Jorja Smith: Everything you wanted to know about the 'Be Honest' singer
A breakdown of her incredible career
Jorja Smith is taking the British music industry by storm, with an incredibly successful career which has seen her release the Mercury Prize nominated album 'Lost and Found' in 2018, and collaborate with artists such as Stormzy, Khalid and Drake (yes, Champagne Papi himself).
After releasing critically acclaimed EP 'Be Right Back' in 2021, Jorja spent most of 2022 performing all over the world - and is now preparing to release her second album, 'Falling or Flying'. From releasing music on SoundCloud to sharing the stage with Stormzy, let's take a look at Jorja's amazing career so far...
Jorja Smith's music career:
January 2016: Jorja releases 'Blue Lights'
Jorja Smith's career first took off when she released her song 'Blue Lights' on SoundCloud back in January of 2016. The song samples Dizzee Rascal's 'Sirens', and garnered 400,000 plays on the website in the first month of its release. The song was later re-released as part of her debut album 'Lost and Found'.
May 2016: Jorja releases the single 'Where Did I Go?'
In May of 2016, Jorja released her second single 'Where Did I Go?', which generated further acclaim and caught the attention of Drake, who named it as his favourite track at the moment in an interview with Entertainment Weekly in July. This was a crucial moment in her career as Drake's co-sign boosted her international recognition.
November 2016: Jorja releases her debut EP
In November of 2016, Jorja released her debut EP titled 'Project 11', garnering further critical acclaim and exposure. This EP included the songs 'Something in the Way', 'Carry Me Home' featuring Maverick Sabre and 'Imperfect Circle'.
February - March 2017: Jorja collaborates with Drake
Between February and March, Jorja performed as a special guest on Drake's 'Boy Meets World' tour. She was also featured on two singles from Drake's chart topping mixtape 'More Life' - she appears on the songs 'Get It Together' (which also features Black Coffee) and 'Jorja Interlude' (obviously). These collaborations exposed Jorja to Drake's massive international audience.
October - November 2017: Jorja supports Bruno Mars on his tour
From October to November, Jorja opened for Bruno Mars on his 24K Magic World Tour. She performed in iconic venues throughout North America, her first show being at the Barclays centre in Brooklyn, and her last being at The Forum in Inglewood. This tour no doubt helped her gain exposure in North America.
January 2018: Jorja wins the Brit Critic's choice Award
In January of 2018, Jorja made history becoming the first independent female musician to win the BRIT Critics' Choice Award. The award - which has also been awarded to the likes of Adele, Sam Smith and Celeste, was given to her at the BRITs nominations launch that took place months before the main awards show. This marked the beginning of a big year for the singer.
February 2018: Jorja performs with Rag'n'Bone Man at the BRIT awards ceremony
Another iconic moment in Jorja's career came in February 2018 when she performed with Rag'n'Bone Man at the 2018 BRIT Awards ceremony, performing Rag'n'Bone Man's song 'Skin'. Honestly, these two British icons taking the stage together was definitely a performance for the history books, and was a big moment for both of them.
June 2018: Jorja releases her debut album 'Lost and Found'
In June of 2018 Jorja released her long-awaited debut album 'Lost and Found' to great critical and commercial success. The album was written over a period of five years, and reached Number 3 in the UK - as well as being nominated for the Mercury Prize. It featured the singles 'Blue Lights', 'Where Did I Go?', 'Teenage Fantasy' and 'February 3rd', and was a huge success for the singer.
September 2018: Jorja attends the Mercury Prize ceremony
Jorja Smith attended the Mercury Prize ceremony in September 2018. Although she didn't win, it was still a huge night for Jorja - simply being nominated is a massive career boost. She performed her hit song 'Blue Lights' and really wowed on the red carpet.
February 2019: Jorja wins a BRIT
In February 2019, only a year after she won her first BRIT Award, Jorja took home the BRIT Award for British Female Solo Artist. This was an incredible night for Jorja, who stunned the audience with her performance of her song 'Don't Watch Me Cry'.
April - May 2019: Jorja tours North America
Between April and May, Jorja took part in a North American tour, co-headlining with singer Kali Uchis. The two collaborated on Kali's song 'Tyrant' back in 2017.
2020: Jorja has a pretty lowkey year
Whilst Jorja was able to squeeze in an appearance at the BRIT Awards ceremony, 2020 was a pretty quiet year for her (as it was for most people to be honest). She did find time to release two singles this year: 'By Any Means' and 'Come Over'.
2021: Jorja releases her EP 'Be Right Back'
In 2021, Jorja released her third EP 'Be Right Back', to positive reviews. The EP features the singles 'Addicted', 'Gone' and 'Bussdown'.
January 2022: Jorja features on an FKA twigs song
In January of 2022, Jorja appeared as a feature on FKA Twigs' song 'Darjeeling' which also featured drill rapper Unknown T. The song appeared on FKA Twigs' album 'Caprisongs'.
August 2022: Featuring on Calvin Harris' album
Jorja appeared on Calvin Harris' album Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2, released in August 2022. She lent her songwriting abilities and vocals to 'Somebody Else' along with rapper Lil Durk.
2023: New music announcement
Jorja released her first music in a while in May 2023, putting out single 'Little Things' which had over 2.5 million views on YouTube after only a month - and was certified Platinum by the BPI in July 2024 with over 600,000 sales in the UK. She then announced that her second studio album, 'Falling or Flying', would be coming out in September 2023.
2023: Second album 'Falling or Flying' released
Released on 29th September 2023, Jorja's second album 'Falling or Flying' was boosted by singles 'Try Me', 'Little Things', 'Go Go Go' and the title track. The record reached Number 3 in the UK, and Jorja said that the album would "touch on breakups, relationships with my friends, relationships with old friends, relationships with myself. It's definitely about a lot of relationships, but every song I write I can sing it to myself," adding: "This is the first time I'm putting stuff out there that I can connect with right now."
2024: Teasing new music
Jorja put out a call for help from her fans on Instagram in March 2024, announcing in the process that she was preparing to release new music: 'I'm making a video for my new track coming soon…🤭 please email videos of you/your friends/your family celebrating!' We can't wait to hear and see it!
How old is she?
Jorja's birthday is 11th June 1997, making her currently 27-years-old.
Has Jorja Smith won a BRIT Award?
Yes, Jorja Smith has won a BRIT Award! The British singer was named as the BRITs Critics Choice in 2018. The highly prestigious award, now called the BRITs Rising Star Award, has previously been awarded to Adele, Ellie Goulding and Sam Smith.
Speaking about the award, BRITs Chairman Jason Iley said: "The Critics’ Choice Award has an incredible track record of showcasing some of the most exciting up-and-coming artists for the last ten years. Jorja Smith has a huge future ahead of her and looks set to follow in the footsteps of the most successful past Critics’ Choice winners."
Jorja Smith - 'Blue Lights'
Jorja's debut single 'Blue Lights' was released in February 2016 and written by the singer along with a team of songwriters. 'Blue Lights' was also featured on Jorja's debut album, 'Lost and Found' released two years later.
In just one month, Jorja received more than 400,000 listens to the song on her Soundcloud account, later the song got its American late-night television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. 'Blue Lights' also won Best Urban Video – UK at the UK Music Video Awards.
How did Jorja Smith and Drake meet?
Jorja's second single 'Where Did I Go?', released in 2016, was noticed by Drake and he revealed he was loving the track in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. Drake's interest in the artist resulted in almost overnight worldwide fame and she was noticed by a record label, eventually being signed in late 2016.
Jorja and Drake then worked together, with the British singer performing on Drake's 'Boy Meets World' Tour in February and March 2017 and featuring on two tracks on his mixtape 'More Life' - 'Jorja Interlude' and 'Get It Together'.
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