English soul singer Jessie Ware signs U.S. deal

By Mikael Wood

Oct. 18, 2012 6 AM PT

Jessie Ware has already bewitched critics on both sides of the Atlantic with an impressive debut album, “Devotion,” which came out in England (and, um, on the Internet) back in August.

But now she’s positioning herself to break in a bigger way. On Wednesday, the London-based singer announced that she’d signed in the U.S. with Cherrytree Records, the Interscope-affiliated boutique that’s delivered top 10 hits from La Roux (“Bulletproof”) and Ellie Goulding (“Lights”).

The label will release an EP, “110%,” in December, shortly before Ware launches her first American tour. She’s scheduled to play L.A.’s Bootleg Bar on Dec. 13 and the El Rey Theatre on Jan. 23. (Listen to the EP’s title track below.)

“It’s absolutely a privilege to have Jessie join our roster,” Cherrytree chief Martin Kierszenbaum told The Times on Wednesday. “I recently got the opportunity to see her live in the U.K. and really pursued her. It’s such a special, extraordinary record. There’s something magical about her.”

A nominee for this year’s prestigious Mercury Prize, “Devotion” followed guest spots Ware made on 2011 records by arty British beatmakers SBTRKT and Joker. But don’t let those hipster connections scare you: On her own, Ware works a gorgeous future-soul sound any Sade fan could love.