Hype List 2021: Griff: "I always knew I loved music, but don't know if I ever believed I could make a living off it"
An Ivor Novello nom, a spot on Disney's Christmas advert - Griff's going to be an unavoidable force very soon indeed.
An Ivor Novello nom, a spot on Disney's Christmas advert - Griff's going to be an unavoidable force very soon indeed.
Words: Abigail Firth.
Words: Abigail Firth.
Every now and again, a pop star comes around who's so buzzing with talent they can barely keep it in their little bodies. Griff happens to be one of those pop stars. At only nineteen, she's a singer, songwriter, producer, occasional seamstress, have-a-go director, and all-round mind-blower. She's got the wise-beyond-her-years lyricism of the Lordes and Eilishes before her (that's earned her an Ivor Novello nomination already) and the world at her feet.
Growing up in a small village called King's Langley just outside of Watford, she's come a long way since she started producing her own songs on her brother's Logic software. Although 2020 has had Griff reverting back to her old ways, making not just music, but videos and performances from her room this time around, she's on the cusp of something major.
We 'meet' Griff in that very room, guitars hanging on the wall and mum shouting in the background (yes, actually), for our chat about 2020, her massive new song with Zedd, and what the future holds.
Hi Griff! How has this year been treating you?
I mean, I think it's treated everyone pretty rough, but, d'you know what, looking back, I feel like I've actually done loads of stuff, like I've released loads of music, and I think we've just had to adapt. It's been a fun challenge, like trying to release music and trying to stay creative in this time. So overall, I feel great about this year.
Well, it's good to hear because it's been a bit of a shitter really, hasn't it.
I know, I know. I think we just had no choice but to try and make the best out of it, and still release music and put out good stuff, and it feels like people like it.
How do you feel like the stuff that happened this year has affected your way of working, or anything that you've put out?
At the beginning of lockdown, I was really excited because the way I first started writing songs just me here in my music room producing, doing it all myself. Before lockdown came, I was busy travelling so much that I was quite excited to just be by myself again and write where I used to. And then it came, and I just wasn't creative at all. I think there is something about when crazy things are happening in the world, it's hard to just write pop songs about breakups because it kind of feels a bit insignificant. But I think it's forced me to be creative in other ways, like making music videos at home in quarantine or other things like that.
And you put out a lot this year, and which have been your favourite releases?
I actually really love all of them, that's such a bad answer. Okay, maybe '1,000,000 X Better', but I love them all for different reasons. I think that the Zedd song was definitely like, pretty surreal, and it still feels surreal because it's just so huge and that's like such a once in a lifetime opportunity. But then I feel like '1,000,000 X Better' is a real fun uplifting song, and I personally really love that song.
Obviously you did just put out that song with Zedd, what can you tell us about it?
Yeah, how this came about was crazy. I was in LA in February, and it was literally like the second night I was about to leave, his A&R got in touch with our team and was like "there's this song we'd love to hear your vocals on", and the bridge wasn't written and there was a few lyrics I ended up changing, but generally the song was done, but obviously it was freaking Zedd so of course I'm gonna like do it. I'd heard like with 'Stay' and with 'The Middle', he like gets every girl to sing on it and then he picks who's the best vocalist, so I didn't think I stood a chance at all. So I was like, I'll give it a shot, but I'm sure he'll probably pick someone that's like way more established. So to hear that he'd stuck with it and really loved my vocal was really incredible.
Because you always write your own songs, was that the first time that you were singing something that someone else had written?
Yeah. I think when it comes to singing songs other people have written, it made sense because it was with Zedd, and it's Zedd's song. So it's like, however best I can make this really sound good for that.
Growing up in a small village called King's Langley just outside of Watford, she's come a long way since she started producing her own songs on her brother's Logic software. Although 2020 has had Griff reverting back to her old ways, making not just music, but videos and performances from her room this time around, she's on the cusp of something major.
We 'meet' Griff in that very room, guitars hanging on the wall and mum shouting in the background (yes, actually), for our chat about 2020, her massive new song with Zedd, and what the future holds.
Hi Griff! How has this year been treating you?
I mean, I think it's treated everyone pretty rough, but, d'you know what, looking back, I feel like I've actually done loads of stuff, like I've released loads of music, and I think we've just had to adapt. It's been a fun challenge, like trying to release music and trying to stay creative in this time. So overall, I feel great about this year.
Well, it's good to hear because it's been a bit of a shitter really, hasn't it.
I know, I know. I think we just had no choice but to try and make the best out of it, and still release music and put out good stuff, and it feels like people like it.
How do you feel like the stuff that happened this year has affected your way of working, or anything that you've put out?
At the beginning of lockdown, I was really excited because the way I first started writing songs just me here in my music room producing, doing it all myself. Before lockdown came, I was busy travelling so much that I was quite excited to just be by myself again and write where I used to. And then it came, and I just wasn't creative at all. I think there is something about when crazy things are happening in the world, it's hard to just write pop songs about breakups because it kind of feels a bit insignificant. But I think it's forced me to be creative in other ways, like making music videos at home in quarantine or other things like that.
And you put out a lot this year, and which have been your favourite releases?
I actually really love all of them, that's such a bad answer. Okay, maybe '1,000,000 X Better', but I love them all for different reasons. I think that the Zedd song was definitely like, pretty surreal, and it still feels surreal because it's just so huge and that's like such a once in a lifetime opportunity. But then I feel like '1,000,000 X Better' is a real fun uplifting song, and I personally really love that song.
Obviously you did just put out that song with Zedd, what can you tell us about it?
Yeah, how this came about was crazy. I was in LA in February, and it was literally like the second night I was about to leave, his A&R got in touch with our team and was like "there's this song we'd love to hear your vocals on", and the bridge wasn't written and there was a few lyrics I ended up changing, but generally the song was done, but obviously it was freaking Zedd so of course I'm gonna like do it. I'd heard like with 'Stay' and with 'The Middle', he like gets every girl to sing on it and then he picks who's the best vocalist, so I didn't think I stood a chance at all. So I was like, I'll give it a shot, but I'm sure he'll probably pick someone that's like way more established. So to hear that he'd stuck with it and really loved my vocal was really incredible.
Because you always write your own songs, was that the first time that you were singing something that someone else had written?
Yeah. I think when it comes to singing songs other people have written, it made sense because it was with Zedd, and it's Zedd's song. So it's like, however best I can make this really sound good for that.
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