Up for three Brit awards this weekend including song of the year for his epic hit Stargazing, the former sociology student condemns how austerity has damaged the arts

Myles Smith’s song Stargazing – a thumping pop-hoedown full of stadium-sized chants and euphoric romance – was one of the biggest hits by a British artist last year, racking up nearly 700m streams on Spotify, spending 40 weeks on the UK chart and breaking the US Top 20. It’s also up for song of the year at this weekend’s Brit awards, where Smith is also nominated for best new artist and best pop act, having already won this year’s Brits Rising Star award. Ed Sheeran is an admirer and confidant, and has booked him as support on a stadium tour, and Smith is no one-hit-wonder either: in January, the jaunty Nice to Meet You became his second Top 10 hit.

But the weirdest moment for him, he says, was when he recently rang up a utilities company to sort a new wifi deal. “They put me on hold, and it was Stargazing playing. Those are the types of things that still seem absolutely bizarre.”