[fusion_text]Another Monday already? Well guess what that means; your weekly dose of hot new music accompanied by an up and coming prodigy. Next of the menu for this week; Jorja Smith. Never heard of her? Well sit back and relax while I brief you on this star in the making.

First off, her style is distinctly uncomplicated. An unbridled sense of authenticity matched with a uniquely clean and overall simple chic style, Smith much rather focuses her concerts onto the range of her vocals, and not the outlandish get-ups. In a way, I respect this. However, as she progresses, I forecast that her style will likely evolve with the coming of more and more familiarity with finding her footing on stage during performances. While I have yet to see her live during her handful of Bay Area stops, I am anticipating it being quite the treat.

Friends and family members who have gone to her shows have given me nothing but positive praise and high accolades for the star on the threshold of stardom, which I believe all to be credible.

Seeing her footage of past lives performances, have left me utterly in awe. Not only is she quite the performer, but has an alluring way with the crowd. I will admit, her music is as upbeat and pop-centered as most hits are today, which means she has to work even harder to command the audience. In this way, I applaud her efforts and overall stage presence.

Now onto the music itself. Her debut album released in June entitled “Lost & Found” includes 12 original songs. The cover art for this album takes us back to the early 2000’s with a sole picture of half of Smith’s face. Simplicity is key in this case.

The tracks range from a calm, cool, and collected vibe, to more sultry and smooth type songs. A few songs here and there shake it up while adding an almost electronic or dance type vibe to it, ultimately showcasing Smith’s diverse range and capability.

Something I have noticed from her is her unique yet once mentioned before, wide vocal range. Smith slips into jaw-dropping vibrato and falsetto almost as if second nature. This is worthy of note. Smith has the capability I believe to be one of the greats coming out of my generation. It is only a matter of time before she becomes recognized for her performances.

With the coming of Outside Lands, local music and art festival in San Francisco, I anticipated seeing her on the lineup. Outside Lands executives are notorious for finding some of the best smaller scale artists and giving them their deserved time in the spotlight. Unfortunately, to my dismay, I was shocked not to see her name on the lineup this coming this year. Maybe next year I guess? Either way, big loss for Outside Lands. Would have been a great addition to the acts.

Smith offers something that most artists don’t necessarily excel in, that being, diversity. In her music, she alters from more of a soulful and r&b sound, from anything to indie pop house music. This is what gives her that undeniable likeability. BEing able to cater to more than one genre completely changes the game. And with that being said, she is doing just that.

All in all, I am impressed. The just 21-year-old singer-songwriter is already making huge waves in the music scene. With these type of breakout stars, however, there seems to be a peaking point in their career early on with a fast fade out. While I do not think this is the case for her, I can only hope that she continues to progress as a performer and continue to put out the amazing work she had given to us already.

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