Grammy winner reveals teenage drug battle left her with speech issues

Clean Bandit released their new single Believe last month. 

Now, Grace Chatto, 39, the band’s cellist and vocalist, has opened up about the emotional story behind the track, revealing her teenage battle with drugs that left her with speech difficulties and a driving ban. 

In a recent TikTok post, she shared: ‘I speak so slowly because I took too many drugs when I was a teenager.’ 

She also detailed other struggles she faces today, adding: ‘I can’t get car insurance because I had a driving ban.’ 

Despite these challenges, the musician, whose band has topped charts with hits like Rather Be, Rockabye, and Symphony, said their latest single is poignant because it reminds her to count her blessings every morning. 

Alongside the caption ‘I believe in us,’ referencing the track featuring South African singer Lloyiso, she wrote: ‘But I believe in us. Won a Grammy, gratitude for all that I have, I am strong, I’m nice, I am honest.’ 

Her candid post resonated with fans, racking up more than 180,000 likes. 

It comes after the chart-topping British group were the victims of a shocking robbery in Ibiza last year – with £35,000 worth of equipment and cash stolen.

The band had flown out to the Spanish party Island to record the music video for their single Cry Baby with DJ David Guetta.

However, the exciting work trip quickly turned into a disaster when they returned from dinner to discover that someone had ‘crowbarred the window and taken the lenses and laptops and cash’.

Opening up about the ordeal in an interview with The Sun, band member Grace explained that they were filming footage for the video with David in the studio, before crashing at a friend’s house for the night.

The other two members of the group, Jack and Luke Patterson, had flown back to London to edit the video – but when Grace headed back to their hotel to grab the lenses, she realised what had happened. 

But, despite being ‘scared’ to sleep at their hotel following the robbery, the musician was partially relieved.

She added: ‘The main thing was that the footage was safe, because that would have been irreplaceable.’

Meanwhile, the group hoped to get the stolen £35,000 back on insurance. 

They are planning to make a comeback to the music scene and drop their first album in six years in 2025, after struggling to ‘get their momentum back’ following the Covid-19 pandemic.

During their career, the group have scored ten top ten singles, with their first being Rather Be featuring Jess Glynne, 35. 

The song topped charts worldwide and won a Grammy, paving the way for further success with hits like Rockabye and Symphony, and establishing them as a standout act in the music scene. 

Clean Bandit is expected to release their new album, CB3, in 2025. 

While a specific date is not yet available, their recent single, Believe featuring Lloyiso, was released on July 4th, suggesting the album is likely to follow later in the year.