Nia Smith’s ‘Mr Right’ follows the loneliness of watching friends fall in love while you are still looking for a partner. The Brixton musician released the single on 8th October 2026 and plays London’s Hoxton Hall the same evening.
Nia describes the song as an account of waiting, questioning and longing. “Mr Right is a song for those who can’t seem to find their person, while being surrounded by people who have,” she explains. “It follows the loneliness of watching everyone around you fall in love and wondering when it’ll finally be your turn.”
She made the song in Los Angeles with Kamal Wilson and Jonah Christian. “It felt like a magical session,” Nia remembers. “I picked up the guitar and the song sort of wrote itself.”
The release follows her second EP, Payback Is A Dog, which arrived on 26th June 2026. The seven-song collection runs to 19 minutes and followed her debut EP, Give Up The Fear.
Earlier single ‘High’ introduced Payback Is A Dog through a different relationship with longing. Nia described it as being “about outgrowing things that once made you feel on top of the world”. Where ‘High’ concerned leaving a former source of happiness behind, ‘Mr Right’ concerns waiting to find companionship.
Time away in Jamaica
Music occupied much of Nia’s attention from childhood. She wrote songs, learned guitar and piano, and attended the BRIT School and ELAM before her online covers attracted a wider audience.
After releasing her first EP, she took time away in Jamaica to concentrate on living beyond her career. “The whole break was just me living life and just gaining life experience to talk about,” she says. She wanted more life experience to draw on in her writing.
Her first collection had brought attention from BBC Radio 1 and publications including British Vogue, Billboard and The Observer. Performances followed on Later… with Jools Holland and at All Points East and City Splash. BBC Introducing also invited her to perform at Glastonbury.
Alongside those festival appearances, Nia has played Mahalia Presents at the Jazz Cafe and supported Pip Millett at Somerset House. Her Hoxton Hall headline show takes place on the evening of the single’s release.
Then, on 21st October, she joins Back to Black 20 at the Roundhouse. The concert celebrates the twentieth anniversary of Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black, with The Amy Winehouse Band performing the album in full alongside guest vocalists.
Original album producers Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi join the event. The guest lineup includes Jorja Smith, Yebba, Jessie Reyez, Sasha Keable and Nia. BBC Two will broadcast the concert in late October, followed by BBC Radio 2 on 26th October.
Listen to ‘Mr Right’ on Apple Music and follow Nia on Instagram. Find her live dates through her official website.
Tap Share, then Add to Home Screen.