The hotly-tipped singer and rapper reveals her angsty, anxious side on superb new single
Biig Piig, aka Jess Smyth, has been on New Sounds’ radar ever since we first watched her stunning COLORS session back in 2017. With her languid, seductive blend of R&B and lo-fi production, the Irish-born rapper and singer – who came to prominence as a member of the west London creative collective NiNE8 – possessed massive potential.
Three years later and Smyth is well on course to fulfilling that world-conquering potential. She’s now signed to major label RCA Records, has released an acclaimed trilogy of EPs, and – most excitingly – she’s been praised by none other than pop wunderkind Billie Eilish.
Her latest release, ‘Switch’, will no doubt enhance that upward trajectory. Recently anointed as Annie Mac’s Hottest Record in the World, it’s a surprising change of gear from the usual lo-fi neo-soul we’ve come to expect from the 22-year-old.
Written, she says, to capture “the tension, helplessness and pressure the world is under right now”, the track’s raw, nervy production most certainly reflects the current global climate. Owing as much to punk music as it does to drum’n’bass, ‘Switch’ combines a driving, throbbing bassline with a chaotic, energised vocal delivery. What hasn’t changed, thankfully, is Smyth’s trademark vulnerability. “When did this get hard, when did we run out of love? Say I’m so run down but I know I gave enough,” she sings, still proudly displaying her heart on her sleeve.
Clocking in at just two minutes and twenty-two seconds, ‘Switch’ finds Jess Smyth at her most concise and visceral – a huge change of pace, certainly, but no less mesmerising.
