Jorja Smith opened up about remaining an independent artist, her teenage years and why she almost turned down the opportunity to collaborate with Drake in the December issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK.
‘The One’ singer had a career-defining year, winning the Brit Award for British Female Solo Artist and becoming Dior’s global make-up ambassador.
After releasing her first EP in 2016 she was quickly noticed by Drake. The two went on to tour together and then collaborated on ‘Get It Together’ which was featured on his More Life mixtape in 2017.
Initially, Smith turned down the offer to work with Drake on ‘Get It Together’ as she didn’t have a hand in writing the song.
Smith told the magazine, “I really liked it, but I hadn’t written it, so I didn’t connect to the lyrics. But then I split up with my boyfriend of the time and I listened back to the song and understood it. So, it worked out well. But you can’t just do stuff for the hell of it, you genuinely have to love what you’re doing.”
The singer has also worked with the likes of Stormzy (who she was briefly rumored to be seeing although Stormzy denied it), Loyle Carter and Khalid. Being signed to an independent label gives Smith the ability to work with artists as she sees fit and for the time being, she likes the flexibility of not being signed to a major label.
“I love my team and I like what we’re doing, so why do I want to change that just yet? I’m honest and real, and I keep myself grounded – I don’t want a big head,” she said.
Smith wasn’t always as confident as she is now. She spoke to the magazine about growing up with predominantly white friends.
“My mum’s white and my dad’s black, so I didn’t see many girls who looked like me when I was growing up. I didn’t want to tan because all my friends were white, and they were skinny and had long blonde hair, and I had lips and a bum. It wasn’t until I moved to London that I felt comfortable with myself,” she explained.
Now, she’s focused on her future. “I don’t really have goals or dreams because I don’t like being disappointed, but I’m definitely living a dream,” she told the magazine.
