Jorja Smith is a supportive confidant in the new video for “Home” from her lovelorn EP, Be Right Back. While the song’s lyrics debate leaving behind a picturesque but unfulfilling relationship for an uncertain future, the video portrays this dynamic visually, with Jorja playing the role of the nanny of a couple whose relationship has played itself out. As the wife contemplates telling her husband, lip-syncing the lyrics through a dinner party and a play date, Jorja looks on in supportive silence, letting her work through her tangled emotions.
“Home” is the fourth single from the EP after “Gone,” “Bussdown,” and “Addicted,” which arrived ahead of the rollout, and though all four songs convey different moods, they retain the through-line of pursuing personal freedom in lieu of the expectations of a stable relationship. Be Right Back was the British singer’s first project since 2018’s Lost & Found, her debut album containing the hit single “Blue Lights.”
Since then, Smith has released a number of non-album singles, including the Burna Boy-featuring “Be Honest,” as well as the wisftul “Come Over” with Jamaican dancehall star Popcaan. She also commented on the wave of 2020 anti-racist uprisings with “By Any Means.”
Life is a forever-winding path filled with crossroads and intersections. At times, navigating this journey is as easy as breathing and walking; decisions are made with help from destiny and subconscious thought, going unrecognized unless one requests it from the file cabinet of the mind. Other times, destiny takes a step back and leaves us in charge of commanding the journey. Even with the highest dose of wisdom present, questions of where to turn, when to stop, slow down, or speed up become far too dreadful to answer.
As we all had to do in some corner of our lives, Jorja Smith has been left to make these decisions and, as she unveils on her new EP Be Right Back, the choices before her are some that most would hate to choose from. On the lovelorn project, Jorja engages in a mental tug of war in the often unpredictable world of love and is left to decide what’s best for her: holding on in hopes of receiving better or letting go in fear of prolonging the bad before experiencing the worst.
Be Right Back is the English singer’s first project since her 2019 debut album, Lost & Found, an effort where she quite literally discovered herself. Songs that she wrote as a naive youth grew beside her with age and became tales of what once was, what is now, and what could be. The EP not only signals her return to music, as it’s her first project in over two years, foreshadows more to come for those who crave more from Jorja, just like that morning cup of Joe.
The scene is set as Be Right Back begins. The singer is knee-deep and tangled within the webs of unrequited love on “Addicted.” Jorja craves her lover like a caffeine addict does with their cup of coffee, but unlike that morning boost of energy that seeks nothing in return from its consumer, Jorja needs reciprocation from her companion. “The hardest thing / You are not addicted to me,” she croons with a voice filled with agony on the track. “I’m the only thing you should need / You should be addicted to me.” It’s at this moment that the unsettling crossroad presents itself.
The worst thing about these journeys is you’ll never know what’s next. No amount of astrology, prayer, or fortune-telling can give a play-by-play of the future that we’d all love to have. The gains and losses that come with each turn are vastly unpredictable. Taking one path can cause the extinction of another and sacrificing something else can spark the appearance of something new and better. So when Jorja deals with the pain of departure on “Gone” and “Weekend,” and inflicts some of the same on “Time,” it’s all with the hope that maybe one day she’ll make the right decisions to bring her towards the happy moment she desires.
For what it’s worth, Jorja can end a chapter in love if it proves to be necessary. After a whirlwind of doubts blur her perception and confidence towards a successful relationship on “Home,” Jorja opts to step away from it as her worries only seem to weigh her down. “Why can’t we leave it? Should’ve left it as just another chapter,” she ponders over the soft strums of an electric guitar. “It stays the same, will always remain with my heart in doubt.”
As a result, her bags are packed and she continues on her journey towards what’s next and what is hopefully better for her. Be Right Back sees her take a momentary break from the path she travels to document the scenery and events she experienced. It’s never the destination, but rather the journey, so timely pauses to take in what’s occurred are often necessary to avoid repeating mistakes and being lost — again — within it all.
Fans have been waiting to her details about a new project from Jorja Smith ever since the UK singer captivated audiences with soothing vocals on her 2018 debut album Lost & Found. With the release of her recent single “Addicted,” it seemed as though Smith was gearing up for something exciting and on Monday, the singer officially returned with a big announcement.
Smith shared the snappy single “Gone” on Monday, which arrived alongside the announcement of her forthcoming eight-track project Be Right Back. About the song “Gone,” Smith says she hopes her listeners can derive their own meaning from her lyrics, adding that she wrote the track about tragedy:
“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.”
About the album as a whole, Smith says, “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.”
Listen to Smith’s “Gone” above and see the Be Right Back album cover art and tracklist below.
