"In an overcrowded pop market, where artists are encouraged to maintain a constant presence and stream of what's depressingly termed product, south London singer-songwriter Joy Crookes's career has progressed in a curious series of fits and starts. After releasing a series of EPs, she ended 2019 as a hotly tipped act: appearances on Later With Jools Holland, nominated for the Brits Rising Star award, placed high in the BBC's Sound of 2020 poll, invited to support Harry Styles on tour."
"But the latter was nixed by Covid, and her real commercial breakthrough didn't arrive for nearly two years: released at the tail-end of 2021, her debut album Skin made the Top 5 and, in Feet Don't Fail Me Now, spawned one of those long-tail viral hits that achieves a weird omnipresence despite barely grazing the Top 30. She started working on a follow-up, then vanished again."
"The four years that separate her debut from Juniper were at least partly consumed by a period when she was really sick and mentally unstable. Joy Crookes: Juniper It's a period that understandably hangs over the contents of Juniper: I'm so sick, I'm so tired, I can't keep losing my mind, she sings on opener Brave; I'm pretty fucking miserable, runs the blunt chorus of Mathematics, ostensibly a breakup song that seems underpinned by something noticeably darker than romantic woe alone."
Joy Crookes built early momentum with EPs, TV appearances and award recognition, and a planned support slot for Harry Styles was canceled by Covid. Her debut album Skin reached the Top 5 in late 2021 and included a long-tail viral single. A four-year gap followed while she experienced serious physical illness and mental instability. Juniper reflects that period through candid, introspective songs that tackle co-dependency, intergenerational trauma and abusive relationships. The album prioritizes personal trauma over the political commentary present on Skin. Crookes's lyrics remain sharp, streetwise and resistant to self-help platitudes, with songs like House With a Pool and Carmen exemplifying restraint and lightness.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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