Estelle prepares for the Grammys

The singer-songwriter was born in London in 1980

The 29-year-old, whose album, Shine, was a contender for last year's Mercury Prize, is currently touring the US with her producer and mentor, John Legend.

She spoke to the BBC from New York about her preparations for the Grammy ceremony, recording a new album and her Brit nominations.

Congratulations on the awards nominations... Are you in full Grammy mode yet?
I've been in Grammy mode all month! Because I'm on the road, I can't just sit down and prepare everything so I have to keep continually plugging at it.

The star is up for best single and best female at the Brits

What have you got planned?
I'm performing American Boy with Kanye West, I'm presenting an award, then there's the red carpet and all the things before and after, so it's going to be fun.

Are there any surprises in store?
You'll have to wait and see. Even I don't know what we're doing yet.

It's my first Grammy ceremony, so I'm pretty excited about it. The fact that I'm going to be performing in a room full of my peers, that's what I'm excited about.

Do you get nervous?
No, I'm not nervous. I just want to make sure it's the best performance you ever saw - or the dopest performance of the night. I don't want it to be a situation where I think "that was cool, what's next" and just forget about it.

You say you've been planning this for a month. What takes up most of your time?
It's the maintenance, it's the hair, it's the nails!

Everything else is delegated. All the events that I have to attend are sorted out by my manager. My outfit is being handled by my stylist, so I don't have to think about that.

But all the personal prep work is on me - because no-one else is going to turn up with my toes or my fingers or my hair!

Is it enjoyable?
It's like girl prep but you have to do it to the tenth degree. Now I know what these Hollywood girls go through - it's an eye-opening experience!

It's nearly a year since American Boy came out. How do you feel about it now?
I'm kind of a little bit sick of it! I've been singing it every day for a year.

You know, it's a blessing and a curse when you have a song like that. But I think every artist prays for a song that is so big that people just keep wanting to hear it. So I can't complain and I won't complain.

As well as the Grammys you're up for a couple of Brits? Which would you rather take home?
Both of them, right? Both of them. Both of them.

Estelle moved to the US to record her second album, Shine

For me, the awards are cool, but the real question is "will you be there next year to perform?" And that's my thing - being there, consistently, every year.

Have you started work on your third album?
Yes, even though I'm on tour and doing all these other things! I've done about three tracks, and people have started sending me a whole barrage of beats so I'm wading through them and seeing what I like and trying to put it all together correctly.

Can you give us any hints about how it will sound?
I don't know� I think I'm going to do something slightly different, but not too far away from what I'm up to now. My thing is always about making good songs and not sticking in the same lane and doing what I'm supposed to be doing.

Do you feel like you've got to replicate the success of American Boy?
Nah! I mean, it'd be good to have another great song.

There are a lot of British artists up for the Grammys - Adele, Coldplay, Robert Plant, Duffy. Do you feel you have anything in common with them?
I love that they're so diverse, that's crazy!

I think the one thing we have in common is that we're all free spirits. Everyone's form of music is exactly them. I don't think any of the artists who are nominated seem formulated. Which is great.

What are the differences between the UK and US scenes at the moment?
I think there's a bunch of guys who are doing well in the UK, who I'm excited to see come out here in the next six months. Like Chipmunk, for instance. He's really great.

Has the door opened for British artists in the US?
I think the door is open for British artists, period. People are excited now, they want to hear it. The alternative crowd is now the mainstream. That's the crowd everyone wants to fit into. They listen to everything.

Estelle was talking to BBC News music reporter Ian Youngs. The Grammys take place on Sunday, 8 February in Los Angeles.

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