Explains How a Horse named Freddie Mercury Inspired her Incredible Musical Journey Ahead of her Concert at Fantasy Springs on March 15
In a recent interview from her home in Nashville, Grammy Award-winning British soul singer Joss Stone shared one of the reasons she decided to bring her incredible talent into the spotlight when she was just 13 years old, a horse.
“We lived in the country and my mom got a horse named Mercury Firefly, but my mom called him Freddie Mercury,” Stone said with a laugh. “Mom was a stay-at-home mom and dad worked his … off, and one day mom came to me and said, ‘We have to sell Freddie, it’s getting too expensive to keep him.’”
Stone put her creative thinking cap on and one day while watching the BBC TV talent show, “Star for a Night,” she had an epiphany as she watched other hopeful singers belt out tunes.
“I knew I could sing, even though I was young,” Stone said. “It wasn’t about the singing to me, it was about getting the horse back.”
Stone auditioned for the show singing songs by Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston, and eventually won the competition with her soulful rendition of Donna Summer’s “On the Radio,” which led to a recording contract and launched her career.
It was her deep love of soul music that anchored her soul as a young girl. She credits icons such as Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, Anita Baker, and Melissa Etheridge as having the deep, thick vocals that she aspired to sing like.
She said she used to create a sonic cocoon in her bedroom, light incense, and lose herself in the album, “Mahogany Soul” by Angie Stone.
“Her voice was so raw and I just loved listening to that entire album and watching the smoke billow off the end of the incense sticks,” she said.
Stone unleashed her signature powerhouse vocals on her debut album “The Soul Sessions,” which was released in 2003 to critical acclaim. Since then, she has continued to captivate audiences across the world, releasing 9 studio albums that have sold over 15 million copies, including over 1 billion streams.
Stone said her show at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino on Friday, March 15 will feature a wide range of songs spanning the past two decades.
“We will perform songs from every single album over the past 20 years, including a reggae moment and a few covers,” she said. “I hope fans get to hear their favorite songs, sing along, get up and dance, and feel free.”
Fun Fact: Joss Stone played to a packed mid-day crowd at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2009.
Tickets to see Joss Stone on Friday, March 15 start at $49 and are on sale at the Fantasy Springs Box Office, online at fantasyspringsresort.com or 800-827-2946.
