Back in June, Jorja Smith revealed her latest single “By Any Means,” which was the singer’s response to the resurgent Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of recent violence at the hands of law enforcement. Now, she adds to that message with an accompanying visual that shows her singing against a simple, colorful backdrop while interspersed with Black families and individuals of all types, shades, and identities.
“By Any Means” also follows “Rose Rouge,” another socially charged number that was created alongside producer Charlie J. Perry for Blue Note Records’ Bluenote Re:imagined compilation. In addition to Smith’s contribution, that project will also sees new music from Ezra Collective, Jordan Rakei, Ishmael Ensemble, Alfa Mist, and more.
Last year, Jorja Smith released another loose single titled “Be Honest,” which features assistance from Burna Boy. The Kyle Stemberger, Cadenza, and Izybeats-produced cut also earned Smith her first top 10 hit on the UK Singles chart, as well as Burna Boy’s second. Prior to that, her debut album Lost & Found was released in 2018, receiving critical acclaim as well as high positions on album charts around the world.
In a recent interview with UK music peers Krept & Konan on Apple Music, Jorja Smith spoke on what fans can expect from her this year, which — in addition to her own releases — includes getting behind the camera for others:
“I want to start directing my own videos so I’m going to work on [that]. …I have so many ideas [for directing other artists’ videos], I have bare ideas, I know how I want things … This time you know what I have the full idea, I know what shot I want there, I know I want this to look like that, so I may as well do it myself … I’ve never directed anything myself so we’ll see.”
Press play on the Otis Dominique-directed video for “By Any Means” below.