Joss Stone talks ITV charity single ‘Golden’

Today, the highly anticipated single ‘Golden’ by Lorraine’s Change + Check choir featuring Grammy Award-winning singer Joss Stone has been released with a live performance of the song during today’s Lorraine. 

Joss Stone:

“It’s a wonderful song. It means a lot to me, to all of us. Especially my cousin Jo, who has gone through breast cancer and she’s here today. She’s been the most inspiring person I know.”

As part of the fifth year of the trailblazing breast cancer awareness campaign Change + Check, the charity single is led by 20 women who found their breast cancer after seeing the campaign on the show. The single is also dedicated to Hannah Hawkins, 33, a producer for Lorraine who recently passed away from secondary breast cancer. Aiming to get ‘Golden’ to the top of the charts and further encouraging more people to check their breasts, singer and songwriter Joss Stone joined in performing the single after hearing about the campaign following her recent appearance on Lorraine.

The campaign which raises awareness of the signs and symptoms of breast cancer was founded by Lorraine producer and breast cancer survivor Helen Addis. Net profits from downloads of ‘Golden’ going to breast cancer charity Future Dreams.

How did you find recording the Change + Check charity single?

“I have to say, it’s quite rare that I feel this way about a single release. Usually, it’s a song that I’ve written for my album, it’ll be like a piece of my heart and you’re putting that out for the world to sort of judge and it’s a bit scary. For this, I’m way more excited because I know it’s going to actually truly, truly help people. It will help people to feel not alone. I hope to do that with all of my songs as well, of course I do. But not as literally as this. This is literally from women who have suffered in a specific way to help other women who are suffering in the same specific way. I’ve never done a song like that before. It’s like a direct hit. This is going to help people feel better in that specific way, I think that’s very exciting to know that that’s coming. And I felt that, I haven’t even gone through it but I felt that.”

What piece of advice or message would you give to the Change + Check choir?

“For the Change + Check choir, I would say well done. This is an amazing achievement. I would say turn up the radio as loud as you can, roll down the windows in your car, and just rejoice in the fact that people are going to hear this. And you are making people feel better. I do this job, I try to make people feel better all the time with my music, and I tell you what, it helps you feel like there’s a purpose. So I want everyone in that choir to just feel like that and embrace it and be super chuffed and very proud. And sing your heart out. Every opportunity you get, just sing, sing, sing your heart out as much as you can. It’s great fun.” 

ITV would love to get this single to the Christmas number one, what message would you give to the Lorraine viewers?

“To everyone that watches Lorraine and to everyone that’s listening, now you’ve got to go out and buy the single, please. Come on, support the ladies. Let’s go. Christmas number one, I keep hearing that. I keep hearing that being said and I think if we keep saying that, we can manifest it. But we also need you to buy it! So I’m going to manifest, and please, if you can, just get online and click, click, click. Christmas number one, come on!”

How did you end up being part of the Change + Check campaign? 

“I was in a dressing room at Lorraine’s studio and Helen [Addis] came in. I didn’t know Helen but she seemed really nice and started talking to me about this song. I could tell she was trying to ask me to sing on it. She’s so sweet. I was like, she’s gonna ask me at some point. I was like ‘Yeah okay, I’d love to do it’. I hadn’t heard the song or seen the choir. But I want to be involved in stuff like this. This makes life worth living. This is purposeful. And of course, the connection with my cousin, Helen knows my cousin Jo. It’s a really big deal for our family to support something like this. It is a privilege for me, this is really special. It’s way more important than any of my albums, like a million times more important. So I immediately said ‘Yes, I’ll do it!’ This for me, like I said, is a privilege to be part of.”

What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to the choir for when they perform live?

“Oh gosh, performing live is so scary. I mean, I love it but it’s sort of like jumping off a cliff. If you’ve done a bungee jump, I feel like it would be similar. I think what I would say to the ladies is to give it all you’ve got, of course. Embrace the nerves because they are not going anywhere. Make friends with those [nerves]. That’s all you can do. You’ve just got to embrace it and enjoy the ride, enjoy that adrenaline rush. And know that you’re not alone. You’re with your sisters. We are in this together. That’s a really nice feeling to be able to turn to your left and to your right and say, okay, let’s go. We’re in this together. That’s a wonderful thing.”

How exciting is it to be recording this single in somewhere so iconic like Nashville?

“Every time I get a chance to sing in a place like this, I get goosebumps. This is a great studio, every room in Blackbird Studios is very special. And they all have so much history. But it’s not just Blackbird Studios, it is Nashville. It’s an incredible place to make music. I feel very lucky. Very, very lucky to be able to do this, just to be here and surround myself with people who are so professional, so good at what they do. They really do care. And it makes them great. So if I stay here long enough, maybe I’ll get a bit better.”

What other projects have you got coming up? 

“I’ve got Jools Holland gigs to play in December, which will be lush. I love playing with Jools, he’s so lovely. And then next year, I’m going to come back to Nashville, and I’m going to write another album. And I really want to do disco vibes next time. I’m not sure. But I’m thinking disco, I’m feeling disco in my bones. So maybe by the end of next year, we’ll have a new album. That’d be fun.”

Lorraine airs weekdays from 9 am on ITV1, ITVX and STV