© Markus Pritzi
Pop has a new chart princess and her name is Dua Lipa. The Londoner was the big winner at February’s BRIT Awards, scooping both the British Female Solo Artist and Breakthrough gongs at London’s O2 Arena. “I’m going to put [them] on the mantelpiece and just look at them for a little while”, said the singer who topped the UK charts with her hit, New Rules. “The first one definitely hits you really hard because you don’t expect it. The second one I think hits you harder because you’re really happy with one.”
Grime star Stormzy was the night’s other champion, winning British Male Solo Artist and the all-important British Album honour for Gang Signs & Prayer. Putting Croydon on the map he remarked afterwards: “When I went to make my album, I said I wanted to make a record that meant a lot to me. I wanted it to have an artistic value that showed my capability as a songwriter and musician. It needed to represent me and all the views inside me – it’s the music in my soul and all the emotions in my physical being. It took me 23 years to make that album – my whole life embodied in one project. To actually work so hard on something, to empty your soul into something, and have the world appreciate it or say that it’s the best album of the year, that’s undeniable.