The latest track from the singer-songwriter and grime artist perfectly merges two genres of music.
After being announced in December as the winner of the Brits Critics’ Choice Award for 2018, 20-year-old singer songwriter Jorja Smith is set to have a huge year; though she’s already done exceedingly well for herself. Having already collaborated with the likes of Drake and Maverick Sabre, it should come as no surprise to see Smith joining forces with one of the UK’s biggest artists at the moment. Though her smooth and soulful vocals may not be the obvious pairing for a grime act like Stormzy, it works surprisingly well.
‘Let Me Down’, the latest track taken from what will presumably be Jorja Smith’s debut album, is considerably melancholy and stripped back in comparison to her last single release; ‘On My Mind’, a song with dance and electronic producer, Preditah. Featuring a simple piano and strings backing track, the opening riff of ‘Let Me Down’ is similar to that of Adele‘s ‘Hometown Glory’, and showcases equally haunting vocals from Smith.
The heartbreaking, repeated lyrics of the chorus, “But I’ve got you to let me down”, tell the tale of a deteriorating relationship. Stormzy and Smith’s different verses show both sides of the story, and the combination of the ballad-like beginning of the song parallels perfectly with Stormzy’s rap in the middle section. When speaking to Zane Lowe on Beats 1 about the track, Smith commented that the process of creating it was “just beautiful and magical”. ‘Let Me Down’ has gifted us with a collaboration that we didn’t know we needed.
‘Let Me Down’ is available now via FAMM records