Jorja Smith, while cultivating her own brand of r'n'b, is somehow still unpredictable in her releases. She's dabbled in a range of sounds, all with an effortless success-- from the more soulful and classic-sounding "Teenage Fantasy" to the groovy "Bussdown" to the afrobeats-inspired "Be Honest." Today's new release finds her confidently steering us into what may be a little-known genre called 'Ampiano.' Described as "a style of house music that emerged from South Africa in 2012," that late-night influence is definitely present on "All of This."
The single is interesting in that, over the course of the five-minute-plus record (that in itself unique), the beat and the vocals essentially take turns at being the listener's focal point. Production-- and thus the direction-- for this electronic-bent sound comes from DJ Guilty Beatz, whom Jorja met at a writing camp she attended in Jamaica.
"He’s so wonderful to work with and when we initially started the song, it was more a fall to the floor type beat," the UK singer said of making the record. "He’s shared Amapiano playlists with me before and then during the first lockdown in 2020, he sent me a version of the song like it is now. We then finished writing the song remotely, exchanging messages over WhatsApp with his girlfriend Abby who is also a writer. It’s all about someone who doesn't deserve you and thinking wow, you really had all of my once, ew."
Check it out and let us know what you think.
