By Mark Savage

Copyright bbc

As if to prove it, she recently made her film debut in Ish – the story of two best friends whose friendship is tested by an ugly and heavy-handed police stop and search.

The role took Crookes, who plays an older sister to the lead character, all the way to the Venice Film Festival, where the movie won the coveted audience award.

She’s had other film offers since, but she has her sights set on being part of Gurinder Chadha’s sequel to Bend It Like Beckham – on the soundtrack, on the screen, “or preferably both”.

The original, which starred Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley, had a profound impact on her as a child.

“I mean, it literally touches on brownness and Irishness – and you can tell that there was a time where it was meant to be a lesbian story, as well.

“I’m really interested in how [the sequel] turns out,” she says.

For now, though, Crookes is gearing up for the release of Juniper. A testament to her strength, it’s rich and profound, unafraid to confront complexity, but peppered with heart and humour. The second album slump has been sent packing.

Even so, sending the record into the world has prompted mixed emotions.

“When you overcome stuff like that, one minute you feel so proud and the next you feel so sad for yourself that you went through such a hard time,” she reflects.

“It’s what makes releasing this album so euphoric and so sad at the same time.”

The next album, which she’s already working on, will be different. Crookes is happy, relaxed, free. It’s a state of mind she couldn’t have imagined in 2022.

“It’s kind of amazing. I pinch myself every day. I’m making jokes about stuff that would have absolutely floored me two years ago.

“I feel very alive at the moment, and I am so grateful.”