Griff Discusses Shyness, Stardom, and Supporting Taylor Swift

In a perfect world, nobody would ever hear a Griff song. “I hate the idea of playing music to people,” says the 23-year-old, curled up in pink patterned socks on a banquette in a west London members club, diamante-adorned crocs abandoned under the table. “I’ve never been in love with the idea of writing songs for other people to hear.”

Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world, which is why one Saturday in June, Griff – also known as Hertfordshire-born Sarah Griffiths – found herself supporting Taylor Swift at Wembley stadium, playing to a crowd of 89,000. “Horrendously nervous” for even her smaller headline gigs, she employed the coping mechanism of “trying not to think about it too much,” a strategy hindered by her phone. “I almost felt like I was getting married. The amount of people that were texting me going: ‘Are you OK?’ and ‘Good luck for your big day!’ I’m like: all these texts are making me more nervous!”

It was worth it in the end, of course, not least because Swift paused her own set to pay tribute to Griff’s brilliance. “This girl, she is so creative on every single level,” said the superstar. Griff captured her teary reaction to this on TikTok. It was surreal, but no surprise. Griff’s talent is clear – she merges Swift’s ruthless hooks with Billie Eilish’s edgy production, Olivia Rodrigo’s doll-faced drollness, Lorde’s thoughtful lyricism, and Grimes’ DIY self-sufficiency. Swift has sung Griff’s praises on Instagram for years. She expressed her love for Griff’s minimalist track “Vertigo” and called her single “Shade of Yellow” from 2021 “excellent.”

The young pop star traces her entire career back to Swift’s influence. Her dad introduced her to soul and R&B, but listening to Swift’s second album “Fearless” made songwriting feel accessible. Griff acknowledges that playing “Love Story” is far easier than playing Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke.”

Despite her aversion to performing, Griff’s private approach to songwriting landed her a record deal while she was still in high school. Griff, soft-spoken and self-assured, kept this development quiet. She signed her record deal and promptly returned to writing her economics essay, informing even her best friend in passing.

Raised by Christian parents, Griff spent her teen years attending youth nights at a London church, trying to escape her village of Kings Langley, which she describes as mostly “pubs, old people, and grass.” She met a producer through church friends who became her manager. Griff would travel to visit contacts she’d made in the industry, even sitting in different producers’ living rooms to work. Looking back, she realizes how vulnerable she was, yet she never felt exploited by the music industry.

Recently purchasing a house despite not yet releasing an album, Griff remains level-headed about the major-label deal she signed with Warner. She acknowledges that today’s music labels aren’t as controlling as they were in the 90s. Enjoying creative freedom, she writes and produces her own material and even sews her own stage clothes. However, she notes that responsibility falls more on the artist now, particularly with the rise of TikTok, requiring her to produce continuous content.

Griff has indeed found a knack for TikTok, although she humbly denies being particularly adept at it. One engaging aspect has been her mum’s unenthusiastic response to her success, which has amused fans. Griff isn’t fazed, understanding that her mother’s love language isn’t through words of affirmation but actions, like cutting a bowl of fruit.

Griff’s songs reveal more about her own experiences with love. Her debut album “Vertigo” – written in various Airbnbs – is a first heartbreak record. The tracks “Vertigo” and “Astronaut,” featuring Chris Martin on piano, hint at relationships with frustratingly noncommittal partners. She aims to keep her lyrics open to interpretation, allowing listeners to find their own meanings.

Though Griff is on the brink of stardom, she doesn’t yearn for Taylor Swift-level success. She hopes her songs resonate with the masses, creating moments of joy or sadness for listeners. “I’m contradicting myself here because I don’t write songs for people to listen to, but I do hope my songs fall on the ears of the masses,” she says. “If I was able to do that in my own way it would be really cool.”

Vertigo is released on 19 July.