JORJA SMITH SINGLE “FALLING OR FLYING”
Further to climbing the charts with her huge summer single “Little Things” and unveiling the propulsive indie-adjacent track “GO GO GO” last month, today the incomparable Jorja Smith returns with “Falling or flying”, the sleek and shiny R&B title track taken from her highly anticipated second album which will be released on September 29th.
Speaking on her director debut, Jorja states that the idea behind the accompanying video “Came to mind ‘cause i always wanted to shoot a video in space” continuing that, “‘Falling Or flying’ just made me think of that. I wanted to go up into space with someone I love and cherish, but they didn’t want to come with me.”
The ‘Falling or flying’ music video was produced by Stink Films. On witnessing Jorja as a video director, Stink EP Dom Mckiernan said “Jorja is equally as impressive behind the camera as she is in front of it. Incredibly considered, quick thinking and just such a positive vibe throughout. Jorja had a clear idea of what she wanted and could communicate it to the crew cohesively whilst also being really collaborative and open to figuring out the best way to crystalise her vision together with the crew.”
In addition to releasing the new single, Jorja has also unveiled the tracklist for her forthcoming album ‘Falling or flying’ which includes features from British rapper J Hus and Jamaican singer Lila Iké, alongside 12 brand-new, unreleased tracks.
Of the many British voices in music today, Jorja is among the most commanding, writing at a pitch of intensity and urgency that few can match. Over the past five and half years, since the release of her critically acclaimed debut album Lost & Found, she has been celebrated unanimously across the world for her evocative song-writing, powerful delivery, pure emotion and unbridled talent as a young woman navigating her way through life. It was in 2021 that Jorja’s hiatus from music was broken – enter Be Right Back, the holding space between the sensation that was Lost & Found, and her next project. Be Right Back’was born from playing, jamming, freestyling, and sounding out what Jorja had been on the edge of expressing all her life. It was a project entirely for her fans. “Be Right Back did exactly what I wanted it to do. It was a little waiting room so people knew I was coming back.”
And come back she did – entering a chapter of her return to music that’s certain to draw in and intoxicate Jorja’s fans and new listeners alike. And what has changed for her, in the five years since Lost & Found dominated the charts and the soundscape, “I like this world that I’ve just come into. And I’m still figuring things out. Always figuring things out.” Jorja Smith says. “This is the first time I’m putting stuff out there that I can connect with right now.” Over the last few years, it’s been a reflective and transformative transition into her mid twenties for her. She’s been able to step into herself and evolve as a songwriter and a woman despite an ever-changing musical landscape.
While she recognizes that the global pandemic has been completely devastating, she acknowledges that it allowed her to stay still, to come more into herself, and to be more in control of the person she is, and of her musical output. Like some of the legendary musicians that came before her, Jorja Smith is looking at the chaos and disorder in the world right now with resourceful, refined eyes, and she sees the glorious opportunity and enormous responsibility that affords.