Jess Glynne Covers R. Kelly’s “Ignition (Remix)” For BBC’s 1Xtra Live Lounge: Watch

So far, rising singer Jess Glynne has contributed her vocals to dance hits like Route 94‘s “My Love” and Clean Bandit‘s chart-topper “Rather Be.” Prior to those songs, she introduced the world to her voice in her grime-inflected debut single “Home.” A recent stop at BBC’s 1Xtra Live Lounge, however, may have led to the most playful display of her vocals yet. While there, Glynne covered a 2003 R&B classic once petitioned to be the US national anthem a decade later – R. Kelly‘s “Ignition (Remix).”

R. Kelly keeps it cool in the original, sounding nonchalant as his voice glided through his playful melody, even when he’s like, “I’m like, ‘So what? I’m drunk.’” In her take, while backed by two vocalists and an acoustic guitar, Glynne doesn’t hesitate to make herself heard louder and clearer, the longer she sings of moves from the hotel lobby to a checked-out room. Her exuberance is contagious, as evidenced by the backup singer flicking her hands over her head when Glynne sings, “Running my hands through my ‘fro” for one last round.

Watch Jess Glynne’s terrific cover of R. Kelly’s “Ignition (Remix)” up top. After the jump, revisit a clip that signaled to Kells himself that he made it – Michael Jackson, dancing to the song in the car, as filmed by director Brett Ratner. Nope, not even the King of Pop could resist it.

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