Griff
Griff in 2022
Born
Sarah Faith Griffiths

(2001-01-21) 21 January 2001 (age 23)
Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, England
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Years active2019–present
AwardsBrit Award for Rising Star (2021)
Musical career
Genres
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • piano
LabelsWarner
Websiteofficialgriff.com

Sarah Faith Griffiths (born 21 January 2001), known professionally as Griff, is an English singer and songwriter. In 2019, she released her debut single, "Mirror Talk", through Warner Records. This was followed by her debut extended play of the same name, released later that year. Griff was named the Rising Star at the 2021 Brit Awards, becoming one of the youngest winners in the category at 20. Later that year, she released her debut mixtape, One Foot in Front of the Other, to commercial success and critical acclaim.

Early life and education

Griff was born on 21 January 2001 as Sarah Faith Griffiths,[2] in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire.[3] Her father Mark is the son of Jamaican immigrants who were part of the "Windrush generation", and her mother Kim is a first-generation migrant whose family moved to England amid the Vietnam War.[4] Griff has stated that she feels "more in touch with my Chinese side".[3] Griff's parents foster children and her experiences with the children were reflected in her song "Good Stuff".[5]

Griff stated that her earliest memory of loving music was being gifted an iPod Shuffle with the Taylor Swift album Fearless (2008) downloaded to it,[6] when she was around the age of eight.[7] She then taught herself to record and produce music on her older brother's laptop, and used tutorials on YouTube to inform her on techniques.[3] While attending St Clement Danes School, Griff kept her musical life private, due to not knowing if her musical career would be successful, stating: "no one likes that person at school who talks about how they want to sing".[3][4] After finishing her A Levels, she told teachers that she was taking a gap year, rather than informing them on her music ventures.[3] On using the stage name Griff, she stated: "Sarah Griffiths isn't that glamorous, I sound like I have a mortgage and 4 kids, it's very corporate".[7]

Griff's family are evangelical Christians and attended a central London branch of Hillsong Church. Of her own faith, Griff has said: "I guess if you grow up with Christian parents, you get to a point where you ask: “Okay, do I actually believe or am I just going through the motions?” And from a young age I felt like it was something I actually do believe and so it’s always been something that I’ve owned."[4]

Career

Griff performing in Sydney, Australia in January 2024.

On 4 July 2019, it was announced that Griff had been signed to Warner Records.[8] On the same day, she released her debut single "Mirror Talk", accompanied by a music video. Annie Mac featured the song on BBC Radio 1 under the New Name playlist.[9] She stated that the writing process for the song took an hour.[3] Griff described the release as a career highlight, since it was released immediately after she had finished her A Level exams.[6] Billboard described the song as an "electrifying debut", and praised her "powerful voice and vulnerable lyrics".[8] The next month, Griff released her follow-up single, "Didn't Break It Enough",[10] accompanied by a music video in which the clothing worn was made by Griff herself.[11][12] She released the single "Paradise" in October 2019,[13] which was followed by the release of her debut extended play, The Mirror Talk, on 15 November 2019.[14] In December 2019, Griff released a cover of the Bangles' 1989 song "Eternal Flame".[15]

On 7 February 2020, Griff released the single "Good Stuff". Despite people thinking the song is about a romantic breakup, she clarified that the subject of the song is about missing children that her family fostered, since they felt like siblings.[16] In March 2020, a song titled "I Love You's", that Griff co-wrote, was released by American singer Hailee Steinfeld.[17] This was followed by "Forgive Myself", a song released by Griff on 29 May 2020,[18] described by NME as an "anthem".[19] In July 2020, Griff was nominated by The Ivors Academy for an Ivor Novello Rising Star Award,[20] and later that month, she released the song "Say It Again".[21] In October 2020, she was part of two collaborative songs; "1,000,000 X Better" with English band Honne,[22] and "Inside Out", a song with German DJ Zedd.[23][24] In January 2021, she released "Black Hole", which NME described as a "dark pop anthem".[25] On 19 March 2021, Griff won the Brit Award for Rising Star and performed "Black Hole" at the 2021 ceremony.[26] Later that day, she announced details of her debut mixtape, One Foot in Front of the Other, which was released on 18 June 2021.[27] Two months later, Griff followed up the mixtape with single "One Night".[28] In October 2021, she embarked on a tour across the United Kingdom in support of her mixtape.[29] She later did European and North American tour dates.[30]

In November 2021, Dua Lipa announced Griff as one of her three supporting acts for the European dates of the Future Nostalgia Tour in 2022.[31] In September 2022, she performed on eight dates of the +–=÷× Tour by Ed Sheeran.[32] In 2023, she also took part in the Music of the Spheres World Tour by british band Coldplay as opening act for a few European dates including Portugal, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands.[33]

In August 2023, after a break from music whilst on the Future Nostalgia Tour, Griff released the single "Vertigo".[34] The song was promoted by Taylor Swift on Instagram, who said she "loved" the song.[35] She released an EP to support the single, Vert1go Vol. 1, in October 2023.[36] Later that month, Griff announced her upcoming single titled "Astronaut" with music by Chris Martin, Coldplay's lead voice singer.[37]

In January 2024, Griff will perform a one-off show at the Metro Theatre in Sydney, Australia.[38]

Discography

Mixtapes

List of mixtapes, with release date, selected chart positions, and label shown
Title Mixtape details Peak
chart
positions
UK
[2] 		IRE
[39] 		SCO
[2]
One Foot in Front of the Other 4 85 5

Extended plays

List of EPs, with release date and label shown
Title EP details
The Mirror Talk
  • Released: 15 November 2019
  • Label: Warner
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Vert1go Vol. 1
  • Released: 20 October 2023
  • Label: Warner
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Singles

List of singles, with year released, selected chart positions, certifications, and album name shown
Title Year Peak
chart positions 		Certifications Album
UK
[2] 		BEL
(FL)
Tip
[40] 		IRE
[39] 		NZ
Hot
[41] 		NOR
[42]
"Mirror Talk" 2019 — — — — — The Mirror Talk
"Didn't Break It Enough" — — — — —
"Paradise" — — — — —
"Eternal Flame" — — — — — Non-album singles
"Good Stuff" 2020 — — — — —
"Forgive Myself" — — — — —
"Say It Again" — — — — —
"1,000,000 X Better"
(with Honne) 		— — — — —
"Inside Out"
(with Zedd) 		— — — — —
"Love Is a Compass"
(Disney supporting Make-A-Wish) 		42 9 — — —
"Black Hole" 2021 18 28 25 16 — One Foot in Front of the Other
"One Foot in Front of the Other" —[a] — — — —
"Shade of Yellow" — — — 26 —
"One Night" 45 — 85 — — Non-album singles
"Head on Fire"
(with Sigrid)[45] 		2022 44 — — 35 33
"Walk"[46] 2023 — — — — — One Foot in Front of the Other
"Vertigo" 84 — — 23 — Vert1go Vol. 1
"Astronaut"[37] — — — — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Music videos

Title Year Director(s)
"Mirror Talk" 2019 Sylvie Weber
"Didn't Break It Enough" Rory DCS
"Paradise" Unknown
"Good Stuff" 2020 Imogen Snell and Riccardo Castaneo
"Forgive Myself"
"Love is a Compass" Maria Goulamhoussen
"Say It Again" Stephen Isaac-Wilson
"Black Hole" 2021 Joe Shaw and Eseosa Ohen (SOB)
"One Foot in Front of the Other" Stephen Isaac-Wilson
"One Night" ABCDCD
"Head on Fire" 2022 CC Wade

Songwriting credits

Title Artist Year Album Notes
"I Love You's" Hailee Steinfeld 2020 Half Written Story Co-writer
"Angry man" Kawala 2021 Paradise Heights Co-writer
"Happy Hunting Ground" Maisie Peters 2021 Trying: Season 2 Co-writer, performer
"Minute" Kim Petras 2023 Feed the Beast Co-writer

Tours

Headlining

2024 Tour

Date City Country Venue
2 January 2024 Brisbane Australia Fortitude Music Hall
3 January 2024 Sydney The Metro Theatre
6 February 2024 Los Angeles United States The Roxy Theatre
9 February 2024 New York City (Le) Poisson Rouge
10 March 2024 Stockholm Sweden Debaser Strand
11 March 2024 Oslo Norway Parkteatret Scene
12 March 2024 Copenhagen Denmark VEGA
15 March 2024 Hamburg Germany Mojo Club
16 March 2024 Berlin Heimathafen Neukölln
18 March 2024 Cologne Gloria
19 March 2024 Amsterdam Netherlands Tolhuistuin
21 March 2024 Brussels Belgium Botanique - Orangerie
22 March 2024 Paris France La Machine du Moulin Rouge
24 March 2024 Bournemouth United Kingdom O2 Academy Bournemouth
26 March 2024 Dublin Ireland 3Olympia Theatre
28 March 2024 Manchester United Kingdom Albert Hall
30 March 2024 Glasgow Barrowland Ballroom
31 March 2024 Birmingham Birmingham O2 Institute
2 April 2024 Camden, London Roundhouse

Supporting

Awards and nominations

Organisation Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
BBC 2021 Sound of 2021 Herself Fifth [47]
Brit Awards Rising Star Herself Won [48][26]
MTV UK Push One to Watch Herself Nominated [49]
LOS40 Music Awards Best International New Act Herself Won [50][51]
MTV Europe Music Awards Best New Herself Nominated [52]
Best Push Herself Nominated [52]
BBC Radio 1 Hottest Record of the Year "Black Hole" Fifth [53][54]
Popjustice £20 Music Prize Best British Pop Single Nominated [55]
Brit Awards 2022 Best New Artist Herself Nominated [56]
Best Pop/R&B Act Nominated [56]
NME Awards NME Radar Award Won [57]
Best Collaboration "Head on Fire" (with Sigrid) Won [58]
Ticketmaster New Music Award New Music Award Herself Won [59]

Notes

  1. ^ "One Foot in Front of the Other" did not enter the UK Singles Chart, but peaked at number forty-five on the UK Singles Downloads Chart.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ "Up and coming R&B vocalist, Griff, releases song/video for "Mirror Talk"". That Music Mag. 13 July 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2022. Up and coming R&B/pop vocalist, Griff, shares her brand new track, "Mirror Talk,"
  2. ^ a b c d "Griff | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 7 December 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "griff is the uk teen talking you out of negative body image with her pop music". i-D. 8 July 2019. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Godwin, Richard (10 June 2021). "'Get out of the way, all of you': Brit Rising Star Griff on her sky-high ambition". Evening Standard. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  5. ^ "Premiere: Multi-Disciplined Soul Singer Griff Copes With Separation By Remembering The "Good Stuff"". Complex. 11 February 2020. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  6. ^ a b "get to know: griff". 29 August 2019. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Notion 86: Griff". Notion. 12 August 2020. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Griff Signs to Warner Records, Makes Electrifying Debut With 'Mirror Talk': Exclusive". Billboard. 4 July 2019. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  9. ^ "Griff Releases Debut Track And Video Mirror Talk". BroadwayWorld.com. 9 July 2019. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Griff Reveals new Track "Didn't Break It Enough"". Elicit Magazine. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Griff Continues Her Precocious Rise With 'Didn't Break It Enough'". Clash. 2 September 2019. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  12. ^ "Griff faces down the frustratingly illogical lows of post-breakup funk on "Didn't Break It Enough"". The Line of Best Fit. 2 September 2020. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  13. ^ "Rising Star Griff Has Just Released A New Single That'll Take You To 'Paradise'". Cool Accidents. 25 October 2019. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  14. ^ "U.K.'s Brightest New Pop Star, GRIFF Releases 'The Mirror Talk' EP". Rain. 15 November 2019. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  15. ^ "Griff Releases New Holiday Track " Eternal Flame"". Elicit Magazine. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  16. ^ "Griff Is a Star in the Making". Ones to Watch. 11 February 2020. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  17. ^ "Hailee Steinfeld Shines In Brand New Song "I Love You's"". TellyMix. 26 March 2020. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  18. ^ "UK Pop Artist Griff Drops Tender Empowerment Anthem "Forgive Myself"". The Music Mermaid. 18 June 2020. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  19. ^ "Griff: British pop phenomenon taking control of their destiny". NME. 3 June 2020. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  20. ^ "Ivor Novello nominee Griff further proves her pop prodigy calibre with "Say It Again"". The Line of Best Fit. 6 August 2020. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  21. ^ "Griff launches video for new single, 'Say It Again'". WithGuitars. 11 August 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  22. ^ "Griff Releases Stellar New Single 1,000,000 X Better With Honne". Melodic. 2 October 2020. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  23. ^ "Listen to a Preview of Zedd's Upcoming Single "Inside Out" With Blossoming UK Pop Singer Griff". EDM.com. 20 June 2020. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  24. ^ "Zedd Recruits Griff For Fresh New Single 'Inside Out'". Cultr. 23 October 2020. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  25. ^ "Griff shares new dark pop anthem 'Black Hole'". NME. Archived from the original on 21 March 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  26. ^ a b "Brit Awards 2021: Pop singer Griff wins Rising Star prize". BBC News. 19 March 2021. Archived from the original on 21 March 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  27. ^ "Griff details new mixtape One Foot In Front Of The Other after winning BRITs Rising Star award 2021". The Line of Best Fit. 19 March 2021.
  28. ^ Richards, Will (26 August 2021). "Griff returns with euphoric new single 'One Night'". NME. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  29. ^ Stickler, Jon (19 March 2021). "Griff Wins Brits Rising Star Award, Announces Mixtape 'One Foot In Front Of The Other' And UK Tour". Stereoboard. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  30. ^ Henderson, Chelsea (4 November 2021). "Griff announces rescheduled date for headline show at Dublin's Academy". Hotpress. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  31. ^ Jones, Damian (22 November 2021). "Dua Lipa announces Tove Lo, Griff and Angèle as support for 2022 UK/European tour". NME. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  32. ^ "Griff is supporting Ed Sheeran on his European tour". NME. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  33. ^ "Last.fm griff page". last.fm. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  34. ^ "Griff has Just Dropped a Soaring New Single, 'Vertigo': "It Feels Like a Big Song"". Dork. 31 August 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  35. ^ "Here's the Emotional New Song Taylor Swift Is Loving Right Now". Billboard. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  36. ^ "Griff announces 'Vert1go Vol. 1' EP following recent single 'Vertigo'". Why Now. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  37. ^ a b Duran, Anagricel (19 October 2023). "Griff debuts Chris Martin collaboration 'Astronaut' at intimate London show". NME. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  38. ^ Lefevre, Jules (30 October 2023). "Griff Announces One-Off Australian Headline Show". Music Feeds. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  39. ^ a b "Discography Griff". irish-charts.com. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  40. ^ "Discografie Griff". Ultratop (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  41. ^ Peaks on the NZ Hot Singles Chart:
  42. ^ "Singel 2022 uke 04". VG-Lista (in Norwegian). Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  43. ^ a b "British certifications – Griff". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 February 2023. Type Griff in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  44. ^ "Oct 2023 Single Accreds" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  45. ^ Wade, Ian (3 January 2022). "Sigrid and Griff share collaboration snippet". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  46. ^ "Walk (In The Room) - Single by Griff". Apple Music. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  47. ^ Youngs, Ian (6 January 2021). "Rapper Pa Salieu wins BBC Sound of 2021: 'I am the voice of the voiceless'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 21 March 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  48. ^ Savage, Mark (11 March 2021). "Brit Awards: Griff, Pa Salieu and Rina Sawayama nominated for rising star prize". BBC News. Archived from the original on 21 March 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  49. ^ "Meet Our MTV PUSH UK & IRE 2021 Shortlist... | MTV UK". Mtv.co.uk. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  50. ^ LOS40. "LOS40 Music Awards 2021". LOS40 (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 November 2021.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  51. ^ LOS40 (13 November 2021). "LOS40 Music Awards 2021 Illes Balears: La emoción del reencuentro en la noche triunfal de Ed Sheeran". Los40 (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 November 2021.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  52. ^ a b "Justin Bieber Leads 2021 MTV EMA Nominations". Billboard.com. 20 October 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  53. ^ "BBC Radio 1 - Radio 1's Future Sounds with Clara Amfo - Radio 1's Hottest Record of the Year 2021 - Vote for your favourite!". BBC. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  54. ^ "Record of the Day - In tune. Informed. Indispensable". Recordoftheday.com. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  55. ^ "The Popjustice Twenty Quid Music Prize • Popjustice".
  56. ^ a b "The nominees for the 2022 BRIT Awards have been revealed". NME. 18 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  57. ^ "BandLab NME Awards 2022: Winners". Nme.com. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  58. ^ "BandLab NME Awards 2022: Nominees". NME.
  59. ^ "O2 Silver Clef Awards". Nordoff Robbins. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
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