Jess Glynne said she was “deeply unhappy” in the music industry and questioned a return, particularly after a cancel culture backlash evoked death threats.
The chart-topping music star, 34, said she was “really burnt out” and needed hospital treatment for exhaustion after her 2019 world tour ended, and was “quite relieved” there was a work hiatus when the pandemic hit in March 2020.
However, after the “horrific” death of her grandmother from Covid when pandemic rules prevented family visits, and the unexpected death of a friend, Glynne said she was “really scared to go back into the studio”.
In March 2021, Glynne was accused of transphobia in a cancel culture backlash after appearing on comedian Mo Gilligan’s podcast.
“It felt like the world caved in on me,” Glynne told The Telegraph.
“People can be so aggressive. They hear one thing and all just jump on this bandwagon, and…it feels like the world is over. For a period, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t breathe, how do I get out?'”
Glynne, who is bisexual and dating former England footballer Alex Scott, said: “The way I said it wasn’t even an attack, it was actually me celebrating a community that I’m a part of, and that I love.
“And instead of that community being supportive and saying, ‘Oh, by the way, Jess, you know what, that word is actually really uncomfortable’, there were death threats and all these awful things.”
The Rather Be singer, who issued an apology at the time, said the incident made her wary of expressing herself in public for “a year or two”.
She said: “I fell in and out of love with music. I was deeply unhappy. I felt I was only seen as a product; I wasn’t seen as a human being.”
In January 2022, Glynne signed with Roc Nation, the US entertainment company founded by rapper Jay-Z, after years of being told “I’m not allowed to do this, I have to wear this and go there, I have to be that, I can’t say this and I can’t do that”.
She later spoke briefly about her relationship with Scott which started last summer, saying: “Over the years, I’ve never hidden who I am. I’m a very open person. I believe that love is love.
“And I’ve never hidden the fact that I’ve been in relationships with men, and I’ve been in relationships with women. That’s a massive side of my life.”
Glynne, who is set to release a new single titled Enough, said she was also one song away from finishing her third album.
She added: “I want the album to tell a story about vulnerability and power, being brave, showing all sides to who I am. I want it to be unapologetic.”
