The Romesh Ranganathan Show Joy Crookes: Making Music, Heritage & Thierry Henry
Jan 19, 2026
Joy Crookes, a South London singer-songwriter known for her albums 'Skin' and 'Juniper,' dives into her unique musical journey influenced by her Bangladeshi and Irish heritage. She talks about the challenges of ADHD and her creative process, emphasizing the importance of writing like a teenager. Joy shares her entertaining aspirations for a 'Bend It Like Beckham' sequel, her encounter with football legend Thierry Henry, and discusses the need for better industry support for brown artists. Lively anecdotes and cultural insights make this chat truly engaging.
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Bonsai Breaks The Ice
- Joy Crookes received a bonsai gift on Romesh's show and reacted with delight and playful suspicion.
- The exchange revealed her quick rapport with Romesh and light-hearted studio banter.
Test Songs In Their Rarest Form
- Limit production and songwriting tools to force clearer decisions and test a song's core strength.
- If a track works with minimal elements, add layers confidently without masking weaknesses.
Use Constraints To Find Strong Songs
- Joy deliberately limited herself when writing Juniper, composing on bass to test songs in their rawest form.
- She used constraints to reproduce a teenager-like flow state and avoid overproduction.