Songfacts®:

• "Be Honest" is an empowering summertime song in which Jorja Smith flirts with a guy.
  
  You see my thick thighs
  Lost when you look into my brown eyes
  See my little waist can make you switch sides
  
  She goes on to warn the man not to mess with her.
  
  If you make your bed, then you can lie
  Just please don't waste my time
• The song features Nigerian Afrofusion artist Burna Boy, whose verse finds him giving in to Smith's charms. The pair previously collaborated on his African Child album track "Gum Body."
• The upbeat, slinky groove comes courtesy of Izybeats (Koffee "Toast") and Cadenza (who previously worked with Smith on her 2016 single "Where Did I Go?").
• The song was released as Smith's first new material since she dropped her debut album Lost and Found in June 2018. The track is a sonic contrast to the singer's previous, more moody, ballad-leaning material. She told HighSnobiety:
  
  "It's more upbeat. When I listen to it, I just think of being out with my friends, sipping on rum. There's like, red light or sunset and everyone is just having a good time slow-wining. It's like that."
• The music video was directed by Amber Grace Johnson, who has previously worked with Rihanna and A$AP Rocky. The clip finds Smith and two of her best friends, Erin and Sandra, wandering through London on a hot and sticky summer's day. The locations include Rye Lane Market and Peckham Liberal Club.