Griff may not be a name familiar to everyone yet, but the British singer of Chinese and Jamaican descent has slowly but surely become one of the biggest names in pop music for the future. On the eve of the release of her debut album, ‘Vertigo’, we spoke to her about her experiences supporting Dua Lipa, Coldplay and her beloved Taylor Swift.
Griff meets us via a Zoom call, she is a bit shy at first but very friendly and has very clear ideas. The interview soon turns into a relaxed chat where the singer tells us, among other things, her opinion on the current state of pop and the artists she would most like to collaborate with. Griff performs on December 2 at Razzmatazz, Barcelona; and on December 3 at La Riviera, Madrid. Tickets are available.
You are releasing your debut album these days, how do you feel?
I’m nervous but I feel ready. It’s been a long road to get here. I can’t believe I haven’t had a debut album yet, it’s like a milestone for me.
Is it a very different feeling than when you released ‘One Foot In Front of the Other’?
Yes, totally. I love ‘One Foot In Front of the Other’, but it was an EP, a mixtape with only 7 songs, it’s very different from a full album.
The rollout of the album has been somewhat different than usual: you released two EPs and some singles separately before the album, where does this decision come from?
Music has changed quite a bit in the last few years and I feel like there are no rules for releasing an album. And when I listen to music I feel like it’s a journey of emotions and I wanted to release it in parts. We started with volume 1, which is more lonely, intense and sad, and after that I wanted to give space to the more epic and euphoric ones in volume 2. I hadn’t released music for a long time so I wanted to release a lot of music at once, and I thought, “why not?”
You produce a lot of your music. Tell me about this process.
I’ve always had a lot of time to write and work on my music, but all of a sudden after Covid I didn’t have that time anymore, so I was doing it in between shows. I was on tour with Dua[Lipa]I was on tour with Coldplay, so it was in between all of that that I wrote the record. I would rent an Airbnb and take my gear and lock myself in there for like a week. I think I was in like eight different Airbnbs throughout the course of this album. I usually need to isolate myself, sing with the piano, open my notebook and see what lyrics come to me… And then I’ll let some of my friends help me work on the production. It’s kind of a lonely process.
How did the collaboration with Mura Masa on ‘Cycles’ come about?
I’d worked with him a couple of times before, we’re friends. I wrote ‘Cycles’ and it was obviously more dance-y than what I usually do, so I asked Mura if I could work on the production, and what he sent me was great. I’m a big fan of Mura, he’s influenced me a lot in productions, so I’m really happy that it’s on the record.
As you mentioned before, you have opened for Dua Lipa and Coldplay, has this influenced your way of creating?
Yeah, seeing success on such a large scale is very inspiring. I think it’s influenced the album a lot, because like I said before, it wasn’t a continuous process, but I was working on it while I was on tour. And I think playing in such big stadiums makes you want to make more euphoric songs and have people sing along with you.
You usually wear a hairstyle that leaves a kind of spiral curl on your forehead. Is this part of the concept of “vertigo” that gives the album its title?
Yes, I decided to call the album that because it’s a very emotional thing. It’s the feeling of dizziness, of spiraling, of trying to find yourself in the middle of chaos, of disorientation. The spiral became a symbol that encapsulates all of this.
I don’t know if you agree with me, but for me this album is like a “coming of age” album, it’s about feeling things for the first time: first relationships, first breakups, etc.
Yes, I think you’re right. I like hearing the “coming of age” thing. The voice on the album is that of someone experiencing the world for the first time and going through new emotions and feelings. I haven’t seen the movie ‘Poor Creatures’ yet, but I know the concept is like an adult experiencing everything for the first time, something similar to this album.
And the feeling of the film is a bit like falling into a spiral…
I love it! (laughs)
I know you’re a huge Swiftie, how did the opening act come about and how did you feel when you heard the news?
When the Eras Tour was first announced in the States and I saw the featured artists, I was so jealous, I was like, “I would love to be able to support him on this tour.” And then a few weeks later, Kendrick Lamar performed in London, and I went with my brothers who are huge fans and, well, me too. In the stands where we were, there was Taylor Swift. I was embarrassed to go up to him, but she saw me and came up to me and said she would love to have me on her tour. It was pretty crazy. I didn’t know when it was going to happen until a few months ago when she told me it would be in London.
That’s cool! Because she’s also a big influence on you, right? I saw that in an Instagram post you said that she was your first conscious introduction to pop music and where you realized how much you liked that kind of sounds.
Yeah, I think I was eight, and I had a kind of epiphany, like, “Wow, heartbreak pop, this is my world.” In a way, she has raised a whole generation of writers. She’s a huge influence for me, I’ve fallen in love with every single one of her eras and her albums, I admire her so much.
Did you have anyone else in mind when making this record?
I didn’t want to be too obvious with my references, but I was listening to a lot of 80s music, Alicia Keys, ABBA… I’ve also started reading more. I realized that I don’t normally read, I started doing it because I thought it might help me with the lyrics and it has.
Tell me about Chris Martin’s involvement in ‘Astronaut’. It makes perfect sense to me that he likes this song, it’s a very Coldplay ballad, with your personal touch, of course.
I was on tour with them and one of the first things he said to me was that he’d love to hear some of my new music. I never thought that would happen so I played him a few and he stopped at ‘Astronaut’, the production was very different, more electronic. He said it was too busy and that maybe it would be better to slow it down. He played it on the piano and I recorded it. I listened to it a lot and the next time I saw him I asked him if he could help me finish it and he said yes, so I’m very grateful.
It’s interesting because when you see the final song it’s hard not to imagine a ballad.
Yes, I think I’m a little bit scared of ballads, it’s like the bar is set too high. When I think of ballads I think of Adele, of ‘drivers license’…
I understand what you’re saying, these are very emotional moments, it seems like they have to be earned, but I think the album could really use a ballad of this type.
Yes, totally.
You just announced your biggest solo tour, which starts in August. Have you started preparing for it yet? I read that you design your own outfits…
It’s my first time on tour (solo) so I’m really looking forward to it. Covid stopped everything and that’s why I haven’t had the chance until now. I already have some ideas. I’ll design an outfit, a uniform and all that. It’s funny because I’ve done a lot of shows but in the end when you’re a support act you don’t have the option to do anything too creative because it’s all about the other artist. This is the first time I can dream and imagine designs for the set. I’m really excited.
«Charli’s album is so well done, everything is perfect, there’s nothing that shouldn’t be there. The vision is perfectly visible, we’re in Brat world»
I want to ask you about the current pop scene and if there is any artist who is perhaps not as well known but has a lot of potential..
I think we’re in a really fun time for pop because everyone’s putting stuff out there. This year we’ve had Billie, Taylor, Beyoncé, Dua, etc. As pop fans we’re being well fed right now. It’s a weird time in music, it seems like everyone is finally ready to embrace pop again, which you can see for example in all the love Sabrina (Carpenter) is getting, for example. Also Charli’s (‘Brat’) record. It’s so well done, everything is perfect, there’s nothing that shouldn’t be there. You can see the vision so well, we’re in the Brat world. And obviously Chappell Roan is having a big moment and it’s really exciting to watch. And as far as artists with a lot of potential, they’re not that pop, but Ryan Beatty and Dijon are amazing to me. They both have some of the strongest songs I’ve heard in a long time.
Have you heard Mk.gee’s album? I feel like you might like it.
Oh yeah! He’s a guitarist from Dijon, have you seen the session they have together? It’s the best video in the world. Mk.gee is also very good, yes.
Is there anyone you’re really looking forward to collaborating with?
I would love to collaborate with Dijon, Ryan Beatty, Omar Apollo… Jack Antonoff would be really cool too.