Jorja Smith struggled to cope with fame early in her career.

The 29-year-old singer released her debut album, Lost and Found, in 2018, and Jorja has admitted to feeling a little out of place among the bright lights of the music business.

She told The Standard: "I'm a small-town girl.

"I need to escape to a place where I can see the sky without everything being so crowded together. It's overstimulating. I want to see the sky. I want to touch the grass. I like the outdoors a lot. I love my walks. I don't want to hear f****** beeping horns."

Jorja enjoys the comfort of being among her friends and family.

The singer said: "That's what I like about being home. Because everyone knows everyone. If I know you, I actually know you."

Jorja also admitted that she struggled to cope with the scrutiny she faced, particularly about her weight.

The chart-topping star explained: "I had been doing a lot [of being visible] in that period and I needed to step back. I was finding this whole 'being Jorja Smith' thing a bit difficult."

Jorja also felt intense pressure around the release of her second album, Falling or Flying.

She said: "At one point I remember being like, 'F***, I'm not a breakthrough artist, I'm not a new artist anymore,' and it really hit me."

Meanwhile, Jorja previously explained that she felt the need to "retreat" after the success of her debut album.

The singer worked intensely since her childhood - but she felt a need to slow down after releasing her debut record.

Jorja - whose dad, Peter, is a former musician - told GQ: "I started so young and always wanted to do more, just go, go, go - I didn't physically have any breaks, I don't know how to stop.

"I've done shows every year [since I started]. So after my album, I wanted to step away, retreat a bit. I needed to do things that were like … when I first started, what made her happy?"