Stormzy says Little Mix, Skepta and Kano deserve Brit Awards

Stormzy says he's rooting for Little Mix to take home a Brit Award this year.

"They have smashed it," the grime artist tells Newsbeat. "Their new song, Touch, is a banger. I can't even lie."

Little Mix are up for three awards including best British group, where they will have to beat the likes of The 1975, Radiohead, Biffy Clyro and Bastille.

Stormzy is nominated for British breakthrough act.

But he says he's rooting for other acts to win more than himself.

"Skepta deserves a Brit," he says. "He's killed it. As has Kano. Nao is incredible too. I'd love to see her go home with something.

"But the Brits is one of those things that everyone there is deserving of an award."

Stormzy has helped make this year's group of nominees more diverse than in previous years.

It's after criticism that there were no black artists named in 2016's main categories.

Stormzy was one of the artists who pushed the #BritsSoWhite hashtag and he later put out the track One Take Freestyle, calling the Brit Awards "embarrassing".

He was then invited to a meeting with Ged Doherty, chairman of the BPI and Brit Awards, and as a result, the panel for this year's Brits Voting Academy was changed to include people from a wider range of backgrounds.

"We spoke for hours and got to the nitty gritty of it," says Stormzy. "He showed me numbers and statistics. I don't want to take all the credit so big up to Ged (Doherty).

"He took the time to speak to me and to make a change.

"It's a collective effort and there were various people using their voice to try and make a change and influence the decision. I was proud to play my role in something that was bigger than myself."

Watch Stormzy perform Big For Your Boots in the Radio 1 Live Lounge.

As a result, Stormzy says he's looking forward to attending this year's show.

"I'm coming to the conclusion that as much as I'm as artist, I'm just a proper fan.

"To even meet some of these acts and musicians is going to be so fun for me. I'm going to be getting my selfies, hopefully with people like Bruno Mars and Little Mix.

"I'm the worst. If I see someone famous, a lot of the time they don't even know me but I just go up to them say 'Yo. Can I get a selfie?'"

Once that's over, he'll then prepare for the long-awaited release of his debut album, Gang Signs & Prayer, on Friday.

"I'm super nervous. I don't think people understand.

"I forget how much love there is sometimes. When I was coming back and dropped my first single, I was wondering whether people would still care and wondering whether they still love me - so it's incredibly humbling."

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