JB Rose on her aunt and cousins in Luton, why she sings Whitney without impersonating her, and how she will sing I Will Always Love You on 6 November.

The Soul of Whitney Houston showreel, with JB Rose singing on a stage in front of an illuminated sign. Video: supplied by JB Rose

When JB Rose sings Whitney Houston at Luton Library Theatre on Friday 6 November, she will be performing in the town where her family lives.

“Yes, I actually have a personal connection to Luton,” she told us, in written answers to our questions. “I have family who live here, my aunt and cousins, and I have memories of coming to Luton from childhood. Although my aunt and uncle are no longer with us, I still come up and spend time with my cousins, so Luton has remained part of my family story.”

We covered the show when it was announced, from the press release. This time she answers in her own words: on the Luton link, the line-up, the song choices, what I Will Always Love You means after Dolly Parton’s death, and what someone booking for the first time should expect.

The show is at 7.30pm on Friday 6 November, as the theatre’s listing confirmed when we checked it today. Tickets are £20, or £18 concessions, on the TryBooking page or from the box office on 07899 799 996.

Close-up of JB Rose singing into a microphone, wearing long drop earrings and a mirrored halter-neck dress
JB Rose mid-song, in close-up. Photo: supplied by JB Rose

“Not just another venue on a tour”

That family link is why the Library Theatre date matters to her. “That makes performing at Luton Library Theatre particularly special for me,” she said. “It isn’t just another venue on a tour; there is a sense of coming back to somewhere that already has a connection with me.”

“I also love the idea of bringing this show into a theatre that is part of the local community. I want people to come and have a proper night out: to sing, laugh, dance, remember and perhaps even discover something about themselves along the way.”

Who is on stage

We asked whether she would have a band, backing singers or guests. She will not: it is a solo show. “The show is built around me as the vocalist and storyteller, with high-quality backing tracks and visual elements helping to create the world of Whitney’s music,” she said.

The Whitney songs she named are I Wanna Dance with Somebody, I Will Always Love You, I Have Nothing, Million Dollar Bill, Greatest Love of All and Higher Love. Four of her own go in alongside them: Back to Love, Gold, We Are One and Luv You.

“There is an important difference between this and a conventional tribute show,” she said. “I’m not trying to be a Whitney lookalike, and I’m not pretending to be Whitney. I’m a British soul singer bringing Whitney’s music through my own voice, my own personality and my own experience as an artist. So audiences will get the Whitney songs they love, but they’ll also get to know JB Rose.”

What Whitney means to her

“Whitney’s music represents an era of class, glamour, love, joy and community,” she said. “But for me, it goes much deeper than that.

“When I first heard Whitney Houston, I was completely captivated. It wasn’t just the power of her voice. There was something about her presence, that combination of being incredibly glamorous and incredibly relatable, almost like the girl next door who happened to have this extraordinary gift. She made me believe that I could be an artist too.”

She describes studying Houston as a young singer: “Her vocal control, her phrasing, her professionalism and the way she communicated emotion through a song all had a huge influence on me. She showed me that you could have an extraordinary voice and still connect with ordinary people.”

JB Rose singing with one arm raised, against a black background, in a mirrored halter-neck dress and silver bracelets
JB Rose singing with her arm raised. Photo: supplied by JB Rose

On how the set is chosen, she said it is not a list of the biggest hits. “I’m thinking about what each song means and what it allows me to say as JB Rose. Some songs are about love, some are about joy, some are about vulnerability and some are about finding your strength again. That’s what makes the show a journey rather than just a collection of hits.”

I Will Always Love You, after Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton, who wrote I Will Always Love You, died on 25 August 2026. We asked how that changes the song for her.

“I Will Always Love You means so much to so many people, and Dolly Parton’s passing has intensified the emotion surrounding the song,” she said. “We often associate it so strongly with Whitney because her recording became such an extraordinary global phenomenon. But Dolly wrote the song and gave us the original story behind it. So when I sing it, I’m very conscious that I’m standing in the middle of the legacy of two remarkable women.

“I will sing this song from my heart, with the soul and energy that Whitney brought to it, while also honouring Dolly as the woman who wrote those words in the first place. For me, it isn’t simply the big song at the end of the show. It is a moment of reflection: about love, loss, gratitude, letting go and the things and people we carry with us.”

JB Rose singing on a stage with a brick wall, red curtain and strings of lights behind her
JB Rose on stage, with a red curtain and strings of lights behind her. Photo: supplied by JB Rose

BRITSOULLUSH and the Singing Vegan Mum

BRITSOULLUSH, the name she works under, “grew organically from my work as JB Rose and from the community that developed around me online,” she said.

“People know me in different ways. I’m a singer and songwriter, but I’m also known as the Singing Vegan Mum, because I share plant-based recipes, health and wellbeing tips, affirmation music and my original soulful music. I’ve always believed that music, health and wellbeing are connected. That’s really where BRITSOULLUSH came from: British soul, with the lushness of music, lifestyle, glamour and wellbeing.”

Asked where she has performed, she said: “I’ve performed in lots of different settings over the years, from theatres and major stages to soul and community events, and I’ve also toured throughout Europe through my work in soul and Drum and Bass music.” Her press release lists Top of the Pops with Coolio and a warm-up slot for Chaka Khan at the Hammersmith Apollo among them.

Full-length photograph of JB Rose singing in a long silver sequinned gown, one arm raised, on a stage with a gilt-framed mirror behind her
JB Rose in a full-length silver gown on stage. Photo: supplied by JB Rose

If you are booking for the first time

It is a family show, she said: “It’s a family-friendly show, so it’s really for anyone who loves great music and wants to have a fantastic night out. If you’re a Whitney Houston fan, you’ll hear many of the songs you know and love. But you don’t have to be a lifelong Whitney fan to enjoy it.”

“Expect powerful vocals, glamour, energy, emotion and plenty of those moments where you suddenly realise you know every word to the song,” she said. “And I really want people to feel part of it. This isn’t about sitting quietly and watching an impersonator. It’s about celebrating the music and sharing an experience together.”

JB Rose singing with her arm raised high, against a black background
JB Rose singing against a black backdrop. Photo: supplied by JB Rose

“We’re not finished”

Her longest answer was to our last question, what she wants people to take home.

“Some of us have spent years looking after everyone else: raising children, working, paying bills, caring for parents, getting through difficult periods, and somewhere along the way we’ve put our own dreams on the back burner,” she said. “I’ve experienced that myself. There can come a point where you wonder whether your moment has passed. Perhaps you’ve been overlooked, dismissed or made to feel that you’re no longer relevant. But I don’t believe that.”

That, she said, is where the show’s phrase “You Inspired Me Right Back” comes from. “Whitney inspired me when I was a young woman who wanted to become an artist. And now, in a strange and beautiful way, I’m standing on stage decades later singing her songs and realising that she inspired me right back to myself.

“So if someone comes to the show because they love Whitney and leaves thinking, ‘You know what? Maybe there’s still something I want to do. Maybe I still have some living to do. Maybe I haven’t finished yet,’ then that’s a beautiful thing. Because we’re not finished. There is still music to make, dreams to pursue, people to love and life to enjoy.”

JB Rose singing in a full-length silver sequinned gown, one arm raised, against a black background
JB Rose in her silver gown, full length. Photo: supplied by JB Rose
JB Rose smiling, holding a microphone and touching her hair, under purple stage lights, with the words JB Rose above her
JB Rose under purple stage lights. Photo: Aisha Yoozooph, supplied by JB Rose

What it means for you

  • When: Friday 6 November, 7.30pm to 10pm, according to the theatre’s listing
  • Where: Luton Library Theatre, third floor of Luton Central Library, St George’s Square, LU1 2NG
  • Tickets: £20, or £18 concessions, from TryBooking, which says it charges no booking fee, or the box office on 07899 799 996
  • Who it suits: JB Rose calls it family-friendly
  • On stage: JB Rose alone, singing to backing tracks with visuals

Our first piece on the show has the access details: the theatre is card-only, and wheelchair spaces have to be booked by email rather than online. Our guide to parking in Luton covers the town centre car parks.

The Luton show is the first of two dates this year. The second is at the Civic Hall in Grays, Essex, on Friday 18 December, box office 01375 401234.

Poster for The Soul of Whitney Houston at Civic Hall Thurrock on 18 December 2026, with box office 01375 401234 and the listed songs, beside a photograph of JB Rose
The poster for the second date, at Civic Hall Thurrock on 18 December. Photo: supplied by JB Rose

For more listings, see things to do in Luton. If your club, school, charity or venue has something coming up in Luton, send it to us.