Pop
Watch: James Norton stars as a sexy cowboy in Jessie Ware's raunchy Ride music video
James Norton stars in Jessie Ware's Western fantasy Ride.
Jessie Ware has launched a fresh visual era with the release of the official video for her new single Ride — a sultry, cinematic short that sees the singer team up with actor James Norton for a tense, stylised Western fantasy.
Directed by Thomas James, the promo trades in glossy, high‑fashion surrealism.
Set inside a moody stable environment that feels part–editorial shoot, part–fever dream, the visual leans into themes of control, desire and shifting power dynamics.
It also builds out the world of Superbloom, Ware’s upcoming album, giving fans their first real glimpse of the record’s aesthetic universe.
Ware revealed that Norton’s appearance came together in a spur‑of‑the‑moment conversation.
The pair were watching a performance by Jack Peñate — who co‑wrote Ride — when she asked Norton if he could ride a horse and whether he’d be up for playing a “sexy cowboy” in the video.
After hearing the track, he agreed immediately.
Ware joked that despite planning to stay behind the camera, she found herself filming intimate scenes with the Happy Valley star by mid‑morning on a freezing February shoot day.
She praised the actor’s professionalism and the warmth he brought to the set, as well as the decision to shoot entirely on film, which gives the video its rich, cinematic texture.
Norton said he didn’t hesitate when Ware approached him, calling himself a long‑time admirer of her music.
He described the shoot as a “properly fun ride”, crediting Ware and the crew for creating an atmosphere that matched the song’s seductive energy.
The track itself is a slow‑burning, groove‑driven cut that subtly nods to Ennio Morricone’s iconic The Good, The Bad and The Ugly theme. Ware first previewed Ride during her 2024 Glastonbury takeover, debuting it at the festival’s NYC Downlow nightclub after headlining the West Holts Stage — a moment that sparked months of anticipation among fans.
Ride appears on Ware’s forthcoming album Superbloom, due for release on April 10.
