Griff won the Brit Awards Rising Star for 2021.
“In my head I’m still screaming from the phone call when I found out,” said the 20-year-old pop songwriter from Hertfordshire. “It’s honestly such a miracle: how on earth did we manage to win a Brit and break through during a pandemic?”
Sarah Griffiths aka Griff signed to Warner Records in 2019 and in 2020, she was nominated for Rising Star at the Ivor Novello songwriting awards.
Other nominees included rapper Pa Salieu and British Japanese pop artist Rina Sawayama.
Up and coming UK artist Holly Humberstone signs with Darkroom/Interscope/Polydor. You’ll like if you love Billie Eilish – dark bedroom pop.
The 21-year-old singer-songwriter released several tracks in 2020 opened for Lewis Capaldi for his European tour just before the COVID hit the shores. In August 2020, Humberstone dropped her “Falling Asleep at the Wheel” EP and garnered more than 50 million streams.
She was also named as the runner-up of the BBC Sound Of2021 list
Look out for Laureli and the new chill pop track Donuts. The song which started as a inside joke comes off “From Seattle With Love,” a joint EP between Laureli and her producer. You’ll like if you’re a fan of Benee, Dojo Cat and those types. The 18 year old has crafted hundreds of songs since the beginning of 2020. Check out the official video here and give it a stream on KOAR’s Indie Invaders Playlist.
Hatty Keane drops the funky 70’s flavored track Sing It!. The soul singer does just that, she sings and can sing. The track was mixed and mastered by Alex Layne (John Legend,Sam Smith,Miguel, Zayn). The single wraps up her debut EP Nostalgia that garnered support from music blogs including We Plug Good Music, Sounds So Beautiful, and AnR Factory. Give it a listen.
Are Americans done with award shows?
The Weeknd boycotted the future Grammys and said “I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys.” Why? Because the Weeknd believes award show is corrupt and rigged. And then you have Megan Thee Stallion who says the Grammys aren’t rigged, although she backed the Weeknd.
Nobody has any idea how the Grammys voting system works and today we live in the age of behind-the-scenes. We aren’t part of the awards show, we are mere spectators, which would be fine, if it was actually good.
Wouldn’t it have been better to highlight a variety of artists rather than to pile more awards on the same artists year after year? It’s like watching the same movie over and over.
The Grammy awards have become a TV rerun, something you want to avoid if you’re seeking high ratings.