Having started out as a CD-obsessed teen posting cover videos on YouTube, the now 22-year-old Joy Crookes is on the cusp of releasing her debut album Skin, much to the delight of her already vast and invested fanbase. 'When I was doing those YouTube videos, I was the one setting up the mics, setting up the video, editing it afterwards. Everything I do has always been very me. I've had sticky moments when it's not been me, but because of my transparency I think that makes my supporters and fans feel a lot closer.'

Past singles like 'Don't Let Me Down' and 'Mother May I Sleep With Danger?' see Crookes strumming catchy melodies on her electric guitar and singing in her rich Winehouse-esque tone. She was nominated for the Rising Star Award at the Brits in 2020 and her soul-baring lyrics continue to resonate deeply with listeners. 'I've always been a fan of music, I was named after a song (Isaac Hayes' 'Joy') so naturally music has always been a part of me,' she said. 'Music really spoke to me in a language I felt I understood... it felt like maybe that was my way of speaking too.'

Skin in its entirety is an exploration of Crookes' own identity, as someone who was diagnosed with depression from a very young age and grew up between two very different cultures (Bangladeshi mother and Irish father). 'You spend a lot of time in your head [when you suffer from depression]' Crookes said. 'You notice things about yourself that maybe other 12 year-olds aren't noticing. That is your brain attempting to try and tell you who you are. That's when I really had to start battling with my own identity because I had to tell myself 'no that's not true' but the person telling me terrible things was myself.'

The first single released from Skin, 'Feet Don't Fail Me Now', speaks to the dangers of herd mentality, something Crookes feels is all too common among her peers. 'It's all about people who prefer to stay in groups because they are scared to speak out. And that's just never been my problem… Growing up in an area that was predominantly working class and of ethnic minorities, where the Doc Martens I wore were seen as me looking like a punk, people would say "you're leaning towards your white side", and it was like how are shoes synonymous with a race? And why are you telling me what I am?'

Her most recent single 'Skin', from which the album takes its name, covers the particularly heavy topic of suicide; 'I don't think you can ever be prepared for what kind of response you'll get to a song like that. That's why I love music, because it provides solace. But sometimes you're not ready to know how many other people have gone through what you've gone through, or worse,' she said. 'The boundary for me is accepting that I'm an artist but I'm not a therapist. I can't answer everyone's questions and nor should I... I can't carry everyone's pain.'

In the thick of album promo, Crookes has been playing surprise shows around London and will be performing on the King Tut's Stage at TRNSMT on Friday 10 September. Skin's album artwork and name was revealed to fans (and any onlookers) in a projection over the dome of London's St Paul's Cathedral while she sang across the river outside the Tate Modern last month. 'It was just a really emotional moment for me. It felt like the right way to share the name of the album but also to celebrate with people that got me there. I would be nothing without fans and that support. The ones that have stuck by me since I was making YouTube videos...it was great to do something public and not be exclusive with it.'

Crookes' personal and musical growth over the years is evident; from listening to her first EP Influence in which she is referencing the influences who helped her find herself as an artist, to the latest singles from the upcoming album where she is actively asserting her identity, both personally and musically. 'That full circle is mad' Crookes said, reflecting on the journey so far, 'that full circle makes me cry my eyes out'.

Joy Crookes' debut album Skin comes out later this year. Tickets for her UK tour are available now.