Griff

Griff's agile and rhythm-driven pop merges pop with R&B while bringing a contemporary, boundary-free perspective to time-honored songcraft. That adaptability surfaced clearly on her debut EP Mirror Talk, released in 2019, which contained "Paradise," the track that first placed her inside the U.K. Top Ten. Further 2020 successes, among them the Honne collaboration "1,000,000 X Better" and the Zedd duet "Inside Out," paved the way for the 2021 mixtape One Foot in Front of the Other. In 2023 Griff issued the introspective single "Vertigo" from the Vert1go, Vol. 1 EP, then followed with Ver2igo, Vol. 2 early the next year, spotlighting the similarly reflective and texturally layered "Into the Walls." The two EPs essentially previewed songs that later appeared on her 2024 debut solo album Vertigo.

Born Sarah Faith Griffiths on January 21, 2001, to a Chinese mother and Jamaican father, Griff grew up in Kings Langley, a village north of Watford, England. Taylor Swift's 2008 album Fearless prompted her to begin writing, recording, and producing music independently. She continued developing material throughout her school years but kept the work private until she finished her A Levels, at which point she chose a gap year to concentrate on music. Adopting the stage name Griff, she signed with Warner in July 2019; her A&R representative Joe Kentish had previously brought Dua Lipa to the label.

Warner issued "Mirror Talk" after announcing the signing. The song generated considerable attention, as did the follow-up "Didn't Break It Enough." "Paradise" preceded the full Mirror Talk EP at the close of 2019. Soon afterward Griff released a cover of the Bangles' "Eternal Flame." Additional digital singles appeared throughout 2020, including "Good Stuff," "Forgive Myself," and "Say It Again," before the Honne track "1,000,000 X Better." Her Zedd collaboration "Inside Out" arrived shortly before the solo ballad "Love Is a Compass," which reached number 42 at the end of the year thanks in part to its use in a holiday-themed Disney advertisement. Griff also co-wrote Hailee Steinfeld's single "I Love You's" in 2020 and received an Ivor Novello Rising Star nomination.

"Black Hole" rose to number 33 in 2021, announcing the summer arrival of the One Foot in Front of the Other mixtape. Earlier that year she received the BRIT Award for Rising Star. After closing 2021 with "One Night," she began 2022 by joining Sigrid on the single "Head on Fire." Written upon returning from a three-month tour supporting Dua Lipa, the dark, atmospheric "Vertigo" surfaced the following year and appeared on the October 2023 EP Vert1go, Vol. 1. Its companion Ver2igo, Vol. 2 followed in early 2024, led by the piano-centered introspection of "Into the Walls." The eight tracks from both EPs, together with six new songs, formed Vertigo, Griff's debut solo album released later that year.