Stormzy collaboration gives me the guidance I need, says singer Debbie
AMY HEYCOCKNot many artists can say they've been able to sit in a studio working with someone as a big as Stormzy.
One of those who can is singer-songwriter Debbie, who met the award-winning rapper last year and has worked closely with him since.
"He's someone that I can look up to, he gives me the guidance I need and he's also a friend," the 24-year-old says.
Stormzy played his only UK gig of the year on Friday, with his own headlining day at All Points East festival.
Debbie is just one of the artists who supported him at the event, alongside other carefully chosen names like Kehlani, Lucky Daye and Knucks.
She says when the pair first met, they clicked and immediately wrote Give It To The Water together.
Since then, they've gone on to co-write several other tracks on Stormzy's latest album This Is What I Mean, with Debbie also featuring on some of the songs.
"I still don't think I've taken it in," she tells BBC Newsbeat.
"I get glimpses where I'm like, 'oh my gosh, I wrote five songs with Stormzy' and it sinks in but then it goes away."
Getty ImagesThere's not really a typical route into the music industry, but Debbie's journey is particularly unique.
For a period of her life, she was spending her days studying finance at university and performing at open mic nights on her evenings.
But the Covid lockdown changed things.
With a smile on her face, she explains: "I was fired from my marketing job and I was like, 'well, I need to do something else'.
"I'd been doing music the whole time so I decided to pursue that.
"And coincidentally, I got signed as soon as I made that decision."
Debbie says Stormzy deserves praise for getting the best out of her as she develops.
"It's really weird, because I don't normally work with writers. I am so anti-social in the studio," she says.
"But Stormzy's really good at drawing the energy out of someone. So it was just really natural and very collaborative."
And Debbie says seeing her name up in lights on stages like the one at All Points East festival is something she's still not used to.
"I don't think it's ever going to get old. It really never sinks in but I'm so grateful and blessed."
