"As could be expected from this year’s BRITs, the venue dazzled in red with dashes of gold inkeeping with the iconic Vivienne Westwood Brit statue. The red carpet stretched out around the inside of the O2 and everywhere I cast my eye I could see teeny dresses, sequins and towering heels.
Once our official COMPANY area was prepped & ready to receive the artists, we left our momentarily peaceful area to see what was happening on the red carpet... Walking out into the hub of the excitement was everything you would expect of such a major music event; hundreds of suits, even more headphones & clipboards and lots of huge bouncers that even made me feel Minogue-esque, even in my five inch platforms! My first spot was Paloma Faith working the red carpet and she looked as picture-perfect as you’d expect (grrrr!), followed by the streak of Mark Ronson’s mane shining like a beacon against the backdrop of black-attired entourage. There was no mistaking the celebs from us 'muggles', so any fears of missing a potentially crucial celeb-spot were soon forgotten. Finally, after seeing Eliza Doolittle being whisked down the red carpet and through to the backstage area looking absolutely amazing in a Mark Fast ‘tail-feather’ crochet dress , we rushed back to our Press area . This was it - dictaphone and camera at the ready.
Suddenly the huge feathered jacket I had been clinging onto like an Eskimo felt like it was causing me to melt and it was thrown in a corner (not something one usually does with a jacket that spends its wardrobe life wrapped in a protective cover). Nothing else felt like it mattered, I was no longer worrying if my hair was not big enough (or too big!), if my dress was appropriate or my 'leg jewellery' was stealing my thunder. I just didn’t want to talk so fast in my Cumbrian drawl that the likes of Cee Lo Green would be forced to just smile and keep walking! How close is it appropriate to stand whilst interviewing ? What if I forget their name? Or what if I just can’t speak at all?!
Luckily COMPANY.co.uk columnist Gemma Cairney was my first interview, and I’m so grateful she was. She was just very open and chatty and gave great responses – really helping me get into the stride of thinking on my toes and breaking the ice. I didn’t have time to recover though as Jessie J was up next – the interview ended with a cuddle and a smile, which is a good thing - right? Suddenly there was a tingle in the atmosphere and I could hear a bubble of excitement moving down the corridor towards us. Justin Bieber was on his way! After being swept past us and stopping for a pic, he looked at our backstage TV screens where Cheryl Cole was shown taking to the stage, and he proclaimed loudly “Oh my God, She’s so hot!” Get in line Justin, we think Cheryl’s got bigger fish to fry!
Highlight of the night has to be interviewing Tinie Tempah - this man has the most infectious smile and I could have (okay, wanted to) sit and chat with him all night. He seemed very humble and not at all 'starry' and I really hope he continues this as his career skyrockets. The fact that he took the time to speak to me and have a bit of banter was fantastic - especially as he was being motioned constantly to move through to meet other PRs. Take That, although being hot-footed through backstage were also polite enough to indulge me and the Company girls with smiles, winks and general greetings. Being inches away and now looking like part of their entourage had its perks! Cee Lo Green was also a pleasure to speak to, the man is so smooth – and not just his shoes !
I need to leave you all now as I’m catching my train back 'up North' but I don’t want to leave! The trouble with having an experience such as this is how infectious it all is - I now feel like I could interview anyone! Hey, you might just see me wandering around the streets of Manchester with a big microphone... if you do, please take pity and come say 'Hi'!"
Sara was our BRIT girl competition winner who won the chance to come backstage with COMPANY and report from the BRIT Awards 2011.
