Hertfordshire native Sarah Faith Griffiths is the artist known as Griff. Born to parents of Jamaican and Chinese heritage, she grew up on soul music and recalled hearing songs by Kirk Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Mary J Blige playing at home. However, it was Taylor Swift’s Fearless album that spurred her on to becoming a singer-songwriter.
On her brother’s computer Griff taught herself all about music production. She liked being able to record her own vocals as well as lay down harmonies. Inspiration for her lyrics would come from whatever was happening in her life.
After being signed to Warner Records in summer 2019, Griff released her debut single Mirror Talk and it was featured on Annie Mac’s New Name playlist. The song was conceived around the idea of having internal conversations with yourself. Her second track, Didn’t Break It Enough, followed shortly after, along with a video that Griff produced and art directed – plus she even sewed her own costume for it.
Griff released several more singles in the first half of 2020 including Good Stuff, Forgive Myself and Say It Again. She also fronted a Disney ad campaign over Christmas and landed a spot in the top five of the BBC Sound Of 2021 poll.
Her first release of the new year was a track about heartbreak called Black Hole. It became the lead single for her mixtape One Foot In Front Of The Other, due for release on 11 June 2021.
In March 2021, Griff received the Rising Star prize at the BRIT Awards and she also announced four headline UK dates for October 2021. In October 2023, Griff announced a string of UK dates for spring 2024. Following these dates came the announcement of her debut album, vertigo, and a world tour to accompany the record's release.
