Juniper (Deluxe) Joy Crookes

• 1 Brave 03:54
• 2 Pass the Salt 02:47
• 3 Carmen 03:02
• 4 Perfect Crime 02:32
• 5 Mathematics 03:18
• 6 House With A Pool 03:29
• 7 I Know You'd Kill 02:54
• 8 First Last Dance 03:20
• 9 Mother 03:29
• 10 Somebody To You 02:57
• 11 Forever 03:17
• 12 Paris 06:18
• 13 Fade Your Heart 03:34
• Total Runtime 44:51

Info for Juniper (Deluxe)

A stunningly candid and fearless body of work, the album reaffirms Joy as one of the UK’s most vital and original voices. A once-in-a-generation talent, Crookes delivers a record that is both emotionally raw and sonically rich; humorous, heartbreaking, and profoundly human.

Following the success of her 2021 debut Skin, which earned BRIT and Mercury Prize nominations, went Top 5 in the UK charts, and drew acclaim from The Guardian, NME, and many more, Joy set out to make an album that pushed her further both musically and personally. Juniper is the result: a project defined by its depth and dynamism.

Written with a stripped-back approach and produced by long-time collaborators including Blue May (Kano, Jorja Smith), Tev’n (Stormzy), and Harvey Grant (Arlo Parks), Juniper features standout guest appearances from Vince Staples on the incendiary ‘Pass The Salt’ and Kano on the bittersweet confessional ‘Mathematics’.

Crookes describes the record as “more nuanced” than Skin: “With Juniper, every situation is visceral and I’m very much in it. It’s me in the centre of it all.” The title itself nods to resilience (an evergreen that thrives in harsh conditions) and the album dives deep into themes of body politics, mental health, queer love, anxiety, industry hypocrisy, and the ecstasy (and terror) of falling in love.

Lead singles like ‘Pass The Salt’ and ‘I Know You’d Kill’ showcase Joy’s lyrical agility – blending poetic detail with razor-sharp wit. Meanwhile, the euro-pop inspired ‘First Last Dance’ channels euphoric melodies to mask deep emotional struggle, and the cinematic ‘Perfect Crime’ sees Joy fully self-actualize in the style of a Western showdown.

On ‘Paris’, the closing track, Joy reflects on a formative queer relationship: “Something I feared so much finally, actually felt like love.” It’s a sentiment echoed across Juniper – a record that captures the beauty and brutality of emotional openness.

The album arrives after a period of personal upheaval for Crookes, including a mental health crisis that shadowed the album’s creation. “I was in the trenches,” she says. “But the studio became my solace. What you hear is live and direct from that time.” Despite the darkness, Juniper radiates warmth, levity, and life, powered by Joy’s ever-restless creativity and artistic excellence.

Born in Lambeth in 1998 to a Bangladeshi mother and Irish father, Joy Crookes grew up in Elephant & Castle surrounded by the sounds of soul, reggae, jazz and pop. She began uploading covers to YouTube at 13, taught herself guitar, piano and bass, and released her first single “New Manhattan” at 17.

Her early EPs, Influence (2017), Reminiscence (2019) and Perception (2019), gained her a loyal following and led to festival slots including Glastonbury and BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend. Her debut album Skin (2021) hit the UK Top 5 and earned nominations for the BRIT Awards and Mercury Prize, cementing her reputation as a fearless and original voice in modern British soul.

Joy Crookes

Joy Crookes
A South London spiritual gem, with a path self-paved with gold Joy Crookes is one soul that can undoubtedly open your heart. Aside from popping bottles of Cherry B and having deep conversations with her Uber driver, singer-songwriter Joy Crookes confirmed her path in the alternative R&B Soul scene by gracefully headlining the Jazz Cafe earlier this year.

Notoriously known for her stunning performance of “Mother May I Sleep with Danger” on A Colour’s Show back in December 2017, Joy has continued to elegantly blossom her musical petals as she has created an unwaveringly loyal amount of supporters since. From Bangladeshi and Irish descent, Joy’s dual identity has firmed its position at the core of her musical artistry, driving both her visuals and concepts. With two empowering EP’s “Influence” and “Reminiscence”, Joy carefully fuses hints of Irish poetry and Bangladeshi aesthetics to her personal works of art, platforming her as one of the sweetest soulful sounds of the year. Through her deeply felt connection with music and performing, Joy delicately layers her genuinely soulful and quintessential vocals over traditional instrumental beds, allowing us to dive deeply into the depths of her heartfelt emotions. With visually stunning visuals, there is no doubt that Joy Crookes is our Internet Crush this week, so we grabbed the chance to dig deeper and discover our alternative butterfly even more…

This album contains no booklet.