Jorja Smith wins Brits Critics' Choice

R&B singer Jorja Smith has won the Brits Critics' Choice award, singling her out as one to watch next year.

The 20-year-old, who comes from Walsall in the West Midlands, beat two other newcomers, Mabel and Stefflon Don, to the prize.

The award, which recognises "the future stars of British recording talent", has previously gone to Adele, Emeli Sande and last year's winner, Rag N Bone Man.

"This is such a special way to end the year," said Smith.

The singer, who took fourth place on the BBC Sound of 2017, was working in a Starbucks less than two years ago when she posted her first single, Blue Lights, on SoundCloud.
=====================================================================

A soulful, semi-autobiographical look at her childhood in the West Midlands (it references the number four bus she used to catch home) it quickly earned shout-outs from Stormzy, Skrillex and Drake - who put her on his More Life mixtape earlier this year, alongside the likes of Kanye West and Young Thug. 

The Canadian R&B star also invited Smith on stage during his concerts at London's O2 arena and the Barclays Center in Birmingham. After the second show, the pair popped out to a local Co-Op to buy sweets, to the surprise of fans.