On the tip of stardom, South London singer Joy Crookes is already popular among critics. She came fourth in the Sound of 2020 poll and was nominated for the Rising Star Award next to Beabadoobee and winner Celeste at this year's BRITs.
The daughter of an Irish father and a Bangladeshi mother, Crookes thanks her father for introducing her to music. "My dad wanted to give me a real education". She cites Sinead O'Connor, Kendrick Lamar, Kate Nash and Gregory Issacs as influences. Crookes delivers a modern soul and jazz sound with poetic lyricism that grows stronger with every new release.
Her 2019 EP, Perception, is my favourite body of work from the singer. The EP begins with Hurts, followed by No Hands - two summery, groove-filled tracks, perfect for days spent in the summer sun. The next track, London Mine is gentler. Crookes says inspiration for the song came after hearing about the Windrush scandal on the news. The lyric "hopeless, roaming around in the moment / the streets that are tailored to no one / but that’s what makes London mine" sum up exactly what Crookes is trying to say on the song. She described London Mine as "a celebration of immigrants who make up this country".
Since I Left You is a sombre, piano-led tune written in the wake of heartbreak that shows Crookes at her most vulnerable. It contains one of her most beautiful lines "'Cause freedom don't come for free / I guess it cost you and me" - written to be relatable not just in the context of a broken relationship, but wherever the listener may need it to be. The lyric has a double meaning for Crookes herself as she described to Vogue her "own family’s history with war – having to part ways or lose someone. Bangladesh has been independent for about 49 years, so a lot of my family has lost someone. Wives can live freely from war, but they’ve lost someone in exchange.” The final track, Darkest Hour, brings us back to those charming melodies and bright sounds from earlier on in the EP.
She's only 21 years old but Crookes already has a lot to say - her discography touches on racism, identity, politics, heartache, love and feminism. Not afraid to speak her mind, Crookes wrote Kingdom, a track uploaded to Twitter, shortly after the Conservative party were elected into government last December. "Who’s got love for the taking? / Who’s got heart for the aching? / No such thing as a kingdom / When tomorrow’s done for the children" she sings.
And she's funny too. Crookes' track Power contains the line "You're a man on a mission / But you seem to forget / You came here through from a woman / Show some f*cking respect". It's a perfect quote for a sign at a march for International Women's Day.