Since bursting onto the music scene at the age of just 21 back in 2018, with her critically acclaimed debut album Lost & Found, multi-award winning artist and Midlands lass Jorja Smith has fast become one of the UK’s most iconic neo soul voices. Ahead of her upcoming UK album launch tour which will see her performing at Nottingham’s The Level, we caught up with Jorja to find out more about her highly-anticipated second album Falling or Flying.
It’s been over five years since Jorja Smith first catapulted to stardom, with her breathtaking voice, heartfelt lyrics and spell-binding presence cementing her as one of the most celebrated voices to come out of the UK in the past ten years.
Her accolades include two Brit Awards - the Critics' Choice award and the British Female Solo Artist award - as well as a UK Music Video Award for best Urban Video, four MOBO award nominations and a Mercury Prize nomination to name a few, not that you’d think it when you speak to her. She brings a charming humbleness that is often at odds with someone with such a long list of achievements under their belt, but it is one of the many qualities that has made her so well-loved.
Her new album, released on 29 September, is her second studio album, and marks an evolution in sound for the soul star, touching on themes of heartbreak, love, growth, self realisation, relationships with friends new and and old, as well as Jorja’s relationship with herself.
“With Lost & Found, I was just a teenager, whereas with Falling or Flying, I feel like I've stepped into womanhood,” she says. “To me, this album just sounds like growth. It’s about where I’m at, and where I have been at.
“Before, with the songs in my other album, I was never in love when I was sixteen, so I’d have to exaggerate, or I'd take inspiration from observations or stories I’d see. But now I'm talking more about my own personal experiences in my songs. This album is actually about me, with songs I can sing to myself. I think the thing that's changed is, I've just grown up. I’ve got older.”
The release of Falling or Flying not only marks a return to the spotlight for Jorja, but also a return to home, with Jorja swapping the busy streets of London for a return to her hometown of Walsall, a move which saw her reconnect with producer duo and old friends DAMEDAME*.
She says, “I feel like a lot of people might think I'm experimenting with different sounds with this album, but I've always been playing around with these sounds. Working with DAMEDAME* really brought that out of me too.
“It brought me back home. They had a studio in Birmingham, so I was coming back home a lot more and it was just really comfortable. It wasn't like work, it was fun. We’d link up, jam, make some music, eat food, laugh, do the same again. It was just fresh with them. I feel so much better being back home too - I feel like myself. It’s where I’m supposed to be.”
Over the years, Jorja has worked with the likes of Drake, Kali Uchis, Stormzy and Kendrick Lamar. And her latest album sees her adding two more iconic voices to her roster of renowned associated acts, with appearances from British rapper, singer and Afroswing pioneer J Hus, and Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter Lila Iké on the songs Feelings and Greatest Gift respectively.
“J Hus just came to the studio on a random one, and we weren’t going to play him the song,” says Jorja. “But then one of DAMEDAME* played it for him, and he liked it and just jumped straight in the booth, and that was that.
“Then with Lila, she was over from Jamaica - she’s from Kingston - and it was actually her birthday when she came to the studio, so it was even sweeter that the song is called Greatest Gift. She brought that song even more to life. I could listen to her talk and sing for hours. I love her voice so much. It was great working with them both.”
Speaking of her influences for this album, Jorja says her friends have been a huge influence. “My friends have influenced this album a lot. People like [producer] P2J, DAMEDAME* and my friend Wesley Joseph, I was really influenced by. Conversations influenced it, too. It’s not just music that can influence the sound.”
The album artwork features a powerful and striking black and white portrait of Jorja wearing an elegant dress, which was shot on film by world renowned British Ghanaian-Russian photographer Liz Johnson Artur, whose work includes documenting the lives of Black people from across the African Diaspora. She has also photographed the likes of Mos Def and Amy Winehouse, and toured with M.I.A, and Seun Kuti to name a few.
“She's a legend, and I love looking at her images and seeing her work - her photographs are like stories,” says Jorja. “I couldn't believe she wanted to work with me and I got a bit nervous when I had to message her but it was great when she responded.”
And Jorja’s favourite track of the album? “Right now, it’s probably She Feels. We just started rehearsing it with my band and it sounds great and it’s feeling good.”
Her upcoming album tour kicks off on 28 September and features ten dates: “I'm so excited and I can't wait for everyone to hear the new album,” Jorja says. “I’m looking forward to doing the shows, so then I can actually see what songs people are screaming at, what songs people cry at. I’m so excited for the tour because I love performing, being in front of everyone and just singing with them.”
Jorja Smith’s Nottingham gig takes place at The Level on 15 October 2023
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