Stormzy waxwork unveiled at Madame Tussauds wearing iconic Banksy stab vest
By Davina Hyde
Stormzy has unveiled his first ever Madame Tussauds figure at the famous Baker Street attraction at a special event.
The Croydon born rapper’s figure immortalises his famous headline appearance at the 2019 Glastonbury Festival where he wore a Union Jack stab vest designed by Banksy.
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.
Stormzy attended a number of secret sittings with Madame Tussauds London artists, who were given exclusive access to the original vest, where hundreds of precise measurements and reference photographs were taken of both the vest itself and Stormzy wearing it.
The outfit is completed with black Yeezy Boost 350 V2 trainers and custom made Merky earpieces.
The figure is positioned in Madame Tussauds London’s Culture Zone, which celebrates people who have had a lasting impact on British or world culture, such as William Shakespeare, Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II.
He said: “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.”
The unveiling event was attended by 90 lucky Merky Books competition winners following their pre-ordering of Merky Books upcoming release, Superheroes: Inspiring Stories of Secret Strength, and close friends and family of the star.
A sneak preview of the wax figure to his nephew on video was widely shared on social media. His nephew is shown wondering why his “Uncle Junior” isn’t moving.
Stormzy is famous for hits including Vossi Bop, Crown, Big for your Boots and Blinded by your Grace.
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.
