Jorja Alice Smith (born 11 June 1997) is an English singer. Born and raised inWalsall,West Midlands, she has been writing songs since the age of 11. In 2012, Smith's friend uploaded her cover ofLabrinth's "Earthquake" toYouTube,[2] which led to her discovery by record producer Guy Moot. After her first two singles received broader recognition, she signed withSony/ATV in early 2016, releasing twoEPs throughout later that year and into 2017.
Jorja Smith was born on 11 June 1997 inWalsall,West Midlands, to aJamaican father and an English mother.[3] Her father, Peter, a benefits officer, is a former musician who sang in aneo-soul group called 2nd Naicha before Smith was born; her mother, Jolene, is a jewellery designer.[3][4] Smith has a younger brother, Luca, and is the cousin ofDerby County football playerKemar Roofe.[5][6]
She began taking piano lessons at the age of 8 at the encouragement of her father.[7][8] Smith earned a music scholarship atAldridge School, where she learned theoboe and studied classical singing, before taking music for herA-level exams.[9] She was scouted by a manager at the age of 15 after uploading videos of herself singing cover songs on YouTube.[10] Shortly after, she began travelling toLondon for writing sessions withMaverick Sabre and Ed Thomas, while still in school.[7][8] After graduation, she moved to London at the age of 18 where she supported herself by working as a barista, and continued to write songs.[10][11]
In Late 2015,Maverick Sabre co-signed Smith publicly.[12] In January 2016, Smith released her debut single "Blue Lights", which samplesDizzee Rascal's song "Sirens", onSoundCloud; the song garnered 400,000 plays on the website within a month.[13] Her second single "Where Did I Go?", released in May, was singled out byDrake as his favourite track of the moment inEntertainment Weekly in July.[14] Following the worldwide recognition and exposure Smith gained from Drake, Smith caught the attention of Guy Moot. Moot, an executive and worldwide creative at Sony/ATV with mainstream industry connections, signed Smith to a publishing deal in late 2016.[15] In November 2016, she released her four-track debutextended play,Project 11.[16] The same month, Smith was selected as one of the fifteen rising acts onBBC Music's Sound of 2017 longlist, and finished fourth on the list.[17][18]
Smith performing in 2018
Smith performed as a special guest on Drake'sBoy Meets World Tour in February and March 2017,[19] and featured on two tracks on his mixtapeMore Life (2017).[20] She released the song "Beautiful Little Fools" onInternational Women's Day; the title is a reference to the novelThe Great Gatsby.[21] In May, she featured onKali Uchis' song "Tyrant", the lead single off Uchis' debut studio albumIsolation (2018).[22] She released her third single, "Teenage Fantasy", in June.[23] Two months later, Smith andgrime artist Preditah released a single together called "On My Mind".[24] In September 2017, she began dating singer and producerJoel Compass.[25]
She performed as the opening act onBruno Mars'24K Magic World Tour in October and November 2017.[26] In December, it was announced that Smith would be the recipient of theBrit Critics' Choice Award, to be presented at the Brits nominations launch on 13 January 2018.[27][28] She is the first independent artist to have been nominated for the award, let alone win.[29]
In January 2018, she released the single "Let Me Down" featuring rapperStormzy.[30] Smith co-wrote and performed the song "I Am" onKendrick Lamar'ssoundtrack album for the filmBlack Panther, released in February.[31] Later that month, she performed at theBRIT Awards withRag'n'Bone Man.[32] In April, she made her US television debut onJimmy Kimmel Live! with a performance of "Blue Lights".[33] Her debut studio album,Lost & Found, written over a five-year period, was announced in April and released in June 2018 to critical acclaim.[11][34][35] In the month of the album's release, Smith began touring in support of the album, with dates scheduled across Europe and festival appearances in Japan.[36] The Lost & Found Tour's North American leg began on 19 November in Seattle and conclude on 19 December in Toronto, Canada and will be supported byRavyn Lenae.[26][37]
In 2019, Smith announced a co-headlining North American tour withKali Uchis starting on 28 April inWashington, D.C. and concluding inToronto on 30 May. In August 2019, Smith released the single "Be Honest" featuringBurna Boy.[38]
In early 2020, Smith began hosting a 12-partBBC Radio 3 show called 'Tearjerker', which focuses on the healing power of music.[39] She released two singles that year: "By Any Means" and "Come Over" featuringPopcaan.[40][41]
On 14 May 2021, she released her third extended playBe Right Back, which received generally positive reviews.
On 11 May 2023, Smith released the single "Little Things" which peaked at number 95 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart Top 100 on 19 May 2023.[42][43][44] On 18 May 2023, Smith announced that her next studio album,Falling or Flying, would be released in September 2023.[45][46] On 4 August 2023, Smith released "Go Go Go", the third single from her upcoming album.[47] On 9 November 2023, Smith released a cover version of East-17's 1994 single "Stay Another Day", released solely as part of theAmazon Music Originals series.[48][49][50]
On February 12, 2025, Smith and rapperAJ Tracey released the single "Crush", which heavily samples American singerBrandy's 2002Full Moon album track "Love Wouldn't Count Me Out".[51]
Smith grew up listening toreggae,punk,hip-hop, andR&B, and wrote her first song at the age of 11.[52] She describes being "obsessed" withAmy Winehouse's 2003 debut albumFrank as a teenager and was inspired by the singer's raw approach to songwriting.[53] Smith said her songs are about social issues: "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."[54]She citesLauryn Hill,Adele,Amy Winehouse,Sade,Nina Simone,Alicia Keys,Mos Def andthe Streets as influences.[19][55][56] Style wise, Smith citesRihanna as a fashion icon she is inspired by.[57]
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