Last night, Stormzy unveiled his first ever Madame Tussauds London figure at a special #Merky event in front of his family, friends and young #Merky Books competition winners. The exclusive unveiling revealed not only that the figure plays homage to Stormzy’s historic Glastonbury headline set, but that the world-famous attraction has decided to position the grime star’s figure in its Culture zone to reflect his profound impact on British culture.
The born and bred Londoner, who is best known for hits including Big for your Boots, Blinded by Your Grace, Vossi Bop and Crown, has been working closely with Madame Tussauds London’s artists since early 2020 on the creation of his first ever figure.
Stormzy’s figure immortalises one of his most memorable career moments to date, his explosive and critically acclaimed Glastonbury headline set of 2019. The figure wears a replica of the Banksy Stab Vest that was originally created for the historic performance. Madame Tussauds London’s team was given exclusive access to the original vest, where photographs, measurements and 3D scans of both the vest itself, and Stormzy wearing it, were taken to ensure it is as close to the original article as possible. The outfit is completed with black Yeezy Boost 350 V2 trainers and custom made #Merky earpieces.
Of the unveiling of his Madame Tussauds London figure, Stormzy said, “I can’t lie, it’s one of my proudest moments. At school, we’d go to Madame Tussauds London where you’d see staple figures in entertainment, history, and culture. So, for me to be there, it feels mad. Seeing myself in 3D was probably the creepiest, sickest, scariest, strangest, most surreal thing ever, but I feel so honoured to have my own figure.
“It was the easiest decision ever to have my figure styled on my Glastonbury performance and I’m so proud to be going into the Culture zone at Madame Tussauds London. From a young age, I’ve always had big dreams of who I’m trying to be in the world, in culture as well. For me to be who I want to be, and to achieve what I want to achieve, and leave my mark on this world, I need to tick these boxes. And having a figure at Madame Tussauds London was always a box I wanted to tick. To be in the Culture zone is just like, yeah, hopefully that’s where I belong, you know?”
Positioned in Madame Tussauds London’s Culture Zone, which celebrates people who have had a lasting impact on British or world culture, Stormzy’s figure stands alongside the likes of William Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II. The music sensation and activist’s imposing 6’ 5” figure faces across to the attraction’s Royal Family and Downing Street sets, creating a visual juxtaposition of the varied influences that make up modern British culture.
Tim Waters, General Manager at Madame Tussauds London said, “There is no denying that Stormzy’s influence is more than just his incredible music prowess. Stormzy has a huge sense of community and with each release of a new record comes another announcement of his scholarship programme, his publishing imprint, or his £10 million pledge to fight social injustice in the UK. It would have been very easy to position Stormzy’s figure in our Music zone, but we took a step back and decided to launch his figure in our Culture zone. We want to reflect that Stormzy is the voice of a generation that continues to have a significant influence on British culture, whether that’s through his award-winning music or his activism.
“Stormzy has worked so closely with our artists on the creation of his first ever figure and we loved his idea to make its unveiling part of a #Merky event, sharing the moment with his family, friends and some very lucky competition winners.”
Stormzy’s Madame Tussauds London figure unveiling was part of an exclusive #Merky event. Among the audience were young fans that had won tickets to the special evening after pre-ordering #Merky Book’s upcoming release, Superheroes: Inspiring Stories of Secret Strength. Contributors to the book – due out on 16th September and curated by Stormzy himself – were also at the event, including illustrator Denzell Dankwah, author Sophia Thakur, and young superstars Princess K and Omari McQueen who hosted a Q&A with Stormzy before he unveiled his Madame Tussauds London figure.
Stormzy joins Madame Tussauds London’s Culture zone from 12th August. Book tickets at: www.madametussauds.com/London
