Jorja Smith is small, petite and pretty as a picture, but blessed with a voice as if one of the great soul divas of bygone days were lashing out to full volume. The 20-year-old literally appeared out of nowhere on the internet in 2016 with her first original songs and was immediately able to garner a lot of praise and recognition. After the release of her first EP "Poject 11" in November 2016, she was immediately described by numerous media as an upcoming star between soul, pop and R'n'B. Now, "Lost & Found", her first album, will be released on June 8, with Jorja Smith subsequently touring Europe. Between October 26 and 29, she will also stop for three concerts in Cologne, Frankfurt and Hamburg with her first headline shows on German soil.
Music has always been central in the Smith home: her father was a member of a neo-soul group, back home in Walsall/West Midlands the records of artists like Curtis Mayfield, Damian Marley and the groups of the ska and dub label Trojan Records ran up and down. At the age of 14 Jorja Smith joined the music collective OGHORSE and earned her first spurs as an outstanding singer. After several years as part of the collective, she decided in 2016 that the time was right to try solo.
Even her first songs released online, such as "Blue Lights," "A Prince," "Where Did I Go?" and "Beautiful Little Fools," which currently have between 20 and 32 million clicks each on Spotify alone, earned the young performer a lot of attention and press. Her petite stature combined with her stunning voice and energetic stage presence quickly helped her earn the nickname "The Atomic Flea" ("the atomic flea"). Other artists also took notice and supported the young singer, most notably rapper Drake, who took her on a European tour and featured her on two tracks of his latest album "More Life". Her first EP of her own, 'Project 11', was released at the end of 2016 and helped her to a place on the prestigious BBC 'Sound of 2017' list as well as a nomination in the 'Best Song' category at the 2017 MOBO Awards. Earlier this year she won the Brits Critics' Choice Award which has been claimed by acts including Adele, Sam Smith, James Bay and Rag'n'Bone Man.
All this excitement is justified, as their furious style, which straddles retro-soul, futuristic pop, reggae and dub borrowings, and contemporary R'n'B, charged with the crispness of pared-down hip-hop elements, showcases all the vitality of urban music in 2018. Her personal influences range from Mos Def to Lauryn Hill and from Lisa Maffia to The Streets. Between all of these influences, she has found her own personal home in a sound that is immediately captivating. And yet her career is only just beginning - with debut album "Lost & Found" due out June 8, it's likely to really take off.
Source of lyrics and more information about this event: https://batschkapp.tickets.de/de/tour/1000288-jorja_smith
