The Weekend With Jorja Smith
If you’ve got any of the right things playing through your headphones you’ll know that Jorja Smith’s third album What Are The Odds has just dropped, featuring sole production from P2J and collaborations with Afrobeat star Wizkid and grime icon Devlin. The multi-award winning singer and songwriter has built on her vocal legacy with a new sound in this end-of-summer release – and the euphoric run of tracks has its roots planted firmly in dance music. “This is music to make you move,” says Jorja. “I want people to hear it on the dance floor, where the sun is shining, in the car and in their headphones on the night bus home.”
Fresh off the release, Jorja gives us a play-by-play on how she’s filling her free time – from her travels through Mexico to her new obsession with Rachel Ama’s vegan Jamaican eats and, crucially, what tracks she’s got playing on repeat...
You’ll find me at...
“I recently went to La Casa Azul to see Frida Kahlo’s work. I was honestly so mesmerised; I didn’t know too much about her, I just knew what she looked like. I was so inspired by how different all of her work was. If you’re in Mexico City, you have to try and go!”
I’ll be eating...
“I’ve been loving One Pot: Three Ways by Rachel Ama. I was getting bored with everything I’d been cooking recently and needed some inspiration to switch things up. I’ve never cooked vegan meals before, so I found some of the ingredients she used very interesting – white miso paste, yum! I’d never used that before. Her ‘Cheez’ Sauce for her Mac and Cheese recipe is so, so, so, so good. And her crispy fried miso jerk aubergine, omg! I’d make extra so I had leftovers all weekend.”
I’ll be watching...
“One thing on my list is to finish The Drama, which I started on a flight recently. I’d start with that and then move on to Possession. I really want to watch it. That’s definitely one for after dark, I’m told.”
Something I’ve got my eye on…
“This is a bit obscure... I need a new jerk barrel. And then maybe a quick trip to Jamaica to pick up some pimento wood for it!”
Image Credit: Riaz Phillips for Vice.
A memento from your weekend with me...
This is the space where creatives leave us with something to look at from the weekend we’ve spent with them. It could be anything really – a drawing, a picture or just something cool they think you should have a little look at.
Jorja picks a poem written by Patti Smith imprinted on the wall at Caza Azul, inspired by a framed arrangement of butterflies that artist and architect Isamu Noguchi gave to Frida Kahlo.
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Jorja Smith: Patty Smith, Noguchi's Butterflies (copyright © Jorja Smith, 2026)
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Image by Ivor Lawson-Adamah