Jack Garratt talks top knots, beards and getting drunk at the Brits

BBC Sound Of 2016 winner Jack Garratt on top knots, wrinkly skin and getting drunk at the Brits 

You recently won the Brit Award for Critics’ Choice – have you put it in your loo?

Not yet, because I haven’t sorted the shelf out. But I think that’s where I might end up putting it. I feel weird having my awards on show as soon as people come over. I might just keep them in my bedroom.

They keep on coming. Maybe you could build a box for them?

Yeah, that’s what I’ll do. And I’ll waste my entire energy bill on a huge lighting rig that shines on the whole thing from the inside. It’ll have spinning motors and everything. It’s gonna be great.

Are you going to this year’s Brit Awards?

I am. The 10-year-old in me is very excited about the whole thing.

On a scale of one to 10, how drunk will you be getting?

[Laughs] It could be a one, it also could be a 73. I’m not entirely sure. I’ll have to see what happens on the night.

50 Cent was the Beeb’s Sound Of 2003 winner – who’d win in a fight, you or him?

Oh, him. But probably because I would stand there and faint. I’d just be in absolute awe of 50 Cent. We’re talking about 50 Cent, right? I’m ruined already. If he looked at me I’d crumble into a thousand pieces.

So you would definitely win then, yeah?

Oh no. Not at all. I didn’t say that, you said that. Please don’t start this. The Brits are coming.

You came in last place in the Great British finals of the 2005 Junior Eurovision Song Contest. Could you name any of the other winners?

[Laughs] Oh, very clever. No I couldn’t, at all. What’s really funny is this girl got in touch recently saying say she was on the show I was on. I’m not ashamed of it.
It’s not a ghost from the past that I’m trying to keep hidden. It’s something I’m open talking about because everything I’ve done up until this point has got me to the position I’m in.

I can tell you who won. Her name is Ksenia Sitnik, from Belarus.

Of course. How could I have possibly forgotten?

The winning song was called My Vmeste.

Brilliant. Love that. I wasn’t even at that show. It was 10 years ago.

When was the last time you took your snapback off?

I’m actually not wearing it now. So there you go. I like hats. I have ridiculously curly hair, and it’s impossible to do anything with it. So I have to keep it under a hat. Or wear it in a bun. But then the whole world gets p*ssed off.

Is that because everyone hates top knots on guys?

Well, apparently. I don’t wear a top knot or have a beard as a fashion statement. I just have hair on my face and apparently that really aggravates people.

You spend most of the video for Breathe Life in a lake…

Yep. From 6am to 6pm.

Wow. Did your skin go all wrinkly?

Yes. The skin thing happened about half an hour into the shoot. So I had to deal with 11 and a half hours of wrinkly skin. 

Did you also ruin a perfectly good suit?

I did. But I do know that not a lot of money was spent on it. I think someone even took it home and dried it, because they wanted to keep it. So we were definitely resourceful. I actually burnt my eyeballs doing it. It’s a thing that happens. If you have your eyes open and don’t have sunglasses on in the blistering Californian heat for too long then you can burn your eyes.

You’re surrounded by synchronised swimmers. Did any of them kick you in the head?

[Laughs] No. We didn’t have any fatalities. On the first take I did have my mouth open, because I was pretending to sing along to the track when one of the synchronised swimmers managed to hit the water in exactly the right way. Half of it went into my mouth and down my throat. So that was lovely.

So what you’re saying is one of your synchronised swimmers tried to drown you?

Well, I’m not saying it like that. And I’m not saying that she meant to, but she did seem to be annoyed that I didn’t drown afterwards.

Lana Del Rey recently dropped her new video, Freak, in which she takes acid and smooches Father John Misty. Will we be seeing anything similar in your upcoming vids?

Actually, it’s really interesting. I’ve just done a video where I take acid and I smooch Father John Misty. It’s really awkward. I’m going to have to talk to someone about that. 

Would you like to take acid and smooch Father John Misty one day?

Who wouldn’t? He’s a beautifully talented bearded man. I’d be happy to.

You’ve got similarly furry beards.

Thank you very much.

Jack Garratt’s new album Phase is released on 21 February