NEWS
There’s a high probability that Jorja Smith has new music coming this summer. The British singer revealed plans for her What Are the Odds LP on Thursday (July 2), with the album set to arrive on Aug. 21 via FAMM.
Smith reunites with producer P2J — who served as a primary collaborator on her 2023 album Falling or Flying — for the entirety of the project. J Money and P2J will continue to build on the inventive U.K. garage sound Smith has been exploring, alongside a mix of grime and house.
“This album came together really naturally. There was never a big plan; it was just me making music that felt right in the moment,” Smith tells Billboard. “Working with P2J, we started experimenting with different sounds, pulling from U.K. garage, grime and house (funky house, Afro house) and it all grew from there.”
She continues: “The music feels uplifting, but the lyrics can be a bit sad at times. They’re about growing up, love, loss, friendships and figuring things out as I go. I trusted my instincts with this one, and I think you can hear that throughout the record.”
Smith kicked off the album’s rollout in May with the self-assuring “What’s Done Is Done,” and it continues on Thursday (July 2) with a second single, “Alive,” which finds the R&B singer joining forces with Afrobeats pioneer WizKid. The duo basks in the love-drunk euphoria of the honeymoon phase of a bubbling relationship and heads to Paris for the visual.
“Making this with P2J and WizKid felt really easy,” Smith adds of the collab. “We wrote and recorded it together in London. I think we captured that feeling when you’re at the beginning of something with someone and everything feels exciting. I’ve always loved WizKid’s music and the way he’s opened so many doors for Afrobeats around the world, so it feels really special and a big honor to have a song with him.”
What Are the Odds serves as Jorja Smith’s third studio album and contains 12 tracks. Outside of WizKid, the only other feature comes from grime artist Devlin.
When the project lands on Aug. 21, Smith will hit the stage later that night at London’s All Points East, as she’ll be co-headlining the Victoria Park show with Tems. 2026 has already been a busy year for J Money, who served as a musical guest on the debut season of Saturday Night Live UK in April.
The 29-year-old also collaborated with Mobb Deep’s Havoc for a remix of her “Blue Lights” classic and lent “Price of It All” to Amazon MGM Studios’ Bait soundtrack.
Find the What Are the Odds cover art and tracklist below.
What Are the Odds tracklist:
NEWS
Dolly Parton is sharing a heartfelt message of appreciation for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.
The country music legend posted a video on Instagram on Friday, July 3, thanking the global pop star and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end for their generous $2 million gift to her Imagination Library, the literacy initiative that sends free books to children.
Earlier this week, ahead of their Fourth of July wedding celebrations, Swift and Kelce announced $26 million in charitable donations benefiting organizations throughout the United States. Among the recipients were the Grammy Museum Foundation, New York Cares, Harvesters in Kansas City, and Parton's Imagination Library.
“Taylor and Travis, it’s Dolly,” Parton said in the video. “I just found out that the two of you are donating $2 million to my Imagination Library. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am absolutely overwhelmed and so grateful.”
She continued, “It is so clear that giving back is something that truly matters to both of you. So, when you have your first born, can I have it? Because that is going to be one very special baby!”
Parton also spoke about the purpose behind her Dollywood Foundation, explaining that its mission is to “dream more, care more, learn more, and be more.” She added that Swift and Kelce’s donation will help expand that mission and allow it to reach even more people.
To wrap up her message, Parton treated the couple to a short performance of her beloved 1974 hit, “I Will Always Love You.”
News of Swift and Kelce’s combined $26 million in charitable giving first emerged earlier this week. On Thursday, July 2, the 14 time Grammy Award winner’s spokesperson released a list of the organizations selected to receive donations from the engaged couple.
Several of the charities are based in communities that have played important roles in Swift and Kelce’s lives, including Reading, Pennsylvania, and Cleveland, their hometowns, along with Nashville and Kansas City, where each built their career. They also contributed to a number of organizations in New York City ahead of their wedding celebration, which is scheduled to take place on Friday, July 3, at Madison Square Garden.
