By Emily Archer

Emily takes us to Glasgow for the only Scottish date in Jorja Smith’s “Lost and Found” tour, in support of her debut album.

Walking alone through Glasgow Central train station, it hit me how utterly unequipped I was to write this review. I had prepared myself an empty note in my phone before I went into the concert, in which to jot down any thoughts that I had immediately afterwards. Bathed in the harsh white station lights, my mind buzzing like a wasp under a glass, the single word that I wrote: phenomenal.

So here I am attempting to review the performance of a woman who is the same age as me, with confidence, self-assurance and awareness, emotional intelligence that I could never even dream of. Her voice is soaring, effortless and flawless and it draws you in. In an age of uncertainty for women, here is a person who is completely comfortable in her own skin and you can tell that so much of this comes from her music. Writing from the perspective of a young woman, the constant questioning of my own actions (is this dress too short, does he mistake my jokes for flirting etc.) has frayed my nerves and eroded my self-confidence to such a frail existence. To see Jorja Smith unapologetically embrace her own talent and sexuality, with such a fierceness, had me and nearly ever other person in that packed concert hall in complete awe at times, singing our hearts out with her at others. I could attempt to bluff my way through talking about the setlist and more intricate points of the concert, but honestly, I was far too swept up in every second of her performance.

This is an artist who has already come so far at such an early stage in her career, but has so, so much further to go. I cannot wait to see what she will come up with.