Diving deep into the world of music and its comforting and therapeutic benefits, each 12-part series aims to uplift and restore with powerful and emotive music to soothe the soul.

Tearjerker With Jorja Smith begins this Saturday and will be available on BBC Sounds, followed by Downtime Symphony with Celeste the following Saturday. English singer-songwriter Jorja Smith - who has worked with the likes of Drake, Stormzy and Loyle Carner - encourages listeners to press play and shed a tear, exploring the healing powers of sad music, from piano classics such as Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven to the soothing electronica of artists like James Blake.

British-Jamaican singer Celeste launches her new series Downtime Symphony on 23 January, with an hour of escapist music and down-tempo selections to help listeners unwind, from classically-infused house and hip-hop to choral music and jazz fusion.

Jorja Smith says: “It’s important to try and find time to just let go and let music take you to a different place. I hope the music in my new series - from strings and piano to songs and soundtracks - will help you whatever you’re feeling, bring out different emotions and make you feel a little better. Presenting it made me feel a lot more relaxed too.”

Celeste says: “Separating work and relaxation is so important for creativity and wellness, now more than ever, so I’m delighted to be presenting a series which spotlights the best music for slowing down, filled with musical nostalgia and discovery.”

BBC Radio 3 controller Alan Davey says: “We know that younger audiences are discovering orchestral and instrumental music through streaming cross-genre playlists and find it not only enjoyable and enriching, a time for discovery, but also relaxing and calming and helping to manage their moods.

"We hope that this new series enables us to provide a rich array of sounds for audiences with a growing appetite for music that help us to connect with our emotions, improve our sense of well-being, and be better in touch with ourselves and others.”

Digital Commissioning Executive for Music Rory Connolly says: “Mood-led mixes have been really popular and in particular lots of people listened to our stress-busting Mindful Mix during lockdown. With that in mind, we wanted to create these new series to help people escape and also plug into the benefits of soothing music on BBC Sounds. These new programmes aim to guide listeners through tough periods, from moving music for those times when a good cry might help to mellow tracks that help people switch off and reset.”

Tearjerker With Jorja Smith airs weekly from Saturday 16 January at 5am on Radio 3 and is available on BBC Sounds, the series is produced by Audio Always. Downtime Symphony with Celeste airs weekly from Saturday 23 January at 6am on Radio 3 and is available on BBC Sounds, the series is produced by BBC Audio.