Dr Jess Blaise Ward is a songwriter, vocalist and synth player with interests in music of the 1980s and 1990s. She is a Senior Lecturer of songwriting for BMus (Hons) Popular Music Performance at Leeds Arts University. She also lectures on various courses at Leeds Beckett University: BA (Hons) Music Production, BA (Hons) Music Performance and Production and BA (Hons) Music Business. Jess achieved a BA (Hons) in Music Production (2014), MA in Popular Music and Culture (2017) and PhD (2023) at Leeds Beckett University.

Jess’ passion for songwriting has involved a diversity of projects. Her solo work ranges from cinematic to synthpop-styled, while her collaboration projects include works in the pop and metal styles. Jess regularly collaborates with singer-songwriter Tobias Joel Ward, former punk artist Bishmanrock, and Joe Leonard - lead guitarist of Manchester metal band 40,000 Leagues. Jess has also written music for synchronisation, including audiobook work, game music and soundtrack.

Jess is a researcher of genre formation, online music communities, subcultural theory and feminist scholarship. Past publications include ‘Who remembers post-punk women?’ (2019) and her paper on metalheads in the online synthwave community at the Internet Musicking conference (2022). Her upcoming text, ‘Making Synthwave: How an online music community invented a genre’ (2025) is the first ethnographic account of a full history and development of the online synthwave community.

Jess is an associate of Yorkshire Sound Women Network, whose mission is to: ‘support a flourishing industry which welcomes, encourages and progresses the inclusion of women and people of minority genders at all levels from studio floor to board room, and reflects the diversity of its participating communities’ (Yorkshire Sound Women Network, N.D). She designed and delivered a Music Tech Club for girls(+) in 2019 under YSWN’s WIRED project.

Find Jess’ music on Spotify, Apple Music, or contact her via her website.