Birds Pt 2, which screened at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.
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Apollo Nights Summer Series to make 2020 return
London-based concert promoter Senbla celebrates the success of the inaugural Apollo Nights Summer Series, which took place from 16 to 20 July in partnership with the 5,000-capacity Eventim Apollo.
The promoter has confirmed that the concert series will return for a second year in July 2020.
The five-night long debut series saw performances from Marc Almond and George Benson, as well as two joint shows from Burt Bacharach and Joss Stone.
Non-dining tickets for the Apollo Nights Summer Series were priced from £39.50 for Marc Almond and £45 for other shows.
Guests could also opt for a dining experience, curated by chef Bryn Williams.
“When I first came to visit the newly restored Apollo, I was struck by what a beautiful venue this really is,” comments Senbla managing director Ollie Rosenblatt. Since opening in 1932, the grade II-listed venue has hosted acts such as the Beatles, David Bowie, Queen, Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue.
“When I first came to visit the newly restored Apollo, I was struck by what a beautiful venue this really is”
Rosenblatt explains that the idea to “combine the best of food with music” came from viewing award shows at the venue.
“The response and feedback from both consumers and artists have been overwhelmingly positive,” adds Rosenblatt. “For 2020 the aim is to build on this.”
Darren Murphy, general manager of the Eventim Apollo, says he was “delighted” to collaborate with Senbla to put on the concert series.
“It was a rare opportunity to work with a promoter who brings music experiences to life and it was a delight to host the shows with these talented artists in our iconic venue,” says Murphy.
Senbla puts on more than 200 concerts and shows a year throughout the UK. Sony Music Masterworks recently took a majority stake in the promoter, as both look to expand offerings in the live industry.
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Joss Stone denied entry to Iran for gig #200
Joss Stone has been denied entry to Iran to play what would have been the 200th and final stop on her Total world tour.
The tour, which sought to play in every country in the world, began in 2014, and was scheduled to come to a close in Iran on Saturday 29 June, following stops in Yemen (country #199) Libya (#198) and Saudi Arabia (#197).
As with Stone’s March show in Pyongyang, North Korea, the Iranian concert would have been behind closed doors, as public shows by solo women are illegal. “Personally I don’t fancy going to an Iranian prison, nor am I trying to change the politics of the countries I visit, nor do I wish to put other people in danger,” the British singer wrote on social media.
Stone reportedly entered Iran, a Shi’ite theocracy, via Kish island, an economic free zone open to all nationalities, but was denied entry to the country proper as she lacked the correct paperwork. According to AFP, the state-run IRNA news agency quoted Kish police as saying Stone arrived from Muscat, in Oman, on Saturday 29 June, but “lacked the necessary documents and permits” to enter Iran.
https://www.facebook.com/jossstone/videos/vb.5630135837/2282907922024074
Stone said authorities “didn’t believe we would be playing a public show” and so placed her on a black list, something the touring party discovered when they arrived at immigration. “After long discussions with the most friendly, charming and welcoming immigration people, the decision was made to detain us for the night and to deport us in the morning,” she continues. “Of course I was gutted. So close yet so far – this moment broke a little piece of my heart.”
Kish police, however, dispute Stone’s version of events, saying she was never detained, and that she and her companions returned to Oman on Sunday morning.
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Joss Stone performs in North Korea on world tour
British singer Joss Stone has performed at a bar in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, as part of her effort to play in every country in the world.
Stone announced the visit as part of her Total world tour, which began in 2014 and is due to end later this year. The tour has already taken Stone to over 175 countries, including Venezuela, Syria, Iraq and the Palestinian territories.
The singer says Simon Cockerell, general manager of North Korean tour operator Koryo Tours, helped her get into the isolated country.
On our way to #northkorea #pyongyang We won’t have any WiFi or phone signal whilst we are there so if you want to see any pics or videos @simonkoryo (Instagram) will be posting a few. Simon is helping us make this trip happen. X
— Joss Stone (@JossStone) March 12, 2019
Stone performed to an audience of tourists and tour guides, and later met the British ambassador to North Korea, Colin Crooks.
Stone describes the Total tour as a “musical and social project that aims to bring people together and create joy through music.”
The singer is aiming to balance the carbon emissions associated with travel for her tour, investing in renewable energy and reforestation in India with the support of Energy Revolution, a festival industry collaboration tackling climate change.
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Joss Stone balancing her tour’s carbon emissions
Joss Stone has become one of the first major artists to attempt to balance her carbon emissions from international touring.
Partnering with Energy Revolution, a charity set up to address the biggest source of CO₂ emissions in the live music sector – audience and artist travel – Stone has so far balanced 2.7 million travel miles by donating towards wind-power generation and reforestation in Tamil Nadu, India. Investing in renewables in India, explains the organisation, has a far greater impact than investing in, say, the UK, as India’s power stations emit twice the carbon of UK power stations due to their fuel mix.
“My Total world tour is a musical and social project that aims to bring people together and create joy through music,” comments Stone (pictured). “We are doing something positive with our music so it’s right that we must do something positive from our travel footprint, which is an unfortunate consequence of the tour and live music in general.
“We are doing something positive with our music so it’s right that we must do something positive from our travel footprint”
“I would love other artists and music audiences to balance their travel so we can improve the footprint of musicians and live music in general.”
Stone’s Total world tour kicked off on in 2014 and ends in late 2019. Her aim is to visit every country in the world while balancing the emissions associated with this travel.
Her next shows are at Vicar Street in Dublin, the Ulster Hall in Belfast, the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow, St David’s Hall in Cardiff and the Royal Festival Hall in London.
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