It's said musicians find writing their sophomore album is harder than the first. But for English singer songwriter Jessie Ware, creating her second album, Tough Love, was as smooth as her soulful voice. She wrote the songs that became her new record in three different cities - -New York, Los Angeles, and her home in London -- at an especially hectic time: in the midst of her engagement and subsequent marriage.

And yet, even within that chaos, Ware found a deeper and catchier R&B sound -- with a little help from some big-time singers, producers and songwriters such as Dev Hynes, Ed Sheeran, Benny Blanco, and Miguel. Almost from the start, Ware has been no stranger to collaboration. In fact, she seems creatively enlivened by it. Her work with SBTRKT on "Right Thing To Do" and with Disclosure on "Running" first introduced her voice to a wider audience. And most recently, she's appeared alongside stars like Bono, Robert Plant and Sam Smith on the latest iteration of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" for Band Aid 30, the all-star charity single raising money for Ebola aid. 

Still, while her profile has grown very quickly into stardom in just a few years, Tough Love manages to both showcase Ware's skill as a songwriter and singer, and maintain her South London charm amid the spotlight. 

In a conversation with Soundcheck host John Schaefer, Ware gives some behind-the-scenes stories about making Tough Love -- from collaborating with Miguel, to writing a song with Ed Sheeran in 30 minutes, to hanging out with Benny Blanco's bulldog and eating, a lot. 

Interview Highlights

Jessie Ware, on writing songs inspired by significant life events:

I’d like to think this is not my last album, and these albums are exactly that -- scrapbooks of memories and nostalgia and significant moments. And there have been some significant moments this year for me. Such as getting engaged, getting married, thinking about how things are going to change. Nothing’s changed, nothing. I mean it’s excellent, but nothing’s changed. I think I like to think about it like that, it was a very quick album for me to make. I feel like who knows what my next album will be like.

On co-writing and collaborating on Tough Love:

It started in New York on a kind of two week escape from my touring schedule to just have fun in this city. The first we wrote was “Want Your Feeling” with Dev (Hynes). Dev and I had known each other for years. We worked together on the first record even though it didn’t make it on the record. I adore that song and I think it will have it’s own life. And then Benny Blanco, he’s one of the only pop producers who lives in New York. So we were just in his apartment. It was very relaxed with his bulldog Disco. And we were just having fun and eating too much food and then in LA -- Benny works in L.A. in the winter months. We worked with Miguel, and the rest of it was done in England -- London.

I only know how to collaborate because I don’t play an instrument. I’ve relied working with other people for forever. And it was a wonderful way to enter into the music world by collaborating with SBTRKT -- and him really introducing the internet to me. I just couldn’t imagine it the other way around. I need to see people’s reactions to my idea whether it’s good or bad or want to change it. I need that because I need to bounce off that.

On working with Miguel on “Kind Of...Sometimes...Maybe”:

We went into the studio in January to work for me, and he was like, “What do you want to write about?” And I was like, “Oh well, you know I really love those unrequited things.” We were just chatting and he said, “Why don’t you be the type of person I think you are, and you are this sassy woman that is very confident.”  And I was like, “Well, thank you very much, that’s very kind of you.” And he said to just say that. I said, “I don’t think I can get away with that. I’m a Brit; we’re but very self-deprecating, we can’t be confident, independent sassy.” But he said he really wants to have people hear me in control.

So I went along with it. I knew I wanted to do this waltz tempo but have references to Otis Redding and stuff like that -- so he just did this arpeggio on his guitar. It was so easy to write, but very much Miguel pushing me in a direction to find a different voice and show this character which I am but don’t necessarily show in my music which I really appreciate him for.

On writing “Say You Love Me” with Ed Sheeran in half an hour:

Sometimes my best songs have come that fast. If you labor it too much it feels like something’s not instinctive on this one, it feels too contrived. With anything you have to be in the right headspace where you don’t pre empt anything. You don't’ stop yourself from falling into whatever the mood is.

With Ed, we didn’t have much time anyway. I knew he was prolific with how he writes but you don’t know if you’re going to work well together. And bless him -- we had a cup of tea and went into a room. Ed is very confident. And me, socially, I can talk to anybody, but I can find it hard to show people my ideas because I’m worried about them not being right. So I stop myself before I even said the things. Ed was really amazing, it felt like a therapy session. he looked at me while he was playing his guitar and I said I love that and we were chatting and would still be talking. It was a pleasure, a delight.

On father being a journalist:

I did my degree in English literature and then I really wanted to be a journalist. I think I was quite influenced that I thought it was quite glamorous. My father was an investigative journalist, I mean he was doing war zones and specializing in Northern Ireland. And not that I necessarily wanted to do that but I found this thrill in the deadline. The team work is exciting, this quick kind of change over. I did a diploma, for journalism when you learn shorthand, the legal stuff. I got a job at  the Jewish Chronicle. I thought that would be an easy in because I was a Jew, I didn’t think I was going to get the big broadsheets. So I was like, hello Jewish Chronicle, could I do some work for you and stay on and they said yes. Then I went into TV and worked in the production side. I tried it, I wasn’t very good. But I do love the deadline. I still love it. I’m the earliest artist at anything. I like to work nine to five. I’m very un-rock and roll. It makes me feel like it’s not as indulgent. I’m not that Bohemian, I like to get my eight hours of sleep.

On her remix for “Keep On Lying” and working with producers Harry Fraud and TOKiMONSTA:

I love a remix. The remix project that’s kind of going online, is I work with Red Bull. They have this studio in London. They have a really big emphasis on new electronic artists. We had this idea of doing a remix and going to different studios and working with different artists I love. I’m very involved with my remixes because I don’t just want anybody to mess with it. I want the people I respect to do whatever they want with my vocal because I like them. I got to choose five people to remix this one song. I think what’s been very interesting is we do it over five days. So we get a remix everyday, and all of them are so different and it’s so wonderful to see the artist whether it Harry Fraud or TOKiMONSTA and where they’ve taken this song and completely re imagined it. I love it, I’m not precious about it. I have my original song, I want them to do what they want to do with it.

On the weirdest part of her job, and talking about herself:

I just think sometimes it just feels a bit unreal. It’s so indulgent which is fun sometimes. But so self-indulgent. I get so bored talking about myself. It’s just all quite about you. It sounds like I’m complaining, but I’m not complaining. But I think it’s weirder for my friends and my husband when people recognize me than it is for me, and that’s quite funny.

Speed Round

Best meal in New York:

"ABC Kitchen. I was there last night and it’s sensational every time. Sushi Yasuda is really good."

Weirdest place performed:

"World War II bunker, thought that was slightly inappropriate for a Jew, in Germany. It was actually a really good gig."

First album fell in love with:

The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill

One person you’d want to share the stage with, living or dead:

Living : D’Angelo.

Dead: Whitney Houston or Billie Holiday