Nine-year-old Chiswick pianist turns grime artist with debut single Grime School

Wiggy in the studio

Wiggy High, classically trained since Year 1 at his local primary, swaps scales for grime beats on his debut for Hot Vinyl Records

A nine-year-old boy from Chiswick has released his debut single, blending classical piano training with grime.

Wiggy High’s ‘Grime School’ came out on Friday 7 August on all major streaming platforms, through Hot Vinyl Records. He has lived in the area since starting at a local primary school in Year 1, and is now going into Year 6.

Classically trained on piano, Wiggy has channelled that grounding into original grime material, writing and performing his own songs rather than starting out on covers, as many young performers do.

It is an unusual pairing: grime grew out of pirate radio and east London estates in the early 2000s, built on stripped-back, aggressive beats, and years of piano lessons are not the usual route in.

The song takes on the frustrations of everyday school life, set to heavy, moody production. A review in Illustrate Magazine praised the sharpness of his delivery, calling the debut proof that ‘talent isn’t measured by age’.

Kojo Rigault, A&R at Hot Vinyl Records, said he recognised something in Wiggy early on.

“When Wiggy performed his first poem in front of me, I knew immediately this wasn’t an ordinary kid who wanted to rap”, he said. “This was an artist. The classical piano ability gives him a musical foundation that most grime artists take years to develop”.

‘Grime School’ is out now on all major streaming platforms.