But at this year’s Brit Awards, the shades were more than just a fashion statement for the Vossi Bop hitmaker.
As he took to the mic to accept a trophy, the rapper, 31, revealed he was actually concealing a nasty injury.
Stormzy—real name Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr.—received the award for best hip-hop/grime/rap act as he joined the likes of Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, and JADE in taking home gongs.
During his speech, he laughed that it was a ‘mad, funny time’ for him to be winning.
As he struggled to read the pre-written notes he’d written down, he told the venue: ‘Sorry, I’m wearing shades as well because I mashed up my eye playing padel.’
The rap icon is a big lover of the sport, having shared a snap from a game he played in December with Irish footballer Jeff Hendrick.
‘I’ve got a very sore eye,’ he confessed.
He added: ‘I’ve got a bruised cornea so my eye is sore under here. I’m not being a madman with shades on inside.’
Also in his acceptance speech, Stormzy made a divisive comment about how he came to win.
‘I love everyone who voted for me; I’m very grateful, and I love the Brits as well… I don’t entirely think this award should be fan-voted.’
He continued: ‘I don’t think any of the awards should be fan-voted… sometimes I think it doesn’t let people have their moments.
Declaring that Central Cee was his rap artist of the year, he concluded: ‘But these things don’t define us, as much as they’re amazing and we love them.’
Stormzy also thanked his ‘brothers’ from Chase & Status, with whom he was also nominated for song of the year for Backbone. The award went to Charli XCX and Billie Eilish for Guess.
His Brits appearance – a night where Chappell Roan, Sam Fender, Ezra Collective, and Raye also scooped awards – comes amid a time of controversy for Stormzy.
He recently issued a statement after being criticised for a partnership with fast food giant McDonald’s.
Having created ‘The Stormzy Meal,’ he received backlash for linking himself to a company that has appeared to support Israel.
The actions conflicted with the artist’s own alleged beliefs, as he has previously shared pro-Palestinian messages online.
He penned in 2024: ‘I hope everyone is good, some fleeting thoughts. 1. Free Palestine. 2. In the future, if there is ever a clear injustice in the world no matter how big or small, 100 times out of 100 I will always be on the side of the oppressed. Unequivocally. As I always have been.’
However, this post has since been deleted, with fans accusing him of ‘selling out’ for the McDonald’s cheque.
His latest message claimed the narrative had been ‘twisted’ as he denied deleting the upload.
‘In that post I spoke about #FreePalestine, oppression and injustice and my stance on this has not changed,’ Stormzy declared.
‘The brands I work with can’t tell me what to do and don’t tell me what to do otherwise I wouldn’t work with them.’
‘I do my own research on all brands I work with, gather my own information, form my own opinion and come to my own conclusion before doing business.
He then clarified that he felt he had to speak out about this because there were people who were confused by this move and he wanted to make sure his fans had the full context.
Catch up with the 2025 Brit Awards on ITVX.
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