Jorja Smith

Jorja Alice Smith, born on June 11, 1997, and widely known as Jorja Smith, is an English R&B singer-songwriter from Walsall, West Midlands.

Growing up with a Jamaican father and an English mother, Smith was influenced by reggae, punk, hip-hop, and R&B music. She started writing songs at age 11 and considers Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys, Adele, Sade, Nina Simone, the Streets, and Amy Winehouse as her major influences. As a teenager, she was particularly "obsessed" with Amy Winehouse's debut album, "Frank." Amy’s candid approach to songwriting has greatly inspired Smith, who likes to address social issues in her songs:

"When things are going on in the world, I think it’s important to touch on them, because as a musician, you can make people listen. As soon as people press play, you’ve got their attention."

Smith first gained recognition with her single “Blue Lights” in 2016, which she recorded and released while working at Starbucks. The previous year, she became viral with a Twitter freestyle over Treble Clef’s grime track “Ghetto Kyote.” Her earlier work includes a 2015 cover of Camp Lo’s “Luchini AKA This Is It” and a 2014 collaboration with hip-hop artist Chinky Piff titled “Weed Control,” via Chameleon Audio, a local label.

After collaborating with Maverick Sabre and Cadenza, she released her debut EP "Project 11" on November 17, 2016, to favorable reviews. She gained further attention by collaborating with Drake on his 2017 project "More Life." Later that year, she contributed “Fine Line” to the second season of the "Insecure" soundtrack and appeared on Kali Uchis’s hit single “Tyrant.” Her first chart success came with “On My Mind,” a UK garage track produced by Preditah.

In 2018, she worked with Kendrick Lamar on “I Am” for the "Black Panther" soundtrack, released the standalone single “Let Me Down” featuring Stormzy, remixed Khalid’s “Location” with Wretch 32, and launched her debut album "Lost and Found" on June 8, 2018. The album includes previous singles “Blue Lights,” “Where Did I Go?,” “Teenage Fantasy,” and “February 3rd.”

In 2019, Jorja Smith was honored as Best British Female Artist at the Brit Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for Best New Artist. She later released the single “Be Honest” with Burna Boy. In early 2020, Smith released “By Any Means” and “Come Over” featuring Popcaan. In December, she was featured on the “Peng Black Girls Remix” with her labelmate ENNY.

On May 14, 2021, the Walsall native released her second EP "Be Right Back," described as a “waiting room” before her next album. It includes earlier singles “Addicted,” “Gone,” and “Bussdown” featuring Shaybo.