Jessie Ware has spoken to NME about her new single ‘Ride’, describing it as “confident and sassy”. Listen and watch the video interview below.
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The dancefloor-ready tune was released last Friday (February 20) as the second preview of the London artist’s sixth album ‘Superbloom’ (out April 10). It followed last month’s ‘I Could Get Used To This’.
‘Ride’ begins with a sparkling synth interpolation of the iconic theme from the classic spaghetti Western film The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966) before snapping into a pulsing, electro-tinged verse.
“Hey, I like the way you move on the dancefloor,” Ware sings in the hypnotic cut, after demanding: “Come be my cowboy, baby, come, let’s ride.” The track then opens up into a joyous chorus, with the singer declaring: “Ooh, come on and ride my love/ Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up.”
Speaking to NME about ‘Ride’, she explained: “This song was written with the intention to just be on the dancefloor. We were just having fun.
“I think I talked about a cowboy in the first verse, so then I started whistling Ennio Morricone’s famous The Good, The Bad And The Ugly theme tune over this kind of Italo house beat.”
Ware continued: “[The song] was built around that moment, and there’s a whip in there and galloping hooves.”
She went on to say that she’d only played ‘Ride’ twice for fans, but had “been teasing it for like two years”. Ware thought she would release the studio version “much earlier”, before deciding to hold off.
“It’s the most kind of dancey song, I think, on the new record,” she continued. “People have been asking for this song, so now it is time for them to get it. I’m really proud of it.”
Ware then described ‘Ride’ as “a fun song”, adding: “It’s confident and it’s sassy, and the Morricone estate okayed it – which I feel is a really good seal of approval.” Check out the video interview here:
In a separate statement, Ware said: “‘Ride’ was the first song I wrote for this record. I made it in 2024 with my best friend Jack Peñate and Karma Kid, who feature throughout the album.
“It’s a song for the clubs, for the dancefloor – fun, cinematic, cheeky and powerful. I first performed it at NYC Downlow at Glastonbury after headlining West Holts, and I’ve been waiting two years to finally put it out. I know others have been waiting too… So here it is. You’re welcome.”
The forthcoming ‘Superbloom’ serves as the follow-up to 2023’s ‘That! Feels Good!’. It finds Ware in a “glittering rush of Studio 54-inflected groove-pop”, and “explores our shared craving for touch, pleasure, intimacy and connection”.
Ware explained: “Since [2020’s] ‘What’s Your Pleasure?’, I’ve been trying out this fantasy world and escapism. I’m not the most by-the-book ‘pop star’, but I do like to play with dress-up, glamour and fun.
“While I love dance music, I wanted to dig deeper with this record; to connect with real relationships and appreciate the love I have, and the fears I have of losing it.”
She worked on ‘Superbloom’ with James Ford, as well as Barney Lister, Karma Kid, Jon Shave (Charli XCX) and Stuart Price (Madonna, Pet Shop Boys), while Ben Baptie (Sault, Little Simz, Adele) mixed the album.
‘That! Feels Good!’ earned Ware her second Mercury Prize nomination, having previously been shortlisted for her debut ‘Devotion’ (2012). The former peaked at Number Three on the Official UK Albums Chart, and marked her highest-ever entry on the US Top Album Sales chart.
