Jorja Alice Smith (born June 11, 1997), better known as Jorja Smith, is an English R&B singer-songwriter from Walsall, West Midlands.

Born to a Jamaican father and an English mother, Smith grew up listening to reggae, punk, hip-hop and R&B. She began writing songs at the age of 11, and cites Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys, Adele, Sade, Nina Simone, and the Streets as her biggest influences, as well as Amy Winehouse, about whom she claims to have been “obsessed” with her 2003 debut album Frank, as a teenager. Amy’s raw approach to songwriting has been a major inspiration for Smith, who now likes to address social issues in her songs:

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.

Jorja Smith first rose to prominence with her single “Blue Lights” in 2016, which she recorded and released while working at Starbucks. The previous year, she had gone viral with a Twitter freestyle in which she sang over Treble Clef’s classic grime instrumental “Ghetto Kyote.” Earlier work of hers includes a 2015 cover of Camp Lo’s “Luchini AKA This Is It” and a 2014 collaboration with hip-hop artist Chinky Piff entitled “Weed Control,” released via local label Chameleon Audio.

Following several collaborations with Maverick Sabre and Cadenza, Smith released her debut EP Project 11 on November 17, 2016, to rave reviews, and then gained further notoriety by collaborating with Drake on his 2017 project More Life. Later in the year, she contributed “Fine Line” to the Insecure season two soundtrack, and also appeared on Kali Uchis’s hit single “Tyrant.” She enjoyed her first taste of chart success with “On My Mind,” a UK garage single produced by Preditah.

In 2018, Smith collaborated with Kendrick Lamar on “I Am” for the Black Panther soundtrack, released the standalone single “Let Me Down” featuring Stormzy, remixed Khalid’s “Location” alongside Wretch 32, and later unleashed her debut album Lost and Found on June 8, 2018. The album features previous singles “Blue Lights,” “Where Did I Go?,” “Teenage Fantasy,” and “February 3rd.”

In 2019, Jorja Smith was named Best British Female Artist at the Brit Awards and was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Later, she released the single “Be Honest” featuring Burna Boy. In early 2020, Smith released the singles “By Any Means” and “Come Over” featuring Popcaan. In December of the same year, she appeared on the “Peng Black Girls Remix” with her labelmate ENNY.

On May 14, 2021, the Walsall native released her second EP Be Right Back, described as a “waiting room” in preparation for her sophomore album. It includes previous singles “Addicted,” “Gone,” and “Bussdown” featuring Shaybo.