The British singer-songwriter will perform a mix of Christmas tunes and sultry hits with Pacific Symphony this weekend.
Colored lights, glittering ensembles and festive tunes may be the recipe for making spirits bright, but adding star power elevates any performance – especially during the holiday season.
The Pacific Symphony is beloved in its own right, having served as Orange County’s premier orchestra since the 1970s while encouraging inspiration, connection and entertainment through diverse programming that typically highlights classical music. But two upcoming performances with English singer-songwriter Joss Stone provide the perfect opportunity to embrace the grandiose sounds of the symphony, the singer’s soulful voice and the spirit of the season all at once.
Merry Christmas, Love
For two nights only, Stone will captivate audiences at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, performing holiday songs from her ninth studio album, “Merry Christmas, Love,” which was released in 2022 – nearly two decades into her impressive career.
“It’s a gorgeous time of year, isn’t it?” Stone said. “I’ve wanted to (make a holiday album) … for a long time, but I had a very specific way in which I wanted to do it and that meant I had to wait for the stars to align …. In my mind, I wanted it to just be covered in orchestra.”
Her wish came true as she recorded classics like “Silent Night,” “Let it Snow” and “Away in a Manger,” as well as Stevie Wonder’s hit “What Christmas Means to Me” and an original song called “If You Believe.” Now, as she prepares to play the album live with the Pacific Symphony, it will come to life before the audiences’ eyes.
“It’s special for me to do (these) Christmas shows, because I’ve only ever done one and that was last year,” Stone said. “We’ll do everything that’s on the album …. When I made the record, there’s aspects of party vibes, but mainly, I tried to make it just magic. And with the symphony, it certainly will be that.”
As the orchestra joins Stone for a blend of both holiday tunes and past releases, Principal Pops Conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez will lead the way. “This show is a great blend of both holiday classics, so timeless hits like ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,’ ‘The Christmas Song,’ ‘Let it Snow,’ ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,’” he said. “But then it’s also paired with some of Joss’s original songs as well as even some jazz, soul, R&B-inspired songs, which is very much part of her brand and what makes her voice so unique and wonderful.”
After scheduling a show with Stone for the Nashville Symphony but not being able to conduct it, Lopez-Yañez still had her in the back of his mind when it came time to plan this year’s Pacific Symphony pops shows. “I really wanted to make this collaboration work because she has such a great voice,” he said.
Although they worked together to develop the set list for the evening performances, Stone and the orchestra will enjoy only one rehearsal together, on the day of the first show. “For people who are a Joss Stone fan, maybe they’ve never heard her with an orchestra,” Lopez-Yañez said. “Or people who come because they're a Pacific Symphony subscriber may have little to no familiarity with Joss Stone and her amazing vocals. So hearing that pairing, for fans on both sides, is a really fun moment to see.”
He added that the orchestra would have its own moments to shine during the concert as well, with the screen using image magnification to offer a closer look at the symphony musicians. “It’s really designed to cover all the bases and make everyone feel like they've come and had an amazing evening, regardless of what it was that drove them to come to the concert in the first place.”
A Soulful Journey
Although Stone’s career started early in life – she signed her first record contract when she was 14 and noted that singing is the only job she’s ever had – she didn’t always aspire to make music. “Actually, I wanted to be a vet,” she said. “And then something happened with a horse I had. My dad basically said to the family, ‘Guys, we can’t afford to keep Freddie.’ … In my mind, I felt I had to get a job. So that was what brought me to singing. I loved music, of course. But I thought everyone loved it.”
At the age of 13, Stone wrote to the British talent show “Star for a Night,” thinking it would help her keep the family’s horse. “I did get a job, but I didn’t get my horse back. But that’s how it began,” she said.
She started working on her first album shortly after. “I was sort of riding the wave, you know? But the wave wasn’t something I created; it wasn’t my wave,” she said. “I just jumped on and all these people had all these ideas. The only thing that I was very specific about was that I wanted to sing soul music.”
Stone was pressured into singing cover songs for her debut album, “The Soul Sessions,” which was released in 2003, but she said it ended up being a blessing in disguise to sing these lesser-known tracks from a range of time periods. “I learned so much from singing those great songs and I had great musicians surrounding me. They were all 60 and 70 and I was a baby, so that was really interesting.”
Her style and approach have both evolved since those earlier days. Now 37 years old, she feels more freedom to do things her way. “Now I write all the songs,” she said. “That doesn’t mean I’m opposed to singing other great songs that aren’t written by me. I just don’t feel a particular need to be any kind of way. I just want to be a part of music.”
Stone did a world tour, during which she said she played nearly every country in the world and collaborated with local musicians during her visits. “That was interesting musically because I got to sing in different languages, different timings, different instruments were involved, and I thought that was great,” she said. “So I think I lost the obsession about having control over the records .… Music is beautiful. It doesn’t really matter what form it comes in. It's just so lovely. I think the Christmas record was probably the last record that I had a specific vision for. Everything else, I just want it to feel good, however it comes.”
Over the years, Stone has released several other records, including 2004’s “Mind Body & Soul,” which she called her real debut, and 2007’s “Introducing Joss Stone,” an album that showcases her growth as an artist and explorative nature. Also in 2007, she won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for her cover of the Sly and the Family Stone song “Family Affair” with John Legend and Van Hunt.
Later, in 2023, the year after “Merry Christmas, Love” was released, Stone put out her first live album, “20 Years of Soul Live in Concert.” On a tour that celebrated her 20-year career, they recorded all of the shows then picked the best versions of each song to put the album together. “I remember listening back to the mix and I was getting so emotional, I was so proud,” she said. “I’m really glad that we did that. The fans requested it, so I was able to give it to them, which was fab.”
As she explored different types of projects, such as the holiday and live albums, her personal life was undergoing a transformation as well. In 2021, Stone became a mother and now has three children, including a son that she and husband Cody DaLuz adopted this fall.
“(Being a mother) is something that I’ve wanted to do above and beyond music,” Stone said. “So I walked through life hoping that it would happen and one after the other just didn’t work .… I finally met Cody, my husband, and my world got to the place it should have been.”
Although she has enjoyed all that her career has given her, she said it doesn’t compare to finally living out this dream. “I’m just so happy now that I have my kids,” Stone said. “Not because of any Grammy or duet with a big star. That sort of pales in comparison.”
Looking Ahead
As we shift into the New Year, Lopez-Yañez will lead a number of other pops performances, including collaborations with versatile band Pink Martini (Feb. 14, 2025) as well an acrobatic-style group called Troupe Vertigo (May 9) that will perform aerial, juggling and contortion acts to Broadway hits. Also slated for 2025 is a brand new show called “La Vida Loca,” (June 13) where the symphony will showcase the Latin pop hits that dominated the charts in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Expect to hear songs by everyone from Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias to Shakira and Gloria Estefan.
As for the Stone holiday shows, Lopez-Yañez warned that tickets will go fast. “We only have two nights of performances, so you don’t want to miss it. This isn’t some long-running thing. So get the whole family out. If you’re looking for a way to entertain friends and family that have come to visit … we’ll entertain them for you and make sure all have a great time.”
Joss Stone: Merry Christmas, Love
When: 8 p.m. Dec. 20 and 21
Where: Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa
Cost: $50.85 to $246.34
Contact: (714) 755-5799, pacificsymphony.org/tickets or scfta.org
