Jessica Smyth, known by the stage name Biig Piig, is an Irish singer and rapper, based in West London. Smyth has come up through West London’s nascent art scene, garnering a loyal following for her smoky, sedative take on hip-hop and neo-soul, which moves fluidly between singing and rapping in English and Spanish. At just 21 years old, she possesses the kind of insouciant wisdom usually reserved for people beyond her years, her songs candid, slow-moving vignettes of young love, identity and the general unease of navigating modern life.
On her latest EP, The Sky Is Bleeding, Smyth’s outlook is more gloomy. Through these six songs, she favours quiet introspection, velvet-crushed slowcore, and new wave balladry. It’s muted and understated in texture and tempo. Her voice is no longer fluttering and soulful but smoky and hushed. This is weighty, well-crafted music, as much a cohesive mood piece as a collection of individual songs.