British singer Jorja Smith, whose talent has garnered recognition from the Brits, Grammys, and Drake, recently released her third album, ‘What Are the Odds?’, during the week of August 23, 2026. However, the path to this musical milestone has been marked by significant personal challenges, including burnout and intense public scrutiny over her appearance, leading her to seek decompression in her hometown.
The pressures of fame have taken a toll on Smith, who never actively sought celebrity status, aspiring only to release music. She has expressed that if she had anticipated the level of public scrutiny, she would have opted for a stage name. Her experience with burnout and exhaustion prompted her return to her hometown, a move her mother observed brought her back to her ‘old self.’ During the 2020 pandemic, Smith used the time for reflection, fostering a deeper self-understanding and committing to self-kindness, which included removing ‘toxic people’ from her life.
A recurring source of distress for Smith has been the constant public commentary on her physical appearance, which she finds ‘not normal.’ She noted that the internet frequently reduced her identity to ‘Jorja Smith the face, Jorja Smith the body.’ This reached a peak in June 2023 when the phrase ‘Jorja Smith weight gain’ trended on Twitter/X for two days, unleashing a wave of negative body-shaming remarks. These comments, which she addressed in a September 2023 interview, ‘knocked her confidence’ and left her ‘really upset,’ revealing a long-standing struggle with her weight since childhood. Smith has also encountered social media users commenting ‘She looks pregnant’ due to her stomach not being flat, particularly when she wears tight clothing. Despite this public mockery of her physique, she is actively training in the gym.
To safeguard her mental well-being, Smith has implemented various strategies, including no longer managing her social media accounts directly and avoiding platforms like X (formerly Twitter) to minimise exposure to negative comments. While these measures offer some protection, she acknowledges that negative videos or comments can still surface on platforms such as TikTok. The impact of such commentary has, at times, deterred her from participating in photoshoots or going out in public.
Musically, ‘What Are the Odds?’ showcases a blend of UK garage, funky house, 2-step, and Afrobeats, produced in collaboration with Richard Isong (P2J). This latest offering follows her debut album, ‘Lost And Found,’ released in 2018, and her second album, ‘Falling or Flying,’ which came out in September 2023. Smith’s journey reflects a deeper personal evolution; as a child, she harboured insecurities about her looks, disliking features such as her lips and ‘ass,’ only developing greater self-love after her move to London.