SEVEN years after hanging up his headphones for the final time on Radio 1’s Breakfast Show, Nick Grimshaw is ready to wake up the nation again.
Today he kicks off his brand-new show on 6 Music after taking over the role from his good pal Lauren Laverne — and despite having to set his alarm for 5.45am, Nick assures me the new full-time slot is a breeze compared with his hedonistic days in the studio next door.
Nick will have celeb guests like Elton John on the show[/caption]
“Radio 1 Breakfast was so high-octane, I’d always feel knackered when I left,” Nick tells me across the desk in his new home at Broadcasting House.
“I wouldn’t want to speak to anyone else for the rest of the day.”
But he adds: “6 Music is a softer place to land. It’s a different pace. We’re starting the new show at 7am. At Radio 1 it was 6.30am so this feels leisurely.
“Plus, I see those freaks on Instagram who are like, ‘Start your day at 5am!’
“I feel like starting my day at 5.45am isn’t that bad — and I am totally wrapped up by 10am.”
Nick then breaks off politely as he picks up the phone to his mum Eileen, his legendary sidekick who fans often see on Instagram.
“I’m just sorting her an Uber,” Nick says. “Her phone is so old the app does not work.
“And she only wants a driver with five stars.”
With Mother Grimshaw safely in her taxi, we continue our chat and Nick tells me how 6 Music — where he has taken over since Lauren underwent treatment for cancer — has always been a favourite of his.
He says: “I first did 6 at Glastonbury with Beth Ditto who was brilliant but unruly, shall we say.
“I never thought they’d ask me back after that but when Lauren was ill they asked if I could cover.
Celebrity guests
“Now Lauren has a new slot at the station and I am on Breakfast.
“I’ve always listened to 6 Music — I love it and it feels like home. Beth is with me too.
“I want her as sort of an agony aunt for the show.”
And Nick asks: “Is there a problem you’d like Beth to solve, Ellie?” Racking my brain, I tell Nick I’m looking to rescue a dog.
“The BBC used to let you bring them in and now they don’t,” Nick says, before adding, with a cheeky glint flashing in his eye: “Sara Cox’s dog chewed through a wire.”
During his time at 6 Music, Nick has already clocked up a load of top celebrity guests on his show including Keira Knightley, Jesse Eisenberg and Eddie Redmayne.
And there are plenty more to come, including Sir Elton John — who Nick joined at his home in Windsor last year with rising Scots star Jacob Alon.
“I had an existential crisis when I was in Elton’s house,” Nick recalls.
“When you interview him, it’s like if you interviewed Madonna in a conical bra.
“He wore the suit and he has the hair and the glasses.
“I was listening to him talking to Jacob about the music he loves, like Kneecap and Fontaines DC, and in my head I was like, ‘Wow, I am in your house’. I started to freak out a little bit.”
As he launches his new show today, Nick has plenty more big-name celebs booked in to shoot the breeze with.
“We’ve got a mix of new artists and legends,” he says.
“ShyGirl is coming on, Paul Simonon from The Clash and Goldie.
“Goldie is really into yoga and he’s trying to make me go with him.
“I’d be so zen after that.”
I reckon a daily downward dog would certainly make that 5.45am alarm even more of a breeze, Nick.
New show guest Goldie[/caption]
THIS WEEK IN BIZNESS…
FRIDAY: Blackpink’s Lisa will lead the new releases with her debut solo album Alter Ego, while there will be other new records from Sports Team, Andy Bell, Banks and ShyGirl.
SATURDAY: Sabrina Carpenter, Teddy Swims, Shaboozey and Jade will be among the acts at the Brit Awards, live on ITV1 from 8.15pm, where Charli XCX is set to win big.
SUNDAY: The glitziest weekend of the year continues with the biggest night in movies, the Oscars, in Los Angeles.
A saving Grace
THEY have defied the odds as a band by staying together for over a decade, which is not a milestone many pop acts reach.
But Clean Bandit have admitted they did once have a screaming match, although it’s thankfully one of very few disagreements they’ve had.
Grace Chatto fronts band Clean Bandit[/caption]
Grace Chatto, who fronts the group with bandmate brothers Luke and Jack Patterson, told me: “There was one between me and Luke when we were in America backstage. I think it was when we were promoting Symphony with Zara Larsson.
“We ended up screaming at each other in front of everybody, which was quite extreme.
“But if we do have any fallings out, we make up quite quickly. And we’ve been together so long it feels like we have got such a strong trust that nothing can really go too wrong. Often it’s me and Jack who disagree on things – then Luke has to be the peacekeeper. But as brothers, they are actually just very solid.”
The trio will be back on stage this Friday for a one-off headline concert at the London Palladium as part of the charity gig series Brits Week For War Child, where they will be joined by guests including Jess Glynne and Wes Nelson.
Grace teased: “We’re playing a lot of unreleased songs because we thought that, in the intimate setting, it would be really cool to play new stuff that isn’t even finished, to gauge which ones feel right.
And we just finished our new single yesterday.
“It’s with Tiesto and Leony, who’s an amazing singer we met up with in Berlin and made the track there.”
K-Pop hopefuls go with the Flo
GONE are the days of competing girl groups, as British trio Flo are busy helping to launch the career of a fledgling act in South Korea.
I’ve learned the girls – Jorja Douglas, Stella Quaresma and Renee Downer– have written a debut single called The Chase for K-pop’s newest act Hearts2Hearts.
British trio Flo are busy helping to launch the career of a fledgling act in South Korea[/caption]
It is out today and has been described as a dreamy yet mysterious introduction to the eight- member Asian group.
Despite this being their first tune, they have already been announced to play at SMTOWN Live in London at Twickenham Stadium on June 28, alongside a load of other K-pop acts.
Meanwhile Flo are gearing up for their European tour, including shows in Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham and London, which kicks off next month.
Glynne and tonic for Alex
ALEX SCOTT and Jess Glynne looked loved up as they attended a London Fashion Week show.
The couple, who have been dating since 2023 and are no strangers to attending a glitzy event together, held hands as they smiled for cameras outside the venue.
Jess Glynne and Alex Scott were pictured at a London Fashion Week show[/caption]
Ex-Lioness Alex and singer Jess were joined by Ella Eyre at Abbey Road Studios for the showcase from menswear brand Labrum.
Back with a banger
OASIS are on course to land their first No1 single in 20 years this week.
The lads have re-released their non- album single Whatever, which originally came out in 1994, and that is propelling it all the way to the top, according to midweek data from Official Charts.
But they still face tough competition from current chart-topper Kendrick Lamar and his single Not Like Us, which is only 500 copies behind, so it may well leapfrog them by Friday.
‘Boozey blow for the Brits
HIS viral hit A Bar Song (Tipsy) was up for best International Song at Saturday’s Brit Awards.
But if Shaboozey wins the gong he won’t be there to pick it up in person, after he was forced to pull out of appearing.
The US star, who was also due to perform, shocked fans last night with a sudden statement on Instagram.
Shaboozey said: “For reasons beyond my control I sadly won’t be making my planned appearance at the Brit Awards. I want to say good luck to all the nominees and the performers on the night.”
Shaboozey was one of the first acts to be announced in January as a performer at the ceremony at London’s O2 Arena, and we were excited to see him live.
Whatever the reason, he won’t have taken the decision lightly and we wish him all the best.
