JADE tells us about new ‘Blue Planet III’ song ‘Into the Deep (Seas Cry)’: ‘It’s the best thing I’ve ever done’

As JADE debuts her new song ‘Into the Deep (Seas Cry)’, the singer has told Rolling Stone UK about working with Hans Zimmer on the new song for Blue Planet III, her love for David Attenborough, and a very welcome update on her upcoming second solo album.

Written by JADE, Zimmer and Thom Lukas of the Emmy and BAFTA-winning Bleeding Fingers Music team, the powerful new track acts as a suitably dramatic backdrop for the anticipated return of the Attenborough documentary.

“When I was sent the whole orchestral piece, I just knew it was a match made in heaven really,” she tells Rolling Stone UK of the new track.

Check out our full interview with JADE and listen to ‘Into the Deep (Seas Cry)’ in full below.

Hello, Jade! We’ll get to your excellent new song in a second, but I have to ask about Leigh-Anne in The Celebrity Traitors. She’s already got Ross Kemp and Joanne McNally’s backs up!

We’re in for a great series aren’t we? And what you’ll find out about Leigh-Anne is that she’s so funny without trying. I feel like we’re gonna see a lot of that, but we’ve already had some amazing moments from that first episode.

To the song, then. Working with Hans Zimmer has got to be up there as a career highlight, right?

Oh my goodness, I think this is probably the best thing I’ve ever done. I still can’t quite believe it. To get to work with Hans Zimmer is obviously such an honour, and has always been a dream of mine, and then to do that alongside one of my favourite shows ever in Blue Planet and one of my favourite humans ever in David Attenborough. Well, I’m still gagged by it, to be honest.

How did that call come in?

Well to be honest, I can just be quite candid about it. I was basically looking to sign with a publisher and I was actually in a meeting of Sony Publishing and they were like, ‘OK, what do you love to get this over the line?’ I was like, ‘I love David Attenborough and I love anything that he does’. I hadn’t written music to a movie or a TV show or a musical score, and that’s always been a dream of mine.

Sony Publishing were essentially like, ‘Hold my beer’ and called me not long after that meeting and said they’d spoken to the BBC and it was the quickest yes they’ve ever had on a collaboration for the music, which was lovely. It all happened quite quickly.

What was the production process like?

When I found out I had this opportunity, I wanted to do it with people that I really adore and that I know would be just as ecstatic to have that opportunity. I got in with Starsmith who did the S.A.D version of ‘Angel of My Dreams’ because I knew he’d be perfect, and then Pablo Bowman, who I’ve worked with before and who had actually sent me a demo last year of a song called ‘David Attenborough’. So I thought, ‘Yes, you’re gonna be perfect for this’.

The three of us got in the studio and it was so cool because we had to move quite quickly. Hans Zimmer and his team sent over this beautiful, orchestral arrangement and I’ve never worked like that before. I basically wrote the song to that and we went back and forth a bit. We worked remotely, and they sent us clips of Blue Planet III and we had that on in the background while we were writing. It was so cool.

Were there any big takeaways from the project?

I realised actually from this experience that I love working to a brief or having a specific topic to write about. I truly love that show. I’ve watched every single series and anything that David Attenborough narrates or is a part of, to be honest. I felt like I could really immerse myself in that world quite easily, because I really knew what the show was about. And you know me, I love a theatrical flair, so when I was sent the whole orchestral piece, I just knew it was a match made in heaven really. They were so lovely at giving me the creative freedom to write the song however I’d like.

Lyrically, where it does go and what was inspiring you?

I wanted to make sure that the song did sound incredibly celebratory and portray just how vast and phenomenal the sea is, whilst also bringing in a bit of reality of what’s going on with climate change or with the ways in which the seas are suffering. I wanted it to almost be like a musical in a song and and tell the story of how incredible the oceans are, but how we’re running out of time, but it’s not too late to do something about it.

The “seas cry” lyric, I think it can be positive or negative. I grew up in a seaside town [South Shields] by the cliffs, so I was trying to channel what it’s like when you hear the waves roaring, but also this sort of crying out in this huge chorus. That was kind of the the energy there, while also tapping into the idea that the seas are are crying and telling us to to look after it. I want people to learn more and understand as much as they can about the blue planet.

How does it make you feel, then, when you see the way that our own waters have been used as a dumping ground in recent years?

I do think it is more of a governmental issue, but I think we all have the power to do our little part in helping to tidy the oceans or the beaches. There’s always so much to be done, and this year we’ve seen just how rapidly climate change and global warming is affecting the oceans. There’s still so much to be done. David Attenborough talks about this so much. It’s probably the reason why he still continues to do this work at his age, because it is so important to encourage us, and the younger generation, to do their part in saving the planet. Especially so when it’s been the year of David’s 100th birthday and this is the new series of Blue Planet.

I’m going to put you on the spot now, Jade. What sea creature would you be for a day?

Oh my goodness, a big question there. I am really drawn to jellyfish. I think they’re quite camp. They look really fabulous and gorgeous on the outside, but they can sting you if you get too close. I just think they’re so ethereal. And then maybe otters. I fucking love otters.

Mike Sabath, your long-time collaborator, recently said that your second solo album is well on the way. What can you tell us?

It’s all coming into fruition and I’ve spent most of the year in between shows or festival season just grabbing a little week here and there with Mike and cracking on with it. This next album has also followed the journey of whatever’s been going on in my life this year, so I’d say we’re like two thirds of the way there. After this song comes out, I’ll be in LA working on honing in on all the tracks and finishing the record and seeing what’s missing and what we love. Doing more of a proper collaboration with Mike Sabbath has been really special.

What do you like about working with him?

We worked so well together on the last record [THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY!], but I feel like this year we’ve become really close friends. I think when you’re writing about personal stuff, it’s better to be writing with people you feel really safe with or that you’re actually friends with. It means you’re not walking into a new room with new people every single time and having to explain what you want to write about. So I’m really excited about it, but ‘Into the Deep’ is the perfect tide over, if you’ll pardon the pun…

You’re also performing at the Mercury Prize later this month in Newcastle. Between yourself and Knats, it feels like a big Geordie homecoming…

I can’t bloody wait! Between that and the [new] song, I couldn’t think about ending the year in a better way. I’ve actually been in touch with Knats about potentially doing an afterparty together. I love being from the North East, I’m really proud of that and we keep seeing more and more talent coming out of there. In the world of nepo babies, I think it’s cool to have that balance of seeing working class northern talent coming through and having the opportunity to go these events, with the Mercury [Prize] in Newcastle and the BRIT Awards being in Manchester now. That needed to happen to help showcase and highlight working class northern talents.

I did get off the train in Newcastle before the Mercurys last year and I was greeted by a group of schoolchildren singing ‘People Watching’ by Sam Fender. Maybe ‘Angel of My Dreams’ could be their song this year!

Oh god don’t, I’ll probably sob!