Joy Crookes’ debut album, Skin transports you to vibrant South London, and explores themes of identity, heartbreak and, of course, growing pains. How can someone explain the immigrant experience, and the diaspora that second and third generations in the UK experience trying to navigate modern day Britain? This is something only art can truly explain.
Joy Crookes, born in South London to a Bangladeshi mother and Irish father knows first-hand what it is like to explore identity, and through this album, takes us on a journey through her own lived experience, inviting us to feel vulnerable, powerful and proud alongside her.
Crookes has smashed the UK Asian Top 40 charts with both When You Were Mine and Feet Don’t Fail Me Now reaching number 1 and remaining in the Top 10. But why can’t we see this reciprocated in the UK Top 40? Skin has achieved between 4 and 5 star reviews but once again within music and media South Asian artists are not given the platforms they deserve.
This is the artist that we needed growing up. As young brown children, we never saw people who looked like us in the western media, and so failed to see ourselves in these industries. Joy Crookes is not just creating relatable music that helps us feel seen, but is also paving the way for future creatives of colour.
