Multi-platinum selling artist Joss Stone has just embarked on her most audacious project to date – going on a 'proper' world tour by playing a gig in every country on the planet.
Fresh after a gig in Indonesia, she talks to Peter Moore about how the tour is going and the challenges ahead.
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Can you tell us a little about the world tour idea?
Well, it all started because so many artists do "World Tours" but none of them yet has toured even half of it in one go. So I thought, now there's a challenge so we're going for it!
Is the plan to play in every country in the world?
Yep. That's it in a nutshell, every one.
Is it something that will get into the Guinness Book of World Records? If so, what is their criteria for a gig?
That's a good question, I'd hope it would get in there and I think that to be a gig it needs a minimum number of spectators and to be a certain length. I can't remember the specifics. I should probably check before we set out...
What made you want to undertake this project?
People told me that it couldn't be done and I don't like being told I can't do something because it's too difficult. And once I thought about it, I realised how unifying music can be and what a great message that would send out.
How long do you think it will take you?
It's going to take a couple of years in total, this is no small feat.
Will you seek out local musicians to play with? Check out the local music scene?
That's certainly on the cards, but in the main it will be me and my band.
You've already played in Indonesia and the Philippines. How was that? Did you have any adventures?
I love them both, in fact I recently went on holiday to Bali, it was just so beautiful!
Are you a big traveller? As Joss Stone, can you just grab a backpack and hit the road?
I have to travel so much with work that I don't often jet away for pleasure, when I get time off I just want to head back to my dogs and my family in Devon. That said, I can certainly just head off backpacker style, in fact a lot of this plan was concocted in the back of my campervan in Spain and France.
Which countries are you looking forward to visiting the most?
Oh, I couldn't express a preference there are so many places and they all have something new and wonderful to experience whether I've been their 100 times before or not at all.
Since Wanderlust interviewed Joss Stone, the singer went on to perform her Total World Tour until 2019, when, alas she was deported from Iran on the last stop of the tour.
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