It is 2026, and if you have opened TikTok or Instagram in the last twelve months, you have heard it. That piano hook. That "Darling, hold my hand" refrain. It’s unavoidable. The crazy thing is that Jess Glynne released "Hold My Hand" back in 2015—literally over a decade ago.
Most people today actually associate the song with travel memes or "Jet2holidays" commercials rather than the emotional weight of Jess Glynne’s debut era. It has become the "sound of British summer," but not always for the reasons the artist intended. In December 2025, TikTok even named it the UK Song of the Year. 80 billion views. That is a staggering number for a track that originally peaked at number 86 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the States.
The song’s journey from a chart-topping dance-pop anthem to a 2026 viral behemoth is kinda weird. It involves a mix of corporate branding, social media irony, and a very public spat with the White House.
The Real Story Behind Hold My Hand
When Jess Glynne sat down with Janee Bennett (Jin Jin), Jack Patterson, and Ina Wroldsen to write this, she wasn't thinking about holiday packages. She was coming off the back of huge features with Clean Bandit and Route 94. There was massive pressure to prove she wasn't just a "featured artist."
"Hold My Hand" was meant to be a song about anxiety. Specifically, the comfort of having someone there when you feel like you're spiraling. Glynne has talked about how the title of her debut album, I Cry When I Laugh, reflects that duality. You're happy, but you're also terrified.
💡 You might also like: Disney Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Light Trail: Is the New York Botanical Garden Event Worth Your Money?
Musically, the track sits in a weird spot. It has a soulful, almost Dolly Parton "9 to 5" energy in its chord progression, but it’s polished with that mid-2010s UK house-pop sheen.
Critics at the time were actually split. Some felt the lyrics were too vague. One review famously called the narrator "badly defined" because she sounds strong one minute ("Break my bones and you won't see me fall") and vulnerable the next ("Cause I don't wanna walk on my own anymore"). But honestly? That’s just how human beings work. We are contradictions. That vagueness is exactly why the song still works in 2026; you can project any emotion onto it.
The Jet2 Effect and the 2025 Meme Explosion
You can't talk about Jess Glynne Hold My Hand without talking about the Jet2holidays advert.
Starting around 2022, the airline used the song in their marketing. But it was the 2024/2025 campaign that broke the internet. It featured voiceover artist Zoe Lister saying, "Nothing beats a Jet2holiday," immediately followed by Jess's soaring vocals.
📖 Related: Diego Klattenhoff Movies and TV Shows: Why He’s the Best Actor You Keep Forgetting You Know
Then the internet did what the internet does.
TikTok users started pairing the "upbeat" audio with clips of absolute travel chaos—delayed flights, lost luggage, and rain-soaked beaches. It became an ironic anthem for when things go wrong. By the summer of 2025, it was inescapable.
The White House Controversy
Things got genuinely bizarre in July 2025. The official White House social media account (under the Trump administration) posted a video of ICE deportations using the Jet2 meme audio. The caption read: "When ICE books you a one-way Jet2 holiday to deportation. Nothing beats it!"
Jess Glynne didn't stay silent. She posted on Instagram saying the usage made her "honestly sick." She pointed out that her music is about unity and love, not division. It was a rare moment where a pop song from 2015 became a flashpoint for international political discourse.
👉 See also: Did Mac Miller Like Donald Trump? What Really Happened Between the Rapper and the President
Why the Song Still Matters in 2026
Even with the memes, the numbers for Jess Glynne Hold My Hand are legitimate. On Spotify, the track has cleared 530 million streams and continues to pull in over 120,000 plays daily.
If you're a songwriter or an artist, there is a massive lesson here. A "hit" isn't a one-time event anymore. In the streaming era, a song is a living thing. It can be a club banger in 2015, a forgotten relic in 2019, and the most-used sound on the planet in 2026.
People often ask if the song has "ruined" Glynne’s reputation. Some fans on Reddit complain that they can’t hear the song without thinking of cheap flights. But look at the data: her monthly listeners on Spotify jumped by nearly 500% in early January 2026. It has introduced her entire catalog to a Gen Z audience that was barely in primary school when the song first dropped.
What to Do With This Information
If you’re a fan or just someone tired of hearing the chorus for the billionth time, here is how to actually engage with the music:
- Listen to the 2024 "Jess" album: If you only know the memes, you’re missing Glynne's evolution. Her newer work is more mature and pulls away from the "advert-friendly" pop sound.
- Watch the original music video: It was directed by Emil Nava and filmed in the California desert. No airplanes. No travel discounts. Just dirt bikes and campfires. It helps reset your brain to what the song was actually supposed to be.
- Check out the H.E.R. collaboration: For a version of the song that feels more "soul" and less "jingle," find the 2019 Brit Awards performance.
The "Jet2 song" might be a joke to some, but Jess Glynne Hold My Hand remains one of the most successful British pop exports of the last decade. It’s a masterclass in how a simple, hopeful message can survive even the most aggressive corporate branding.
If you want to track the current charts, keep an eye on the "TikTok UK Song of the Year" rankings. It’s a better indicator of what’s actually being heard in 2026 than the traditional radio charts. You can also follow Jess Glynne’s official social channels to see how she’s navigating this second (or third) wave of fame.