Nia Smith’s 'Give Up The Fear (+3)': A Soulful Expansion of Her Breakthrough EP

South London’s Nia Smith re-emerges with a deeper, more expansive version of her acclaimed debut EP, Give Up The Fear.

Smith has built a reputation for conceiving sound that feels both intricate and deeply personal; her perusal of, and flirtation with, soundscapes across the spectrum (jazz, reggae, pop, alt-R&B) lend to this ability, not only cementing her as one of the UK’s fastest rising stars, but also serving as testament to her innate musicality. Her music is proof that great songwriting isn’t only about production, but rather about emotional transparency, introspection, and the courage to bare yourself — an emotional cadaver laid open for the world’s dissection.

Aptly named, Give Up The Fear (+3) lures listeners even further into Smith’s artistic world - a boundary-rejecting kaleidoscopic space teeming with intrinsic musicality, reflective lyricism, and genre-defying production.  

With this expanded version of her debut EP, created in collaboration with Ed Thomas, Violet Skies, and Jimmy Napes, Smith invites us to listen even more intently. She doesn’t just add songs; she reshapes the emotional arc of the project, setting the tone with scantily clad, intimate renditions before transitioning back into the fully produced originals. The intentionality of the sequencing is clear -  not only does it encourage listeners to focus on the rawness that has always been at the heart of her music, but it allows the unflinching frankness of her storytelling to take centre stage.

The EP opens with a reimagined version of ‘Reckless Soul’, enriched by instrumental production by Vegyn. On ‘Reckless Soul (alt version)’, Smith reinforces her commitment to pushing creative limits, taking the already compelling narrative of self-sacrificing love and radical acceptance and expanding it, layering in new textures and emotions. 

Smith also pays tribute to one of her musical inspirations with an acoustic delivery of ‘Ex-Factor’. The presence of this track on the EP serves as both homage and reinterpretation, a bridge between her own artistry and the legacy of Lauryn Hill, and a nod to the timeless influence of the neo-soul legend.

The final of the additional tracks sees Smith revisiting ‘Personal’ with an acoustic re-working that listens like a direct conversation—soft yet powerful, playful yet fierce, a blunt exposé of the fervent emotions that typically nurture her songwriting process. 

By placing these new tracks at the start, Smith shifts the EP’s emotional weight. The original Give Up the Fear was about traversing the liminality of the space between heartbreak and self-discovery, but this version lingers in reflection before leaping forward. It suggests that emotion isn’t always something to be conquered in haste; sometimes, it needs to be understood, sat with, and stripped down to its essence.

This expansion isn’t just about revisiting old work; it’s about creating further depth by broadening the dimensions of the project’s nature. Smith’s re-contextualising of Give Up the Fear proves what we already knew - that her music transcends just sound, with the airy yet commanding nature of her rich vocals providing emotional catharsis for herself and the listener in a manner rooted in such deep intimacy.

Give Up the Fear (+3) is available now on all streaming platforms.