The BRIT Awards 2021 with Mastercard - Show Programme

CONGRATULATIONS TO
THE BRITs RISING STAR
LOVE FROM DELEON &
EVERYONE AT GRUMPY OLD MANAGEMENT
You have a creative soul, and more than
a passing interest in fashion!
I make a lot of the clothes. It was a fun
side that accidentally developed into a
thing. I’d just bring a few bits to shoots,
and if I have time I’ll make a top for a
performance. I love an oversized frilly
dress, I’m addicted to vintage bridal
dresses. It’s a nice way to build my
visual world and stay in artistic control.
I can think of a few who mix
music with fashion…
I hope one day I can take the fashion
side more seriously, and release a
proper collection, that feels like I’ve
designed it all completely. But that’s
a quiet dream, for later on, I think.
What do you hope your career
trajectory will be?
If I can look back, in five years, and know
that I’ve been 100 percent honest and
authentic in what I put out, if I’m in creative
control, and I’ve written songs that have
impacted people, I will be happy.
Which artists inspire you?
There are so many! Lorde makes
me super-inspired, with how she’s
managed to do pop but also stay left
field. I love how Julia Michaels has
written such emotional songs. And
Imogen Heap, of course, is sick, and
a female producer since day one.
Meantime, what do you
hope 2021 holds for you?
Honestly, its hard to think ahead. I feel so
satisfied with what I’ve already achieved.
I just hope more people will be able
to discover my music and love it. [But]
I am definitely hoping to do some gigs
again, I’m very excited that we have
announced dates in October. That’s nuts!
Before that there will be new music…
Yes, a mixtape in June, called One Foot
In Front Of The Other, which is seven
of my best songs this year. I feel really
proud of it. It’s been hard to write and
stay inspired during lockdown, but it
speaks into what I want to say right now.
Of course your biggest
show will be The BRITs itself…
Oh I’m trying to think about it now!
We will go big on set design, I’ll be in
an outfit I’ve made myself, and there
will be a lot of dancing. So much
dancing! A high energy performance!
With so much to look forward to, it’s
gonna be hard to stay grounded.
No, I have good people around
me. Everyone is excited, but
proper grounded. My mum said,
“Congratulations, but can we move
on now”? My dad said, “Gosh, I’m
just as excited about this as I was
when you passed your driving test”!
One Foot On Front Of The Other
is out on Warner on June 11,
AD
…ALSO ON THE
BRIT AWARDS 2021
SHORTLIST
Pa Salieu
Slough-born rapper Pa Saleiu grew up
on his grandparents’ farm in The Gambia,
before returning to settle in Coventry.
After releasing an early track Never
Had in 2018, the 23 year-old ‘Hood
Representative’ used the city’s mean
streets as backdrop to his first mixtape,
Send Them To Coventry, featuring
Mahalia and M1llions collaborations. His
genre-busting mix of afrobeats, drill and
dancehall rumbles under inventive but
intense lyrics. After the buzz-worthy debut
Frontline, Salieu has already upped the
ante in 2021 with the breakout hit Energy.
Rina Sawayama
JM Enternational
Clashing wild-eyed punk with regimented
beats, and scooping R&B sounds into
the mix with Japanese opera, 30 yearold
Rina Sawayama makes exiting and
innovative future-pop. The confident
Cambridge graduate, who has called
London home since childhood, has been
through several musical incarnations,
including in a hip hop band as well
as the glossy pop of debut EP Rina.
However she settled on her avant-garde
solo work, as showcased in the highly
personal debut album Sawayama,
and catchy singles including STFU!,
Comme Des Garçons and XS.
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