Jorja Smith is a name that has swirled around my corner of music for quite some time now. Having been featured on numerous A-List Hip-Hop albums (Drake’s More Life and Kendrick Lamar’s Black Panther The Album) as well as having consistent fan overlap with Hip-Hop in general, the English R&B artist has been hard to miss. Though I haven’t dug deep into her catalog yet, I’ve never felt more motivated to do so. Last week saw the release of “GO GO GO”, a single from her upcoming album, falling or flying. It is… powerful, to say the least. 

Self-described as an “f you song,” Jorja captures the feeling of a not so bittersweet breakup between the speaker and a partner who likes to “kiss and tell.” In all aspects, “GO GO GO” is an incredibly confident and loud track. The acoustic chords are played aggressively, the drums are thunderous, and Jorja’s delivery is assertive. It feels like an incredible balance between a studio recording and a live performance where you’re in the pit, against the fence, front and center. Due to such an on-point execution, the song almost feels like an anthem, something thousands of people can scream in unison, and feel free in doing so. “GO GO GO” is well written, and well produced (thanks to DAMEDAME). The melodies are so strong. Usually a catchy song is carried by its hook, however, “GO GO GO” has a catchy hook, a catchy pre and post hook, and two catchy verses. Based on this song alone, Jorja is a master of melody and harmony, effortlessly crafting a song that enlivens one’s spirit. To write melodies that both fit the narrative of the song, and are infectiously well delivered on top of that, is truly breathtaking. 

One of my other favorite aspects of “GO GO GO” is how large the song feels. Everything in the song works towards building up this bigger than life aura, whether it be the vocal layering, the structure, or the mixing. What’s even more astonishing is that a song so big, is actually super short and sweet, at a staggering two and a half minutes. Such a time constraint makes the song incredibly addictive. It's so easy to click one button and let the song restart. 

Alongside “GO GO GO”, two other singles have been put out ahead of falling or flying’s release. “Little Things” and “Try Me” are musically inventive and offer listeners a lot to hope for this upcoming project. I’m excited to listen when it comes out and I’m happy this powerful anthem of a breakup song fell on my radar. Jorja is creatively hungry and ready to give the world another outstanding album. falling or flying is expected to be released September 29th.

Author: Jordan

Jordan Wisniewski is a passionate writer and Hip-Hop artist from North Carolina, US.