Chrissie Hynde fell in love with a Welshman and started up a band.
For the first time in three decades, Chrissie Hynde is singing from a brand new hymn sheet. Joining forces with her now ex-lover JP Jones and backed by musicians The Fairground Boys, Hynde has dived straight into unchartered duet waters and duly risen to the challenge.
It’s a creative partnership born from a frustrated love affair – ‘Fidelity’ is a collection of songs articulating an unconventional romantic entanglement between two people, from two seemingly different ends of the musical spectrum. The thirty-year age gap may have raised a few eyebrows along the way, but the pair seized the opportunity to translate their feelings into song nevertheless. “The tracks are all written to each other, about each other; conversations if you like,” explains Hynde. “We are each others’ muse on this thing.”
JP recounts the night they met. “I spotted Chrissie straight away; I couldn’t believe it was her. So I went up to her and we ended up chatting all night. We swapped numbers and texted each other the next day,” he says. “I was doing a solo album at the time and Chrissie was giving me her opinions, it was incredible.”
In a brazen act of spontaneity, the pair hopped on a flight to Cuba; it was here that they unwittingly discovered their artistic bond. “Neither of us had ever been to Cuba before and I had just got off tour and wanted to clear my head,” recalls Hynde. “We didn’t know each other at the time and it seemed like a good idea, maybe we did do it on a whim though.” She goes on to describe a typical traveller scene: “We’re both songwriters and found ourselves just wandering around Cuba with our guitars; we then just started writing. We didn’t plan to write the album; these songs just fell out of us.”
And the pair have been inseparable ever since, continually creating music from this unique perspective. Never one to shy away from confrontation, Hynde is happy to discuss their relationship. “Obviously we knew that there couldn’t be a romantic link because of this huge age gap,” she asserts. “And because of that we realised there could be no future,” interrupts JP. “I’m a traditional guy and I want to have kids.” Chrissie continues: “We get to be together in a band as opposed to in a relationship and that’s just how it panned out.”
‘Perfect Lover’ encapsulates the essence of what the record is about; a frank acclamation of their misguided love. Although it would be fair to say that he sounds somewhat older than his thirty-one years – JP’s baritone growl complements Hynde’s tuneful soprano. And with lyrics like “I found my perfect lover but he’s only half my age / He was learning how to stand when I was wearing my first wedding band”, Hynde’s famous sense of humour is clearly in tow.
After being out on the road for seven weeks with the Fairground Boys, Chrissie and JP are both looking forward to a well-earned rest, as their heartlands beckon. “I can’t wait get back to the UK,” gushes JP. “I’m British so I miss the people, the attitudes and I even miss the rain, believe it or not.” Hynde is also keen to get back to the UK, before stopping off in Ohio to see her mum of course. “I like being in the spotlight but only on stage; the rest of the time I like to hide. I don’t really feature in this whole celebrity culture.”
Both singers have fought against the tide in their own separate ways; JP, by spurning a major record deal to work with Chrissie, and Hynde by choosing the unknown over what she knows best.
Sonny and Cher, Ike and Tina, Jack and Meg: the history of male-female duos is rooted in romance, controversy and intrigue. And now there’s a new Pretender to the throne.
Words by April Welsh
