Following on from the release of ‘Addicted’ last month, Jorja Smith has just dropped her latest single ‘Gone’. The two tracks will be part of her forthcoming project ‘Be Right Back’, which is scheduled to be released on May 14th.
Nearly three years on from her debut studio album ‘Lost & Found’, Jorja Smith fans have finally been promised a new project from the 23-year-old. The record will be comprised of eight tracks and will have only one feature, coming from South London MC Shaybo. Speaking about ‘Be Right Back’ in a press release, Smith said, “It’s called be right back because it’s just something I want my fans to have right now, this isn’t an album and these songs wouldn’t have made it. If I needed to make these songs, then someone needs to hear them too.”
‘Gone’ is a song which appears deeply personal, as the Walsall-raised singer-songwriter wrestles the notion of losing a loved one over contemporary, piano-driven R&B production. She sings, “My God, you took him at the corner/ On God, you lost it in the moment/ What now, you’ve caught yourself a case and/ Maybe the world would be much better off without ya.” The meaning of these lines is rather ambiguous. Smith addresses God as if she is referring to a loved one that has passed away, and yet the following line she sings “you’ve caught yourself a case”, instead implying that the person in question has been lost to the prison system.
Judging by her press statement regarding the new track, it seems as if this multivalence was very much intentional: “There’s something about being able to write about one thing and for it to mean so many different things to others. I love that this song, well any of my songs really, will be interpreted in different ways, depending on the experiences of the people listening. This one is just me asking why people have to be taken from us.”
Smith undoubtedly has a knack for relatable but nuanced songwriting. As a song that explored the dynamics of an unbalanced relationship, ‘Addicted’ similarly delved into her own personal experience in a way that could be outwardly generalised to the potential experiences of her listeners. ‘Be Right Back’ will be another opportunity for Smith to both strengthen her emotional connection with her hardcore following and build new ones.
Listen to Jorja Smith’s new single ‘Gone’ below:
