A cottage surrounded by fields and farm animals in the Midlands countryside might not be the most obvious place for one of the biggest music stars of our time to call home. But for Jorja Smith, it’s where she’s happiest. ‘There are three places I feel most at home, and they are Walsall, in the studio or on stage,’ she says.
Smith moved to London aged 18 from her hometown of Walsall in the West Midlands. Two years later, in 2018, she released her debut album, Lost & Found, and received a Mercury Prize nomination, before winning Best British Female at the 2019 Brits. Despite the whirlwind success – which included collaborations with Drake and Kendrick Lamar – Smith was far from content. Now, aged 26, she’s returned home, bought a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, made a new album and has never been more at peace. ‘I’m a small-town girl. As much as I love the city – and my dreams are so big – this place is why I am, who I am and where I started dreaming.’
Today, we’re sitting in an Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron (the leather back seats offering a quiet hideaway from the hubbub on set). Smith is soft-spoken, cocooned in head-to-toe black. It’s a fitting surrounding, as we’ve come together to talk about her work with the car brand. It becomes immediately obvious that Smith knows her way around an Audi. ‘Oh yeah, I’ve got one like this,’ she says, flashing her trademark wide grin while popping open a hidden cup holder for me to put my coffee in. Working with the brand, she says, feels like a full-circle moment. ‘When I was younger, there was often a black Audi convertible parked up on my road. The roof was always down when it was sunny, and I used to go past it and say, “That is so cool!” Now, today, little Jay has one herself.’
As with Smith’s impressive slew of collaborations – from sharing a stage with Stormzy, having a song on the Black Panther soundtrack and fronting a Nike x Jacquemus collection – it was the shared set of values she found in Audi that made her want to team up with the brand. ‘Audi is known for being progressive and innovative. As an artist, I really relate to that,’ she says. ‘Community is a value of Audi’s, which really matters to me as well. That’s what The Blue Lights Choir is about.’ Smith explains that since moving back to Walsall during lockdown, she’s launched a choir for girls living in the local area. ‘It offers a safe space for women, as well as young girls, to come and express themselves, while building new friendships. I think that’s cool,’ she says.
Audi has proudly supported the Henley Festival since 2019, and, in 2023, collaborated with RISE – Henley Festival’s charitable initiative, which supports emerging talent in the creative arts industry – by hosting the High RISE Gallery to showcase the work of talented new artists.
Mirroring Audi, progress is part of Smith’s DNA. ‘I wouldn’t be growing if I hadn’t got to my second album. I feel like I’ve become a woman during the making of this album. I suppose every album will be a part of my journey – I am literally a work in progress. I’ve learned to believe in myself and trust my judgement, I haven’t followed a natural or predictable path into the music industry and thinking differently has led to incredible collaborations and where I am today.’
The new album, Falling or Flying, which was released in September, feels like Smith’s most confident work to date. Her tender vocals, captivating hooks and lyrics about the pains of love and life are all still there. But this time, she’s added dancehall and house beats to get us moving. ‘It came together just so naturally. I think I know who I am now,’ she says. ‘Music is a bit like a time machine. It’s there for different moments in people’s lives. I think that’s super special – powerful, even.’
Working on the album with local friends, Birmingham production duo DameDame, helped it come together with ease. ‘I feel like everything was spontaneous making this one – that’s what kept it fun.’ As for the name, she says, ‘It’s basically how I’ve felt the past few years. I can’t really tell if I’m falling off or flying. It’s a bit blurry. But also, I don’t really have an in-between – I’m very much up or down, happy or sad, focused or not focused. It’s really quite me. I now understand this isn’t a weakness, it’s just who I am. I’m lucky because I’m able to express my true self through my music and I think it’s probably relatable to others, which may help them.’
Naturally, she hopes the album is well-received by fans. ‘It’s not just mine anymore,’ she says. ‘I’m excited to be on stage and see the response. Like, what songs are people screaming out?’ She’s less excited to see the reviews, admitting she won’t be reading them. ‘With Lost & Found, I didn’t have any expectations. So, I don’t for this one, either – I’m too hard on myself to have expectations. I just hope people feel something when they listen to it.’
Smith confesses that even the prospect of receiving awards sparks inner conflict. ‘I’ve been so embarrassed when I’ve won in the past. I don’t like the attention, if I’m honest. I get that kind of contradicts what I do. I just don’t like being praised.’
Perhaps, surprisingly, one place Smith has felt confident in the past year is on a catwalk. Just as her passion for design led her to working with Audi, her enthusiasm for fashion overshadows any nerves on the runway. Having recently walked for designers Marine Serre and Feben, she says, ‘It was fun. I was, like, “Oh my gosh, this is easier than singing on stage.” It’s a lot of adrenaline and it’s over in, like, five minutes. You just have to make sure you walk the right way – which I probably could have done better.’ Now, she’s laughing. ‘But I love the dressing up. It does make me feel better when I’ve made an effort.’
When the shoot is over, she’ll climb into her own Audi and drive back to her sanctuary in Walsall. ‘I love driving myself,’ she says, revealing that her motorway playlist is BBC audiobook Factory Girls by Michelle Gallen (plus Little Simz and Cleo Sol). Do her family come over all the time? ‘They’re all just around the corner, but a day off for me means chilling by myself. TV, music… I cook all the time – I made a full roast yesterday just because I fancied one. It’s so much nicer being back.’
It seems Smith has found her balance: chart-topper and countryside-lover. A woman who performs on stage for millions and at other times is an introvert on the sofa. Catwalk model and cooking in a tracksuit. She has learned to occupy the grey area, reject other people’s ideas of how a star should live and, instead, set her own boundaries of how it can be done – and as a result, she’s finally learning to fly. Smith is leading by example, and we all might be in a better place if we followed suit.
Learn more about Audi’s Progressive People partnership with Smith and its range of electric e-trons at Audi.co.uk
