Jessie Ware and Romy have teamed up for “Lift You Up,” a new duet produced by disco-pop whisperer Stuart Price.
Jessie Ware debuted the song with Romy during her concluding set on the West Holt Stage at Glastonbury Festival last weekend. “Lift You Up” is littered with rich harmonies from both Ware and Romy, whose friendship was cemented when Romy’s band The xx invited Ware to perform at their Night & Day Festival in Berlin. Across a euphoric, nostalgia-driven house beat — complete with keyboard stabs and tinny crash cymbals — Ware and Romy vow to lift each other up and give each other “something to believe in.” Stream “Lift You Up” below.
“I was so excited to be in the room with my friend and to see how she works and to hear her beautiful voice,” Jessie Ware said of the song and collaborating with Romy. “I’m so proud of the record. It’s a song that’s about both of us being too hard on ourselves, and not believing enough in ourselves. I think anyone can relate to that.”
Romy felt the same way, sharing in a statement, “I’ve been a fan of Jessie’s music for a long time and it was amazing to finally work together after many years of friendship. Sometimes we all need a friend there to lift us up and help us see things differently.” She continued: “A memory comes to mind of Jessie and I backstage at a festival when I was just starting to play my solo music live and I was still figuring things out. She hyped me up and helped me believe in myself when I was feeling unsure. The conversation we had really stayed with me and was definitely in my mind when we were writing the lyrics.”
Both artists noted their affinity for producer Stuart Price, who produced a great deal of their respective 2023 studio albums — Jessie Ware’s That! Feels Good! and Romy’s Mid Air. “There was a wonderful serendipity about the fact that she worked with Stuart Price on the last record too,” said Ware.
Ware and Romy are currently overseas completing a handful of UK and European tour dates. Meanwhile, Romy recently dropped new song “Always Forever,” which was based on an interpolation of the Donna Lewis classic, “I Love You Always Forever.” She’ll be back in the US for a run of dates next month; check out our review of Romy’s recent “Club Mid Air” concert in New York City, which we named as “joyous” and “exhilarating.”