Jorja Smith

Jorja Smith emerged from Walsall, West Midlands, with a voice rooted in R&B and soul, but shaped by a broad listening background that included reggae, punk, hip-hop and UK garage. Born Jorja Alice Smith on 11 June 1997, she began writing songs at 11. In 2012, a friend uploaded her cover of Labrinth’s “Earthquake” to YouTube, leading to her discovery by record producer Guy Moot.

Smith’s early recordings brought wider recognition in 2016, when she signed with Sony/ATV after her first two singles. “Blue Lights,” released that year while she was working at Starbucks, became a key early release. She followed it with the EP Project 11 in November 2016, then issued another EP during the following year. Her early collaborations included work with Maverick Sabre and Cadenza, while appearances alongside Drake on More Life, Kali Uchis on “Tyrant,” and Preditah on the UK garage single “On My Mind” expanded her profile.

Her debut album, Lost & Found, arrived in 2018 and peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. The record included “Blue Lights,” “Where Did I Go?,” “Teenage Fantasy” and “February 3rd,” and received critical acclaim. That year also brought the Brit Critics’ Choice Award. Smith contributed “I Am” with Kendrick Lamar to the Black Panther soundtrack, released “Let Me Down” featuring Stormzy, and appeared on a remix of Khalid’s “Location” with Wretch 32.

In 2019, Smith won Best British Female Artist at the Brit Awards and received a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist. She released “Be Honest” featuring Burna Boy later that year. Her subsequent singles included “By Any Means” and “Come Over” with Popcaan, while she joined ENNY on the “Peng Black Girls Remix” in 2020.

Smith released her third EP, Be Right Back, in May 2021. It followed the singles “Addicted,” “Gone” and “Bussdown,” featuring Shaybo, and received favourable reviews. Across her work, Smith has drawn on songwriting influences including Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys, Adele, Sade, Nina Simone, the Streets and Amy Winehouse.