Jorja Alice Smith, an English singer-songwriter, was born on June 11, 1997, in Walsall, West Midlands.
She began writing songs at the age of 11 and gained attention when a friend posted her cover of Labrinth’s “Earthquake” on YouTube in 2012.
This exposure caught the eye of record producer Guy Moot, leading to her signing with Sony/ATV in 2016. Smith released two EPs in 2016 and 2017.
FACTS ABOUT JORJA SMITH
- FULL NAME: Jorja Alice Smith
- DATE OF BIRTH: June 11, 1997
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Walsall, West Midland, England
- NATIONALITY: British
- OCCUPATIONS: Singer, Songwriter
- LABELS: FAMM,Sony/ATV
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION
Jorja Smith, was born on June 11, 1997, in Walsall, West Midlands, hails from a family with a rich musical heritage, as her father was a musician.
She began her musical journey at the age of 8 by taking piano lessons and later received a music scholarship to Aldridge School.
At 15, she was discovered for her singing talent on YouTube, which led to collaborations with artists like Maverick Sabre and Ed Thomas in London.
CAREER
By 18, Smith had moved to London and worked as a barista to support herself while pursuing her music career.
In late 2015, Maverick Sabre endorsed her, and by January 2016, she released her debut single “Blue Lights” on SoundCloud, which quickly amassed 400,000 plays.
Her follow-up single, “Where Did I Go?”, received praise from Drake in Entertainment Weekly.
In early 2017, Jorja Smith joined Drake on his Boy Meets World Tour and contributed to his mixtape, More Life.
She released the song “Beautiful Little Fools” on International Women’s Day and collaborated with Kali Uchis on “Tyrant.”
This was followed by other singles such as “Teenage Fantasy” and “On My Mind,” featuring Preditah.
In September, Jorja began a relationship with Joel Compass and opened for Bruno Mars during his 24K Magic World Tour.
She was later recognized as the winner of the Brit Critics’ Choice Award, making history as the first independent artist to receive this nomination and win.
In early 2018, Jorja collaborated with Stormzy on the track “Let Me Down” and was featured on Kendrick Lamar’s Black Panther soundtrack with the song “I Am.”
She also performed at the BRIT Awards and made her U.S. television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! In June, her highly praised debut album, Lost & Found, was released, and she embarked on a European tour.
Jorja Smith kicked off her North American tour in November, supported by Ravyn Lenae.
In 2019, she announced a co-headlining tour with Kali Uchis and released the single “Be Honest,” featuring Burna Boy, in August.
This attention caught the eye of Guy Moot from Sony/ATV, who signed her to a publishing deal in late 2016.
In November of that year, she released her debut EP, “Project 11,” and was also featured in BBC Music’s Sound of 2017 longlist, where she secured the fourth position.
Jorja Smith began hosting the show ‘Tearjerker’ on BBC Radio 3 in early 2020, where she explored the healing effects of music.
She released singles such as “By Any Means” and “Come Over,” featuring Popcaan. Her EP, ‘Be Right Back,’ was launched on May 14, 2021, and received positive feedback.
On May 11, 2023, she released the single “Little Things” and announced her upcoming album, ‘Falling or Flying,’ set to be released in September 2023.
The track “Go Go Go” followed on August 4, 2023, and she also released a cover of East 17’s “Stay Another Day” exclusively on Amazon Music Originals on November 9, 2023.
PERSONAL LIFE
The British singer-songwriter has been linked romantically to other musicians, including Joel Compass and Drake in the past, but her current relationship status remains largely private.