Words by Rosalind Thacker
With the 2021 BRITs Rising Star award now on her mantlepiece, Hertfordshire-born artist Griff is set to continue her journey to the top of the charts.
For anyone who tuned into the 2021 BRIT Awards this week, there seems to be only one name on everyone’s lips – and that’s Griff. The 20-year-old artist from Hertfordshire picked up the coveted Rising Star award following a performance of her latest single, “Black Hole”. Granted, we already knew she was heading for huge success, but this national recognition is a further seal of approval that her next few steps in the industry will be memorable, to say the least.
After teaching herself music production on her brother’s computer, Griff’s interest in performing goes way back to the age of ten, when she joined her first band. Fast forward a few years, she signed a contract with Warner Music straight after leaving school, and on the same day, she dropped her debut single, “Mirror Talks”.
Griff, real-name Sarah Faith Griffiths, released her breakthrough ballad, “Good Stuff”, in February 2020, putting the wheels in motion for the whirlwind year ahead. The track, which she wrote and recorded herself, is a heartfelt song about the transient nature of life and relationships. Over a powerful piano melody, she sings with bittersweet lyricism. On first listening, it appears to be a break-up song, but it’s actually written from the perspective of her family’s foster children, who come in and out of her life. Speaking with Ones To Watch, Griff describes how children in care would come and live with her for a year or longer. “Obviously, I fall in love with every child that’s ever been with us and they kind of become like a brother and sister. But they always move on. They always get adopted to a more permanent place. You end up missing them.”
Having already been nominated for the Ivor Novello Rising Star award, making the BBC’s shortlist for their Sound of 2021 and racking up millions of listens on Spotify, it’s not exactly like Griff is in need of more promotion. It was no surprise to anyone, then, that she was able to take home the BRITs Rising Star award. On the night, she gave a sensational performance of her latest single, “Black Hole”, which, if you are an avid listener of BBC Radio 1, you’ll undoubtedly be familiar with.
In an interview with i-D, Griff credits her love of music to the amount of soul and gospel music she was exposed to growing up. She was raised by a Jamaican father and a Chinese mother, and said that she has never wanted to simply “fit in.” “I see a lot more of my Chinese extended family, but it’s always been an unusual mix, especially in Kings Langley. In that way I’ve always looked different to my peers.”
In the same interview, she speaks about how she kept her music career quiet while at school because she didn’t want to jinx it or embarrass herself. Fast forward to now, and she would struggle to keep her success on the downlow. There’s no doubt that we can expect big things to come from the young Hertfordshire artist, especially with the anticipated release of her new mixtape One Foot in Front of the Other on the horizon. Evidently, the 2021 BRITs Rising Star is only at the beginning of her success.
Check out the other artists in our Discover Weekly series.