Jorja Smith is only twenty years old, but she has the resume of someone twice her age in the music industry. At just twenty years old, the English singer and songwriter has collaborated with superstars such as Drake, Stormzy and Kali Uchis. In addition, Smith was also awarded the Brit Critics’ Choice Award earlier this year. Not to mention, she was featured on the Black Panther soundtrack. What’s most impressive about Smith is that she’s accomplished all of this with a few Soundcloud uploads, one mixtape and no studio album releases. Tonight, that all changes.
Smith has release her debut album, Lost & Found. The twelve track LP is mood board of sounds or what some call the “soundtrack to your loneliest summer nights.” The project is Smith’s first full length release since her first mixtape, Project 11, arrived back in 2016. While the newest effort from the British songstress doesn’t include any big name features, it does feature a variety of big ideas and sounds. On tracks like, “The One”, Smith flexes her vocal ability when she sings, “Never had to wait for love/Always thought it’d come around/You come for me/But I’m nowhere to be found/Consolations with conversations/I don’t need right now/I’m afraid that these relations/Are goin’ to be tied out.” On tracks like “Lifeboats”, Smith experiments with singing and rapping. Smith asks, “So why do we all fall down/If there’s a reason we can stay afloat?/Why do we watch them drown?/We’re too selfish in the lifeboats/Why do we all fall down/If there’s a reason we can stay afloat?/Why do we watch them drown?”
After a first listen, it’s clear that Jorja Smith is a talented artist that is deserving of all the hype and accolades she has received. Check out the full album stream above.