Her latest single “I Lied, You Lied” released today, just one week before her new album, What Are The Odds, drops August 21. While her music spans Pop, R&B, Neo-soul, and as for her latest songs, Dance, she says her dressing room is a peaceful space. In part, because getting your hair and makeup done requires it. 

“Usually we discuss the look once in the chair,” she says. Then, they go from there. For her Mexico City shows, Smith tapped makeup artist Belen Saenz and hairstylist Efren Espinoza to execute her looks. “They’ve made me feel so beautiful every night, switching up my usual go-to looks to something a little different,” she says.

According to Saenz, the key is using creamy, lightweight products to keep Smith’s skin super fresh, juicy, and never too heavy. “We always like to put the focus on the eyes, keeping them lifted and elongated,” Saenz says. While a black eye liner is essential, “one of my favorite tricks is adding individual or strip lashes only to the outer corners of the eyes to enhance that elongated effect.”

She skips lining the inner corners and instead, goes from the center of the eye outwards for a longer-looking shape. “The idea is to keep the eyes as the main focus, with fresh, natural-looking skin, a touch of blush to bring warmth and freshness to the complexion, and beautifully defined lips to balance the look,” she says.

On the hair, Espinoza pulled Smith’s half-braided hair into an updo. “We have similar tastes in hair, so it’s always fun creating beautiful looks,” he says. Using Dyson hair tools and playfully combining her braided sections with loose hair, her twisted updo was styled to be as harmoniously fluid as her movement on stage.

But, a big part of her motion comes down to what she’s actually wearing. For the past few months, she’s been working with stylist Jordan Kelsey who’s been guiding her style into a space of effortless elevation, while remaining unmistakably true to Jorja Smith. 

Leading up to her new album, “I drew a lot of inspiration from the art direction that the team at FAMM and I have been developing around this next chapter,” Kelsey says. “The whole world hints at this transition from nostalgia into the night—bright city lights, the night sky and finding a sense of freedom through dance.” So, naturally, “I wanted the clothes to reflect that.”

As their relationship grows, Kelsey says their shared instinct for what styles feel like Smith becomes even stronger. “There’s often that immediate moment in a fitting where we both just know, ‘Yep, that’s Jorja,’” she says. After editing her options down from the top 10—which is achieved only after a big, experimental fitting—they landed on looks from a feathered Rowan Rose dress to a flower embroidered long sleeve gown. 

For the final show, however, Smith closed with a reflective, metallic Paco Rabanne dress with black tassels. That’s because “the clothes need to hold their own on such a huge stage,“ Kelsey says. “Whether that comes through a strong silhouette, reflection, or lots of movement, ultimately the clothes need to give Jorja the freedom and power to really fill that space with her presence.”

While backup wardrobes make everyone’s lives easier, “two of my favorite looks are currently sitting in a Mexican DHL depot,” Kelsey says. To the point, “I think the phone operator and I now have each other on speed dial.” Between fittings, adrenaline, stress and of course, constant calls to her courier, it’s all worth it in the end.

“You have those moments where Jorja walks onto the stage, the lights hit the clothes, everything starts moving and even you stand there and go, ‘WOW,’” Kelsey says. “That’s the buzz we’re all chasing.” It’s a moment Jorja Smith doesn’t take for granted.

“I’m so proud of their hard work and trust they’ve put in me for this tour and love that I get to call them family,” Smith says. “They are so special and hold such an important place in my heart.”

Hold still

Defined lip combo

Inside the kits

Overlapping updo

Mind the dress

All the appliqué

Elongated liner

Even the earpiece is Fashion

Final touch ups

Statements and details

Stage presence