Feature Photo: Jeffrey Taylor-Shutterstock.com
Walsall’s bustling high street could hardly have predicted that one of Britain’s most spell‑binding young voices was quietly taking shape a few miles away, yet that is where Jorja Alice Smith first began plotting melodies at her family’s piano. Encouraged by a Jamaican‑born father who once fronted a neo‑soul group and by a jewellery‑designer mother who kept the household creative, she balanced classical‑voice training and oboe lessons at Aldridge School with late‑night songwriting, uploading covers to YouTube long before social media fame became a career plan. One of those clips—her take on Labrinth’s “Earthquake”—found its way to publisher Guy Moot in 2012 and set in motion a path that would soon blur the line between underground credibility and mainstream acclaim.
While still a teenager, Smith commuted from Walsall to London for songwriting sessions with Maverick Sabre and Ed Thomas, refining a lyric style that fused raw autobiography with sharp social observation. The discipline paid off in February 2016 when she self‑released “Blue Lights” on SoundCloud; built around a sample of Dizzee Rascal’s “Sirens,” the track unpacked racial profiling and amassed hundreds of thousands of plays in a single month, landing her on the BBC Music Sound of 2017 longlist. A follow‑up single, “Where Did I Go?,” drew an unsolicited shout‑out from Drake, instantly widening her audience and leading to a Sony/ATV publishing deal later that year.
Momentum accelerated when Smith issued the four‑track EP Project 11 in November 2016. The set balanced airy jazz phrasing with grime‑adjacent beats, positioning her as a crossover prospect rather than a niche R&B act. Early 2017 found her on stage with Drake during the Boy Meets World tour and contributing two vocals to his playlist project More Life, all while releasing stand‑alone singles such as “Beautiful Little Fools” and the Preditah collaboration “On My Mind.” By year’s end she had become the first independent artist to claim the BRIT Critics’ Choice Award, Britain’s traditional barometer of the next global breakthrough.
Smith answered the hype with “Let Me Down,” a spare piano‑and‑drum duet with Stormzy, before co‑writing and performing “I Am” for Kendrick Lamar’s Black Panther soundtrack—two high‑profile moves that showcased her narrative range on both sides of the Atlantic. Those singles set the stage for Lost & Found, the debut album released on June 8 2018 after a five‑year writing cycle that stretched from bedroom demos to Los Angeles sessions. The record debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart, spun off streaming favourites such as “Teenage Fantasy” and “February 3rd,” and earned a Mercury Prize nomination alongside bookings at Glastonbury and Coachella.
Accolades arrived in clusters. Smith collected the 2019 BRIT Award for Best British Female Solo Artist, secured a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist, and added AIM Independent Music, Q Magazine, MOBO, BET, and MTV Europe nods that underlined her cross‑genre appeal. Critics praised her elastic mezzo‑soprano and the unfiltered empathy of songs that addressed policing, young love, and generational anxiety without sacrificing melodic immediacy.
Rather than rush a second full‑length, Smith issued the eight‑song set Be Right Back in May 2021, describing it as a waiting room for ideas born during lockdown. Anchored by “Addicted” and “Gone,” the EP showcased live‑band arrangements and lyrical introspection, extending her catalogue while keeping anticipation simmering for a major follow‑up.
That follow‑up, Falling or Flying, finally landed on September 29 2023 through her own FAMM imprint. Produced chiefly by sibling duo DameDame*, the album fused UK garage bass lines, trip‑hop textures, and neo‑soul harmonies, with guest turns from J Hus and Lila Iké. Four singles—“Try Me,” “Little Things,” “Go Go Go,” and the title track—mapped the project’s stylistic breadth while lyrics wrestled with adulthood, independence, and romantic inertia. A 2024‑25 world tour, her largest to date, confirmed the record’s commercial traction and positioned her as a bona‑fide arena draw.
Parallel to her studio work, Smith has cultivated collaborations that widen her global footprint. She has toured with Bruno Mars on the 24K Magic run, teamed with Kali Uchis on “Tyrant” (and later co‑headlined a North American tour with her), joined Burna Boy on the UK Top Ten single “Be Honest,” and in 2025 released “Crush” alongside AJ Tracey, blending Afrobeats, dancehall, and R&B into her expanding palette.
Smith’s appeal extends well beyond music charts. In 2020 she hosted BBC Radio 3’s Tearjerker, a twelve‑part series exploring the therapeutic potential of music. Her public statements on racial justice and women’s empowerment echo the social conscience of “Blue Lights,” while benefit concerts and charity partnerships underline a commitment to tangible community impact. Fashion houses have also taken note: she has walked for Jacquemus and fronted campaigns for Mulberry, integrating a parallel career as a style muse.
Counting two studio albums and two EPs, Smith has already amassed more than thirty singles, with Platinum certifications for “Blue Lights” and “Be Honest.” Guarding artistic autonomy through her independent FAMM label allows her to self‑curate visuals, merchandise, and stage design, ensuring every public moment aligns with an aesthetic that is equal parts graceful and defiantly modern.
Industry honours keep pace with her creative evolution. A BRIT Critics’ Choice win, a BRIT trophy for Best British Female, and a Grammy nomination validate her artistry at home and abroad, while Mercury, BET, MOBO, and Q shortlists speak to respect across genre boundaries. Each accolade underscores the same truth: Smith’s fusion of soul introspection and UK street sensibility occupies a space entirely her own.
Looking ahead, she hints at soundtrack commissions and more live‑band recordings that draw on her classical training and love of reggae bass lines. Whether curating a radio program, championing emerging voices, or headlining festivals, she remains guided by the belief that music should reflect real‑world conversations. From uploading teenage covers to shaping the sound of contemporary British R&B, Jorja Smith shows how authenticity, technical skill, and social awareness can converge to build a career that feels both intimate and era‑defining.
Complete List Of Jorja Smith Songs From A to Z
- Addicted – Be Right Back (EP) – 2021
- All of This (with GuiltyBeatz) – Non-album single – 2021
- Backwards – Falling or Flying – 2023
- Be Honest (featuring Burna Boy) – Non-album single – 2019
- Beautiful Little Fools – Non-album single – 2017
- Blue Lights – Lost & Found – 2018
- Broken is the Man – Falling or Flying – 2023
- BT69 JJY – Falling or Flying – 2023
- Burn – Be Right Back (EP) – 2021
- Bussdown (featuring Shaybo) – Be Right Back (EP) – 2021
- By Any Means – Reprise – 2020
- Come Over (featuring Popcaan) – Non-album single – 2020
- Don’t Let Me Go – Non-album single – 2024
- Don’t Watch Me Cry – Lost & Found – 2018
- Falling or Flying – Falling or Flying – 2023
- February 3rd – Lost & Found – 2018
- Feelings (featuring J Hus) – Falling or Flying – 2023
- Finally – The Color Purple (Music From and Inspired by the Motion Picture) – 2023
- Flights Skit – Falling or Flying – 2023
- Go Go Go – Falling or Flying – 2023
- Gone – Be Right Back (EP) – 2021
- Goodbyes – Lost & Found – 2018
- Greatest Gift (featuring Lila Iké) – Falling or Flying – 2023
- High – Non-album single – 2024
- Home – Be Right Back (EP) – 2021
- I Am – Black Panther: The Album – 2018
- I Can’t Be My Old Self Forever – A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (Soundtrack) – 2019
- Killing Me (with Sasha Keable) – Intermission – 2021
- Lately – Falling or Flying – 2023
- Lavender & Red Roses (with Ibeyi) – Spell 31 – 2022
- Let Me Down (featuring Stormzy) – Non-album single – 2018
- Lifeboats (Freestyle) – Lost & Found – 2018
- Little Things – Falling or Flying – 2023
- Loose Ends (with Loyle Carner) – Not Waving, but Drowning – 2019
- Lost & Found – Lost & Found – 2018
- Loving You (featuring Maverick Sabre) – Non-album single – 2024
- Make It Right – Blue Story (Music Inspired By the Original Motion Picture) – 2019
- Make Sense – Falling or Flying – 2023
- Nobody but You (with Sonder) – Non-album single – 2021
- On My Mind (with Preditah) – Non-album single – 2017
- On Your Own – Lost & Found – 2018
- A Prince – Non-album single – 2016
- Rose Rouge – Bluenote Reimagined – 2020
- She Feels – Falling or Flying – 2023
- Stay Another Day – Non-album single – 2023
- Teenage Fantasy – Lost & Found – 2018
- The One – Lost & Found – 2018
- The Way I Love You – Non-album single – 2025
- Time – Be Right Back (EP) – 2021
- Tomorrow – Lost & Found – 2018
- Too Many Times – Falling or Flying – 2023
- Try and Fit In – Falling or Flying – 2023
- Try Me – Falling or Flying – 2023
- Wandering Romance – Lost & Found – 2018
- What If My Heart Beats Faster? – Falling or Flying – 2023
- Where Did I Go? – Lost & Found – 2018
Albums
Lost & Found (2018): 12 songs
Falling or Flying (2023): 16 songs
Check out our fantastic and entertaining Jorja Smith articles, detailing in-depth the band’s albums, songs, band members, and more…all on ClassicRockHistory.com
Complete List of Jorja Smith Albums And Discography
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