Jorja Smith’s debut album Lost & Found is set to arrive next week on June 8th and the British singer-songwriter is pretty confident in the outcome. Who wouldn’t be when you’ve earned cosigns from the likes of Drake and Kendrick Lamar?
“Jorja is a constant reminder that true artistry, writing and creativity will forever be alive and well,” K.Dot himself tells Billboard. “She is the future and present.”
In her most recent talk with the publication, Jorja opened up about the process that took place for her to get to this point and not confining herself to the label of the newest wave of R&B stars.
“People say I’m pop, soul, neo-soul, new R&B, future R&B -- fuck know,” she notes. “I just make my music. It’s not too complicated. I say what I’m feeling, and a lot of people feel the same way. My songs are classics.”
It’s an interesting sentiment for someone who just three years ago worked as a barista at Starbucks, moving along to FKA Twigs’ LP1 on repeat. “That was the soundtrack of my move to London,” she admits. “I’d get off [the bus] and have two minutes to stand on the bridge, look at Big Ben, then get on another bus to go to work. It was lovely, because it was so still. I miss those times, just thinking about it now.”
All it took was a solid debut EP and a message from Drake to shift that whole trajectory. Come next week, we’ll get to witness the growth that accompanied such a story by way of Lost & Found. For now, get reacquainted with Jorja Smith’s most recent “February 3rd” single.