Fresh off the back of her BRITS success last night in the Best British Female category, Jorja Smith delivers a standout modern masterpiece discussing the turbulent relationship between police and the young generation in Britain. Jorja has a song entitled February 3rd so I missed a trick there, but I think the day after a hugely successful night is not a bad second option for a February Jorja Smith showcase.
The song is off her BRIT nominated (I will stop soon I promise) 2018 album Lost and Found, though was released as her debut single after finding seismic success releasing her music on Soundcloud. The song is Jorja at her best, both vocally and with her songwriting. Her perfectly smooth RnB tones are wonderful and make the ideal pen to tell the story she has created.
Jorja acts as a passive observer, a narrator talking to a troubled youth. Her tone cleverly changes from one of repentance and development to one of self-preservation. She flips her stance 180, telling the faceless figure to run from the titular blue lights of police sirens that are in pursuit. The song is wrapped up seamlessly with a fitting sample from Dizzee Rascal’s 2007 song Sirens. Jorja borrows the line “better run when you hear the sirens coming” and it is a poignant, emotive reimagining of a song and a message that is all too relevant in a modern world plagued by police brutality.
For such a young artist, everything about her artistry shows levels of maturity scarce seen in veterans of ten years. Complex, full-bodied and genre fluid, she has tackled music creation with an art-first mindset and used her voice to reach millions. This 21-year-old star from Walsall has made fans out of Stormzy and Drake, and I think it will be scary how far she can go.
Spotify Playlist Link: https://spoti.fi/2CKuVex
A Song A Day 