Introduction to Joy Crookes
Joy Crookes knows a thing or two about music. As a child, her father encouraged her to absorb the classics of Nick Cave and King Tubby to the Pogues and hours of music from Pakistan. Her father would say, "This is from the ends of the world, you should hear that." It didn’t take long for her to buy her first album, Marvin Gaye’s, and upload her first cover on YouTube, playing a cheap guitar she bought in Argos.
Early Career and Success
Her debut album, Skin, was released in 2021 and received a Mercury Prize nomination for its soulful, perceived ballads. The following summer, Crookes played Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage for the first time and broke out in tears on the occasion. But as a musician who devoured editions of the NME magazine as a teenager, she knew what came next: the second album slump. Except, it never came.
Working on the Second Album
Working on her second album, Juniper, started years ago. Crookes posted demos and early sketches on her Instagram feed in 2022, many of which made it to the final tracklist. So, what took so long? "Making sure the songs sounded as they should, to match the songwriting," she says. "That was the difficult part." Take her latest single, Perfect Crime, as an example. As a slim, smoky dance fill, she finds a male conversation with Crookes while preparing to plunge back into the dating world.
Perfectionism and Songwriting
The song needed "20 or 30" different takes before she was satisfied. "It is incredibly contemptuous, but for me, the jank is the important one," she says. If it were polished, it would ruin the fun of the song. "If you go through the individual elements, there are crazy moments that make no sense – but that’s what makes the song come together." If that sounds like an obsessive perfectionist, think again. Other songs on Juniper, from the emotionally exposed Mother to the brutal separation ballad Math, were written in a single session.
Overcoming Anxiety
The journey to accept these imperfections was rough: there is a second, more disturbing reason why Crookes’ second album took so long. The 26-year-old had always suffered from anxiety, but at some point around 2022, it tightened its grip. After completing the promotion of her debut album, she entered what she described as a "very hedonistic phase" in her personal life. "I had very little self-worth," she explains. "I constantly tried to escape my body and my life."
Recovery and Growth
With the help of a "very intrusive" therapy, she began to recover – but it was hard work. The anxiety had become so familiar that it was like "part of my family, part of my friendship group," she says. Letting go meant learning to break years of habitual behavior. It is a process that she sings about in her song, First Dance: "It’s high time you let me go… but breaking up is so hard to do." The song marked a turning point for her, which she illustrated by combining the topic with a featherlight, Kylie-like dance beat.
New Album and Future Plans
As if she wanted to prove her growth, she recently made her film debut in ISH – The History of Two Best Friends, whose friendship is tested by an ugly and stubborn police stop and the search for a serious police matter. Crookes, who plays an older sister of the main character, took on the role to the Venice Film Festival, where the film won the coveted audience award. Since then, she has had other film offers, but she has set her sights on Gurinder Chadha’s Bend It Like Beckham – on the soundtrack, on the screen, or preferably both.
Conclusion
At the moment, however, Crookes is preparing for the release of Juniper. Proof of her strength is rich and profound, without fear of confronting complexity, but peppered with heart and humor. The second album slump was avoided. Nevertheless, sending the recording to the world has triggered mixed feelings. "If you have overcome things like that, you feel so proud in one minute and in the next, you are so sad for yourself that you went through such a difficult time," she thinks. The next album, on which she is already working, will be different. Crookes is happy, relaxed, free of charge. It is a state of mind that she could not have imagined in 2022. "It’s a bit astonishing. I press myself every day. I am joking about things that would have led me absolutely two years ago. I feel very lively at the moment, and I’m so grateful."
