As the Grammy winners took to the stage in Los Angeles on Sunday night, one common thread emerged: many had once walked the halls of a comprehensive school in Croydon, south London.
British performers Olivia Dean, who won the prestigious gong for best new artist; Lola Young, who took home best pop solo performance for Messy; and FKA twigs, who won best dance/electronic album for Eusexua, all attended the Brit school in Selhurst. As did Raye, who earlier in the week received the Harry Belafonte best song for social change award for Ice Cream Man.
Since it opened in the 90s with a focus on the performing and creative arts, the Brit school has become Britain’s most potent launchpad for global stardom. The list of alumni reads like a who’s who of British talent: Adele, Amy Winehouse, Jessie J, Tom Holland, Leona Lewis, and Loyle Carner are among those who honed their craft within its classrooms.
Even artists who never attended the institution have referenced it, such as Ed Sheeran, who in his breakthrough track You Need Me, I Don’t Need You, cheekily rapped: “I will blast and I didn’t go to Brit school.”
For Stuart Worden, a teacher at the school since 1994 and its principal since 2012, this year’s Grammys were “a brilliant celebration” of free arts education. “Those women are fantastic role models of what’s achievable if you give young people access to the arts,” he said.
While FKA twigs was only briefly at the school, Worden keenly remembers Dean, Young and Raye (real name Rachel Keen) who all joined as 14-year-olds. “They started in year 10, all pretty close together,” he said. “Lola and Olivia stayed for sixth form, Raye left after her GCSEs because she was already on her way and making money from her music.”
Dean, who blends soul, jazz and pop styles, is the first British performer to win best new act at the Grammys since Dua Lipa in 2019, and multiple singles from her sophomore album The Art of Loving entered the UK Top 10 simultaneously. Young’s breakthrough hit Messy topped global charts, while Raye is already a seven-time Brit award winner.
“What stood out about all of them was their great work ethic,” Worden said. “None of these artists are overnight successes. They’ve played small venues, they’ve worked on records for years.”
Is it obvious when a student is going to become a huge star? “I don’t think so,” he said. “What Olivia, Raye and Lola have in common is that they all, from quite an early age, wanted to write about the things that matter to them.”
The Brit school, he added, aimed to nurture young people to find their own voice. “What do you care about? The next bit is up to them. Raye won a Grammy for Ice Cream Man, which is an unflinching look at harassment. Lola’s song has connected with people because she’s being really honest about the challenges of life, smiling with passion about being ‘messy’. Olivia writes about the complexities of love. They are not manufactured, they are themselves and that’s powerful.”
Though there are no classes on how to be a megastar, students are instilled with professional standards and values such as kindness. “If you allow people to be kind and open to emotion, that creates possibilities,” Worden said.
All three women are still in contact and work with the school. “I can remember Raye, when she was 14, saying, ‘I’m going to do this, sir’,” Worden said. “And weirdly, she still calls me ‘sir’. We were chatting the other day because she wants some of our students to come and see her new show.” He said alumni felt attached to the school because of the spirit of collaboration it fostered. “Olivia met her bass player Finn [Zeferino-Birchall] in the canteen, Adele met her guitarist here when they were 16.”
Former Brit school students have sold almost 300m albums, have racked up more than 70bn streams across online platforms, and won dozens of high-profile awards such as Grammys, Baftas, Oscars, Oliviers and Brits. Students study core subjects alongside their art specialism, with more than 200 shows or events each year.
The school prides itself on diversity: 40% of 1,450 students are of global majority heritage, 50% from income-deprived backgrounds, and a third have a SEN diagnosis.
Worden said: “We as a country need many different voices in the arts. Giving access to those from low-income or neurodiverse backgrounds creates opportunities that might not otherwise exist.”
