Team Credits:

Photography & Post-production by Valeria Gordienko
Styling by Charissa Trikos
Hair & Make-up by Fabian Weiss
Model: Chanel Fu
Location: Loft Studio 22a

Fashion Credits:

1) Pants and top by Seen Users. Heels by Amina Muaddi.
3) Top, skirt and cami by Zodiaque Studios. Shorts by Miu Miu.
4,14&15) Top and skirt by Huediegongzhu. Heels and body stocking stylist own.
5&6) Dress by Salma Osman.
7) Dress by Aleksandra Jendryka. Tights stylist own. Shoes by Amina Muaddi.
9) Top and skirt by SHUSHU/TONG. Shoes by Amina Muaddi.
11) Bag by CHANEL. Tights stylist own.
12&13) Complete look by Titova Studios.

Team Credits:
Photography by Lucile Leber
Styling by La Piscine Presse
Hair & Make-up by Nomas
Model: Sydney Brennan

Fashion Credits:
1) Necklace Kamari and necklace Delphes by Élise Tsikis. Leggings Oxygène by La Grande Marianne.
2) Top, skirt, and kimono Angel Tears by House of Kaena, sunglasses Luz by Jimmy Fairly.
3) Dress Matriochka by La Grande Marianne, bracelet Strass Toi et Moi by Jeremiah Oudin.
4) Bra by Miu Miu, skirt Thalie by Diane Paris, necklace Ennato by Studio Ennato.
5) Top Liseron by Julie Ehme, earrings Cascade Dream by Cookie Shark.
6) Lip pencil and nail polish by Dior.
8) Kimono Angel Tears by House of Kaena.

Team Credits:

Photography & Direction by Valentin Russo
Styling by Victoire Seveno
Model: Mathilde at City Models
Hair and Make-up by Khela at Call my agent
Set Design by Raphaëlle Daguerre
Lighting by Manon Leaute
Production by Corinne Tozy
Styling Assistant: Victoria Korkos
Set Design Assistant: Jade Echard
Studio Manager and Coordinator: Axel Doebele

Fashion Credits:

1, 2, 3 & 4) Coat, skirt and shoes by Miu Miu. Headband worn as necklace by Maison Michel.
5, 6 & 7) Top and pants by Romeo Stedman Mouras. Rings by Wouters & Hendrix.
8 & 9) Gloves by Agnelle X MM6 Maison Margiela. Skirt by Paula Canovas Del Vas. Bag by Miu Miu. Shoes by Francesca Bellavita.
10, 11 & 12) Bag by MM6 Maison Margiela. Dress by Alfie. Shoes by Dries Van Noten.
13 & 14) Coat and shoes by Dries Van Noten. Dress by MM6 Maison Margiela. Bag by Francesca Bellavita.

Team Credits:

Photography by Alexander Courtman
Styling by Julia Obermayr
Makeup and hair by Sabrina Reuschl
Model: Mia Helen Espermüller at Elf Management

Fashion Credits:

1) Dress by LFL Design. Blazer by Studio Seidensticker. Boots by Arket.
2) Leather jacket by Studio Seidensticker. Pants by Ganni. Bow earrings by Saskia Diez.
3) Vintage blouse by Susanne Bommer. Bikini top by Oséree. Pants by The Frankie Shop. Sunglasses by Miu Miu.
4) Dress by Sportmax. Boots by Arket.
5) Blazer by Yves Saint Laurent. Vintage denim jacket by Baum und Pferdgarten. T-shirt by Ottod’ame. Sunglasses by Khaite.
6) Turtleneck by Sportmax. Skirt by Diane von Fürstenberg. Vintage stockings by Falke. Vintage pumps by Chanel.
7) Bodysuit, wool skirt and belt by Max Mara.
8) Vintage shirt by Gucci. Pants by Closed. Tie by Zegna. Sunglasses by Prada.
9) Knitdress by Toteme. Necklace: stylist ́s archive. Sneakers by Adidas Originals.

Team Credits:

Photography and styling by Lucy Owiredu
Makeup and model: Malia Sine

Fashion Credits:

1 & 5) Top and shorts by Nostylguh. Shoes by Miu Miu. Vintage socks.
2) Tops by Isa Boulder. Shoes by Miu Miu. Tights by Los Angeles Apparel. Vintage skirt (hand dyed by Lucy).
3 & 8) Dress by Shawna Wu.
4) Top and bottoms by Shawna Wu. Shoes by Prada. Vintage socks.
6 & 7) Top and skirt by AnyFood Universe. Tights by Venus in Tokyo. Vintage bralette.

Team Credits:
Photography: Alexander Courtman @alexnadercourtman
Styling: Xhevat Rexhepi and Annabel Kellerer @r.xhvt @annabelkellerer
Hair and Make Up: Sabrina Reuschl @sabrina.reuschl
Model: Kallin Muller @kallinmllr / Agency: Tigers Mgmt @tigers_mgmt

Fashion Credits:
#1 Cardigan: Chopova Lowena. Gloves: Miu Miu. Pants: Nanushka. Skirt: COS. Second Pants: Sandro Paris. Shoes: Miu Miu:
#2 Hat: Miu Miu_Scarf: Acne Studios. Cardigan: Jacquemus.
#3 Blouse: Nina Ricci Skirt: COS.
#4 Shoes: Aeyde Bag: YSL.
#5 Hat: Miu Miu. Scarf: Acne Studios. Cardigan: Jacquemus. Shorts: Parosh. Shoes: Jacquemus.
#6 Coat: Marni. Shoes: Jacquemus.
#7 Top: Pleats Please Issey. Skirt: Dolce Gabbana.
#8&9 Hat: Brunello Cucinelli.Top: Marni. Shorts: Gucci. Shoes: Miu Miu.
#10 Jacket: Jil Sander. Gloves: Bottega Veneta.
#11 Blouse: Nina Ricci. Skirt: COS. Glasses: Miu Miu. Shoes: Aeyde.
#12 Shoes: Jil Sander. Tights: Wolford.
#13 Blazer and Top: Jil Sander. Knitted Sweater: Marni. Tights: Falke. Shoes: Yume Yume.
#14 Bow: Noir Kei Ninomiya.
#15 Shoe: Jacquemus.

Team Credits:
Photography by Vahab Bandari
Styling by Rosalind Seehusen
Hair & Makeup by Karen Burton
Model: Ava Coffen

Fashion Credits:
1,2&3) Dress by Rick Owens. Stocking by Wolford. Shoes by Miista.
4) Dress by Zimmermann.
5) Shirt and jacket by Sportmax. Socks, stylist’s own. Shoes by Prada.
6) Shoes by Miu Miu.
7) Shoes by Miu Miu.
8) Bag by Balenciaga.
9) Shoes by Coach.
10) Jacket by Victoria Beckham. Shorts by Marni. Stockings, stylist’s own.
11&12) Coat by Strateas Carlucci. Stockings, stylist’s own. Shoes by Coach.
13) Shoes by Prada. Socks, stylist’s own.
14) Hat and socks, stylist’s own. Dress by Anna Quan. Boots by Coach.
15&16) Coat and boots by Coach. Socks, stylist’s own.
18) Jeans by JW Anderson. Shoes by Miista.

Team Credits:
Photography by Nikolaz Le Coq
Styling by François Joos
Makeup by Caroline Joos
Hair by Anais Lucas Sebagh
Model: Quincy at STUDIO PARIS

Fashion Credits:
1) Vintage jacket, tights, and shoes stylist’s own.
2) Raf Simons top, Comme des Garçons jacket, tights, and shoes stylist’s own.
4) Pascal Humbert top, Prada skirt, Comme des Garçons shoes, tights, and socks stylist’s own.
5) Balenciaga glasses, Untitled 19 gloves.
6) Balenciaga suit, Jil Sander shirt, Comme des Garçons shoes, belt stylist’s own.
7) Balenciaga suit, Jil Sander shirt.
8&9) Chantal Thomass bra, Maison Martin Margiela skirt, tie, tights, and shoes stylist’s own.
10) Balenciaga glasses, Pascal Humbert top, Balmain shorts, Untitled 19 gloves, belt, and shoes stylist’s own.
11) Miu Miu bra, Untitled 19 belt, Pascal Humbert skirt, tights, and shoes stylist’s own.

“Falling or flying is how I’ve felt the past few years” says Jorja Smith, the English singer whose enchanting vocals have put a spell on the world of contemporary music since the 2016 release of the Project 11 EP.

‘Falling or flying’ describes not only the way Jorja Smith has felt lately. It is also the title of her upcoming second full-length album, following the internationally praised Lost & Found, a laid-back R&B record that hit the shelves in 2018. The title of the new album, Falling or Flying, due for release at the end of September 2023, seems to be derived from a great deal of self-contemplation on the part of the singer. “I can’t tell if I’m doing good or bad sometimes, if I’m okay or not. Also, if you know me, I don’t have an in-between either. Falling or flying sounds like growth to me, it’s just the next chapter.”

As this next chapter of the Jorja Smith story unfolds, it is rewarding to take a step back and ponder the changes that have occurred since her last release. Her sound has gone through a clear transition, audible primarily on the single ‘Little Things’. But what has happened to the person behind the heavenly voice in the five years that have passed?

“Well, the songs on Lost & Found were mostly from when I was 16 to 18 years old. Like, there are two I wrote at 20. This album, the songs are me now, at 25/26. So naturally I have matured and was becoming a woman in the process. My music right now is me stepping into womanhood. It’s the first time I’m really releasing a whole body of work which I am also living in.”

When Smith lists the artists that were the most influential to her way into music, the DNA of her own creations is somewhat explained: “Amy Winehouse, Damian Marley, Mos Def/Yasiin Bey – I had these on rotation at 15/16 when I used to come down to London in the school holidays. I saw Yasiin Bey at a concert a few years ago, which was magical.”

Through the years, Smith has worked with a number of our time’s most notable performers. Nigerian marvel Burna Boy, grime giant Stormzy, and dancehall dandy Drake, just to name a few. But, when asked about her dream collaboration, there is only one name Smith mentions: “Frank Ocean”.

Smith talks about music almost as something that found her rather than the other way around. Her relationship to the art form strikes you as perfectly natural, as nearly meant to be. The world may change drastically around you, but some things remain the very same. The love of music is, for Smith and surely for many others, one of those comforting constants. “Music has been in my life since I was born,” Smith explains. “My parents constantly played music in the house, in the car, I’d be listening to everything, even music that wasn’t played for me. Walking in the street and catching a snippet from someone’s open window or car door. I sang everything, too, everything I saw I’d just sing about it. I learned to play the keyboard at eight and that’s when I started to write songs at the keyboard and also play covers.”

What happens to such an apparent gift with time? “Not much has changed since then, apart from stopping playing the piano when I moved to London,” Smith assures us. “I’ve picked it back up now. Also, I work with producers rather than just myself. When I’m writing, making a song. I just sing and whatever comes out comes out and we go from there.”

Today, she’s back in her Midlands hometown of Walsall, and has her hands back on the keyboard as well. A lot has obviously happened since Lost & Found, both for Smith personally and for her as an artist. The awards and praise have been lavished on her, raising the question of how the subsequent expectations affect her.

“I wish I didn’t, but I began to care too much about what people thought and also be super affected by it. Since moving back home to Walsall, I’ve got a balance now and care less. Before I put music out and at the early stages I only really cared about what I thought. Ha ha.”

The weight of expectations created from years in the limelight at least hasn’t dimmed Jorja Smith’s musical curiosity. Where ‘Little Things’ might have been played at a 1980s Madchester rave as well as at a 2023 Glasto after-hours party, the latest single ‘GO GO GO’ serves up a pop chart immediacy within its go-getting, glittery energy. Smith is certainly no stranger to creative diversity: “I’m always experimenting, if I hear something I love, I’ll just sing to it.”

So, with this desire for experimentation in mind, in what way has the process of making Falling or Flying been different from the creation of Smith’s previous work? “I started from scratch with this one and made it with DameDame, who are my friends. I learned so much about myself in this process.”

To conclude the interview, we ask a question that is inherently difficult to answer: where will your music be 10 years from now? “Oh my God, I don’t like looking into the future too much. I just want it to be loved dearly and still played and discovered.”

The hope of being “still played and discovered” shows both Jorja Smith’s characteristic humility and her love for the music she makes. The act of discovery is essential for any great lover of music, and Smith epitomizes this. Whatever changes the world will have gone through when Falling or Flying turns ten, it is safe to say the importance of music and creative experimentation will most likely (and hopefully) remain.

Talent: Jorja Smith

Team Credits:

Photography by Nick Thompson
Styling by Jordan Kelsey
Words by Filip Lindström
Hair by Paula McCash
Makeup by Grace Sinnott
Produced by Alexandra Oley
Fashion Assistants Zoha Khan and Grace Thompson

Special Thanks to Ananya

Fashion Credits:

1) Top by Dilara Findikoglu. Earings by Ananya
2) Coat by Ferragamo. Vest by Magda Butrym. Briefs by Uniqlo. Boots by Nii Hai. Earrings and necklaces by Ananya
3) Coat by Magda Butrym
4) Jumpsuit by Nina Ricci. Bra and knickers by What Katie Did. Shoes by Magda Butrym. Earrings by Ananya
5) Jumper by Miu Miu. Knickers by Fruity Booty. Tights by FALKE. Earrings and bracelets by Ananya
6) Top by Dilara Findikoglu. Corset stylist’s own. Tights By FALKE. Earrings By Ananya
7) Jumper by Miu Miu. Tights By FALKE. Earrings and bracelets by Ananya
8) Cardigan by Miu Miu. Earrings and necklaces by Ananya. Stockings by What Katie Did
9) Coat by Magda Butrym. Bikini Top by Nii Hai. Shorts by Christiana Hadjipapa. Socks by Uniqlo. Boots by Leo Prantham
10) Dress by Cult Naked. Earrings by Ananya
11) Shirt and tie by Luis De Javier. Corset by Dilara Findikoglu. Shorts stylist’s own

Team Credits:
Photographer: Jeremy Josselin
Creative Director: Ximena Medroa
Stylist: Arianna Cavallo
Make up artist: Eva Louis
Hair Stylist: Alan Antoine
Photographer’s assistant: Nicolas Darde
Model: Anna Lisa @ Mademoiselle
Production: Lmadam Production

Fashion Credits:
2) One-piece jumpsuit by Claude Montana from Byronesque, re-issued 2019 top by Sanda Simona, blazer by Dries van Noten, socks by Miu Miu, and shoes by Rombaut
3) Blazer by Materiel, earrings by Panconesi, trousers by Roberto Cavalli early 2000s from Aesane
4) Top by Rory William Docherty, trousers by Anna Galaganenko, headband by Oberkampf, belt by Molism
5) Top by Issey Miyake, tights by Comme des Garçons psychedelic from ss2001, 20 age archive, shoes by Dries van Noten
6) Top and trousers by Anne Isabella, blazer (worn around neck) by MM6 maison Margiela, earring (on left ear) by Panconesi, earring (on right ear) by In Gold We Trust
7) Bodysuit by Alaia fw1991 from Aesane, earring (on left ear) by Molism, earrings vintage.
8) Knit by Loewe Paula’s Ibiza 2019, 20 age archive, bodysuit by Alaia fw1991 from Aesane, trousers by Uma Wang, earrings by Sister Morphine, socks by Miu Miu, shoes by Acne Studios
9) Sunglasses vintage, dress by Umlaut, top by After Work Studio
10) Skirt (worn as top) fw1998 from Byronesque, skirt and shoes by Miu Miu, trousers by Minuit, bracelet (worn on the arm) vintage.