Joy Crookes – Carmen

South London singer and songwriter Joy Crookes makes a return with her striking new single ‘Carmen’, alongside a video that’s as playful as it is profound, and as musically vibrant as it is thematically vital.

It’s the fourth single in a new era of music that continues to establish Joy as one of the country’s most outstanding vocalists and one of our most gifted songwriters: she’s a once-in-a-generation artist.

With punchdrunk percussion and Joy’s signature blend of biting humour and lyrical precision, Crookes’ new single ‘Carmen’, delivers a sharp, witty takedown of society’s narrow and often exclusionary beauty standards, offering a commentary on how brown and Black women are rarely represented in these conversations.

“It’s for the women that I really admire and care about who have been diminished because of the way they look or the way their brains work or the fact that they have suffered from mental health issues and the fact that they actually have an opinion on something and aren’t just designed for men!”

Joy hasn’t been afraid to take her time before returning to the spotlight – she has taken stock over the past three years and returned with a meaningful arsenal of music, kicking off with the demanding and emphatic ‘Pass The Salt’ featuring Vince Staples, followed by ‘Mathematics’ with Kano and most recently ‘I Know You’d Kill’.

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