Just a few days after learning that she is nominated for Best New Artist at the 61st Grammy Awards, Jorja Smith made a smooth stop at The Fillmore Silver Spring as part of her Lost & Found Tour on Tuesday night.
The sold-out show kicked off on time with Ravyn Lenae as the opening act. Dressed in an all black leather jumpsuit with a jeweled belt, the Chicago native began her set on a high note — literally. After her first song, she asked the audience to pinky promise that they would move their bodies tonight. The angelic singer took fans on a journey through her growing discography (mainly her latest Crush EP).
As the crowd waited for Jorja to hit the stage, employees in the building passed out some free shots to fans near the front of the stage. A few minutes later, the house lights dimmed and band members entered the stage to quickly tune up instruments. Fans knew exactly what time it was — show time.
At around 9:20 p.m., the 21-year-old singer smoothly graced the staged. Donning a black and gold lace slip dress, Smith opened her set with “Lost & Found,” the title track to her debut album. She noticeably was touching her in-ear monitors, which is a signal that there were some sound issues going on. However, she didn’t miss a note. Remaining unbothered by the technical flubs happening in her in-ears, she promptly went to her dreamy track “Teenage Fantasy.”
“Fuck it up Jorja,” shouted a fan in the audience. He was clearly getting his everlasting life from Smith’s performance — and he wasn’t alone. Various fans made it known that they were loving the vocals by randomly shouting compliments during quiet moments.
Although she appeared somewhat reserved on stage, she wasn’t afraid to showcase her beautiful vocals. Her divine voice shined on “February 3rd” and “Tomorrow,” where she effortlessly sang in her upper register.
Smith eventually performed every track on Lost & Found – yes, every last one – along with “I Am” from the Black Panther soundtrack and the closing number “On My Mind,” which she released in 2017.
If there is anything to be learned about Smith after seeing her perform live, it’s this: she is a minimalist. She is the type of artist who can keep an audience engaged just by relying on her craft — singing. She doesn’t need an extravagant stage design, costume changes or scripted conversations to introduce her songs. And for that, coupled with her album, it’s no wonder why the Recording Academy nominated her for Best New Artist.
