On a chilly evening in late January, a group of eclectic creatives shuffled from the bustling streets of Manhattan’s Lower East Side into the cozy and well-decorated members club known as Ludlow House. The gathering was for the debut showcase of rising British Irish Bangladeshi musician Joy Crookes. As writers and music executives crowded in between paintings covering the glossy navy-blue walls to watch, it seemed this crowd was mimicking the chill posture of the artist herself. And Crookes certainly is cool. It’s not just because she’s British (though, I do love the crop of It girls from across the pond, such as Dua Lipa and Griff), and it’s not even because she’s downright stylish. (Her performance look was a matching tweed set with slicked-back hair.) But actually, it’s because she’s incredibly real.
As passé as it can be to say someone is authentic, it’s true when describing this 23-year-old star. After all, how many other artists introduce a song by asking the crowd if they know what generational trauma is? She’s so comfortable in who she is, which is evident in how she moves through the world, her style, and her work. This past October, she released her debut album, Skin, which explores everything from mental health to relationships to protesting systemic racism over a fusion of jazz, soul, and R&B beats. Limiting Crookes’s eclectic approach to music to one singular description is as hard as putting her multifaceted identity into one box, so I won’t try. Instead, I’ll repeat that what makes her work so powerful goes back to her raw, unedited vulnerability. It’s what she can make you feel while she sings—literal goosebumps. And I’m not the only one who has been moved by her work.
Crookes has already received three BRIT Awards nominations, built a large streaming audience, and had a debut showcase in the U.S. that took place just over a month ago. She’s an artist to watch, which made my chance to interview the rising talent all the more special. Ahead, you’ll hear from Crookes about the inspiration behind her newest album, how her identity influences her art, and what role style plays in her life. Her work is a reminder that the best artists can show us how to love the skin we’re in by just being themselves.