-The BRIT Awards 2023 with Mastercard today launch the final two episodes of The Red Carpet Treatment, featuring the hip hop duo A1 x J1 and the acclaimed and double BRIT winning singer songwriter Gabrielle.

The series has been hosted by one of the UK’s most important YouTube creators and influencers, Nella Rose, and recorded in a specially made Red Carpet studio.  In each episode pop stars walk and talk about their journey to one of the most iconic fashion and celebrity moments of the year - The BRIT Awards Red Carpet. Nella discusses with her guests their personal journeys to pop stardom;  the songs, the friendships, the clothes and the emotions as they arrive at The O2 Arena for one of the most important milestones in their career.

The Red Carpet Treatment launched earlier this month with episodes from Ella Henderson, Ms Banks, Joel Corry, Gracey, RAYE and Jordan Stephens.

Check out the new episodes HERE, available across podcast platforms, with video episodes available on The BRITs’ YouTube channel.

EPISODE 7 - A1 x J1 talk to Nella about fashion, meeting on the House Party app, working on hit single ‘Latest Trends’ and how J1’s mother paid for their first studio session, collaborating with Aitch, Adele, self-confidence, selfies and more!

A1: So yeah, I wrote that in my kitchen, recorded it and then after the studio session I sent it to the mandem, so I sent it to J1 and this other artist as well and they both said “This is hard, this is hard” I am just receiving love.

J1: It was a banger, it was a banger. I'm not even going to lie about it.

A1: Yeah just saying this is hard, I am receiving love and I am just like “Cool”. Then there was a spare verse on the song and then J1 hopped on it so he wrote a verse and he hopped on it and then he sent it was like “oh yeah, this is hard” and then he posted it on TikTok but I didn't know he posted it on TikTok because if he told me “Can I post this on TikTok?” I would have said no but he posted it and when he did it started getting attraction and from there that is how we are here. 

Nella: A little birdy told me that your mum gave you £20 to record your first studio session.

J1: Yeah, my first ever studio session and I recorded ‘Latest Trends’

Nella: I bet she is super proud of you now.

J1: Yeah and don’t worry I gave her the £20 back

Nella: What does [Adele] smell like?

A1: Money

J1: Beauty

Nella: One said money, one said beauty, wow, what a woman.

EPISODE 8 - Gabrielle talks to Nella about the 30th anniversary of Dreams and hitting the top of the charts, giving advice to Black women in the industry, about having self-belief, winning a BRIT award, appearing in the Stormzy video, supporting Adele and more

On being yourself…

Gabrielle: Listen, I had been told the worst things, but it was like water off a duck's back because…I grew up with boys [and] there's no time to be a boohoo cry baby. So I say to everyone, try and be yourself, do not listen to the narrative, whatever other people have for you. It's not about what their dreams are,  [it’s] what your dream is for you and how you can visualise it, and you walk the steps and make the preps as to how you're going to get there, and that's what I say to anybody and everybody

On winning a BRIT…

Gabrielle: I was just happy to have been at The BRITs because of the fact that the years I've watched it on TV the same way that I used to watch Top Of The Pops, and I'd be at home and do all your little dance moves and stuff like that, but actually be there and to get a BRIT award, it's phenomenal, it was the first time I had won anything, you know what I mean, so that was fantastic.

On being in the Stormzy video for ‘Mel Made Me Do It’...

Gabrielle: You know what, it was incredible. I mean, it gives you that bit of credibility…when you've got kids, if you don't do anything, they're not interested in it, they don't care. It's like ‘yeah whatever Mum’ and the moment it was a case of we couldn't tell everyone you know, so when I did it, I mean, I love Stormzy…so to be part of the Stormzy video and just to see how amazing it was being received…this was a phenomenal thing to be a part of.

On supporting Adele at Hyde Park:

Gabrielle: You know, I still find it hard to believe that I did that. I still find it hard to believe that she was very specific that she wanted me. I've got band members who were like, you know, you've got the big boys slot, to play directly before Adele sings and I knew it was big, because I couldn't ever imagine…you know me even meeting her, I never actually ever thought I'd meet her because I've always loved her. I'd heard it being kind of touted about, and then near the time, and it was confirmed, it was crazy but then I started to get mad nervous, because I'm the most nervous thing or I know. I'm super nervous, and I still get nervous but I was like, “Am I really gonna do this?” It's like 65,000 people. “Can I even do this? Two nights? Two days? 65,000 people”... I was losing sleep because it was still scary that she would be there you know, and that first of all, I pretty much might meet her because I'm just supporting her. I went on the first day and I didn't see her and I think it was the second day my manager was like, “Yeah, but she'd like to meet you”. So she is dynamic. She is everything and more and I love the fact that she's so down to earth. Yeah, I can't get over it. She came to my dressing room, she just had trackies on so you know, what can I say? I love her, she's incredible, she is flawless you know like how when they talk about flawless singers you know Beyonce’s flawless, Adele is flawless!

On being a woman in a man’s world…

Gabrielle: You know, something, I think as a woman, especially in the industry, when you look at most of the male artists, you can look a certain way that if they're worried about makeup, they can come with a little beer belly, there's nothing wrong with it. If you're a woman, you're judged from head to toe, whereas a guy can literally fall out of bed and kind of roll up and it's like, yeah, it's just the look, you know. Yeah, so there's always going to be that pressure on women, but I'm loving the fact that now women, we are claiming it and we're doing it for ourselves in the sense that we no longer feel that we have to kind of dress a certain way or be a certain way and although the pressure we still like to look glamorous and stuff, but it's your state of mind. It's a feeling sometimes we're not waiting for someone to tell us when you're deciding on that outfit and for the moment you put on the final thing even like nice shoes you know, maturity and stuff like that, you know, but when you're young you know yourself at the time you get to my age in my 50s… now women, they have their game on, they've got it going on.