Charli XCX picked up the prize for the Ivor Novello ‘Songwriter of the Year’. In her down-to-earth, humorous manner, she demonstrated her “songwriting genius” by quoting the lyrics for her song ‘Club Classics: “I wanna dance to me, me, me / When I go to the club, club, club.”

She joked, “I’m sure you all agree, I am hardly Bob Dylan. But one thing I certainly do is commit to the bit.”

Charli’s win adds another notch under her belt, after an incredible year of critical acclaim and new heights of fame following ‘Brat‘. As well as her new Ivor, she won big at the Brits earlier this year, taking home five awards, as well as three at the Grammys.

Lola Young managed to claim the ‘Rising Star’ award, after the success of her breakthrough single ‘Messy’, which spent four weeks at No. 1 on the UK charts. She’s since performed and been nominated at the Brits, played at Coachella, and is set to take to the stage at Glastonbury later this summer.

After winning the award, she told the BBC: “This is such a big moment for the kid in my bedroom that was 10 years old, writing songs on her guitar. To be here now is such an honour, and such a gives me such a warm feeling.”

Rapper/producer/songwriter Berwyn also saw victory last night, grabbing the award for ‘Best Album’, with his debut release, ‘Who Am I’. The judges praised the record and its “vivid storytelling that transcends generations, race and social differences, offering a voice to those often unseen by society”.

This year’s awards saw 22 songwriters and composers collecting prizes in 14 categories. While 70% of the winners this year were first-timers, it wasn’t only new talent that was being celebrated. Rock heroes U2 became the first Irish band to win the ‘Fellowship of the Ivor Novello Songwriting Academy’.

U2 performed tonight at the Ivor Novello awards, seen here performing an”Angel of Harlem”, we’ll have a more complete report later. And yes, that’s Larry Mullen performing with them on stage.

Video clip here via Universal: https://t.co/RaNzIfRTeg #U2 pic.twitter.com/IsurzO39VH

— U2Songs.com (@u2songs) May 22, 2025

Accepting the academy fellowship, Bono spoke on the strength and power that music can have: “Songs can be arrows through time if they come from the right place,” he said.

“They can fly higher and farther, last longer, hit harder. They can pierce the hardest armour of the human heart.

“I don’t know if they can change the world, but they changed us.”

As the band played an acoustic version of their political anthem, ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’, Bono asked for peace in the on-going Israel-Gaza conflict. The singer said: “Hamas release the hostages. Stop the war. Israel be released from Benjamin Netanyahu.

“All of you protect our aid workers, they are the best of us.”

Robbie Williams was also given the ‘PRS For Music Icon’ award. The British pop legend has recently released a single called ‘Rocket’ from his upcoming record, ‘Britpop‘. Honouring a career going back to his beginnings with boyband Take That in the 90’s, to his high-selling solo hits like ‘Angels’, ‘Rock DJ’ and ‘Feel’, he tried to describe the feeling of taking the ‘icon’ title with him.

“When momentous things like this happen, it’s just a hodge-podge of things coming at you from the universe,” he said backstage.

“It’s self-doubt and self-hatred mixed with ego and delusion and audacity.

“So it’s very difficult to put your finger on what it feels like in the moment, other than you’re supposed to say, ‘I’m very grateful’. And I am.”

You can find the full Ivor Novello awards winners list below.

Songwriter of the year

Charli XCX

Academy Fellowship

U2

Music icon award

Robbie Williams

Best album

Berwyn – Who Am I

Best contemporary song

Sans Soucis – Circumnavigating Georgia

Best song musically and lyrically

Orla Gartland – Mine

Most performed work

Myles Smith – Stargazing

Rising star

Lola Young

Best original film score

The Substance – Raffertie

Best original video game score

Farewell North – John Konsolakis

Best television soundtrack

True Detective: Night Country – Vince Pope

Outstanding song collection

Bloc Party

Special international

Brandon Flowers

Visionary award

Self Esteem

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Bloc Party have spent their career making their voice to be distinctive and unique in today’s modern music, known by all for their always evolving sounds. Their first release ‘Silent Alarm’ back in 2005 reshaped the indie world for years to come with ground-breaking fusion of indie, rock, electronica and house.

Kele Okereke, lead singer of Bloc Party, said to The Ivors official website: “To be recognised for songwriting is a very special thing for an artist, and receiving an Ivor Novello award for Outstanding Song Collection is a massive honour. Even before you form a band, play a show or record a note, you’re writing songs – it’s at the core of being an artist. It’s amazing to see people connecting with Bloc Party’s music, from those who’ve loved the band from the start, to more and more young people we’re seeing at our shows over the past few years; inspiring us to push forward as a group whilst also being privileged to look back at everything we have already achieved.”

With an extra five studio albums added to their names, Bloc Party have proved their brilliance both as songwriters and musicians with their rare ability to fuse introspective lyricism with a bold, dynamic sound. Their sophomore album ‘A Weekend in the City’ saw the band expand their sound with atmospheric textures and politically charged themes, earning them a #2 spot in the UK albums chart. In 2008, ‘Intimacy’, another daring shift for the band, embraced electronic production and experimental song structures. Their 2022 release ‘Alpha Games’ was met with widespread critical acclaim, reaffirming Bloc Party’s fearless creativity and ever-evolving artistry.

Roberto Neri, CEO of The Ivors Academy, said: “Bloc Party have made a lasting impact on British music through fearless and innovative songwriting and an unwavering artistic vision. With emotional depth and urgency, their songs continue to inspire fans and songwriters around the world. We’re proud to honour Kele, Russell, Gordon and Matt with the Outstanding Song Collection Ivor Novello Award, recognising their craft and the impact of their work.”

Bloc Party rounds the number of songwriters who have received the award up to sixty-two, following in the footsteps of John Deacon, Brian May, Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor (Queen), Bono, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jnr and The Edge (U2), Philip Cunningham, Gillian Gilbert, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and Bernard Sumner (New Order), Nick Banks, Jarvis Cocker, Candida Doyle, Steve Mackey, Russell Senior and Mark Webber (Pulp), Noel Gallagher, Steve Winwood, KAMILLE and KT Tunstall.

This year’s fellow nominees are Lola Young, Charli XCX, RAYE, Ghetts and more.

Lola Young has picked up the most nominations this year, including ‘Best Song Musically and Lyrically’ for her hit track ‘Messy’, ‘Best Album’ for her record ‘This Wasn’t Meant for You Anyway’, and the ‘Rising Star’ award.

The ex-Brit School student shot to fame with her toxic relationship love song, ‘Messy’, which reached No. 1 in January, also topping worldwide charts including Australia and Ireland.

At the Ivors 2024, RAYE took home the ‘Songwriter Of The Year’ award. This year, she’s also nominated in the ‘Best Song Musically And Lyrically’ for her tune ‘Genesis’, and in the running for ‘Most Performed Work’ for ‘Prada’, a collaboration between her, Cassö, and D-Block Europe.

Charli XCX is also in the race for the ‘Best Album’ award with her rave-influenced record ‘BRAT’ that took the world by storm in 2024. Other names in the ring for the award are UK rapper/grime legend Ghetts with his highly praised fourth album ‘On Purpose, With Purpose’, and multi-talented musician/producer Berwyn, with his debut studio album ‘WHO AM I’.

Ghetts has also scored a shot at the ‘Best Contemporary Song’ category with his tune ‘Double Standards (feat. Sampha), his second nomination of this year’s awards. Other artists in contention for this prize include JADE with ‘Angel of My Dreams’, Sans Soucis with ‘Circumnavigating Georgia’, Bashy with ‘How Black Men Lose Their Smile’ and Pa Saileu with ‘Allergy’.

In March, it was announced that U2 would receive ‘Fellowship Of The Ivors Academy’, the highest honour that the organization can give. This places the band alongside iconic names such as Sir Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, Elton John and Bruce Springsteen, who was the first international songwriter to receive the award last year.

This year marks the 70^th anniversary of the illustrious awards. The Ivors were made to celebrate the craft and artistry of songwriters. They are judged peer-to-peer by songwriters and composers, for songwriters and composers, rather than by industry representatives or broader audiences.

Tom Gray, Chair of The Ivors Academy, shared his excitement for the 2025 Ivors: “Everyone knows The Ivors are the most joyful celebration of music making in the calendar. Many of the most talented and creative people on the planet get together to celebrate each other’s exceptional originality and craft. Congratulations to all of the remarkable nominees this year. It’s a huge privilege for The Ivors Academy to champion music creation in all its forms.”

Roberto Neri, Chief Executive of The Ivors Academy, also said: “An Ivor Novello Award holds a unique place in music, as it is judged by fellow songwriters and composers, making it the most respected acknowledgement of creative excellence. We are proud to welcome and celebrate the nominees’ achievements and look forward to honouring their work at the 70th edition of The Ivors in May.”

The full list of nominees can be seen below:

Best album

Best contemporary song

Best song musically and lyrically

Most performed work

Rising star

Best original film score

Best original video game score

Best television soundtrack

Just won a fucking @IvorsAcademy award for best song musically and lyrically. I couldn’t breathe. pic.twitter.com/tM8InHRmR3

— Sam Fender (@samfendermusic) May 20, 2022

Taking to Twitter, the singer said “I couldn’t breathe” in regards to taking home the award. With fellow nominees Adele, Rag’n’Bone Man, Holly Humberstone, Ella Henderson, and Tom Grennan, you can see why as competition was tough on the night. However, once his name was called Fender seemed composed, delivering a touching acceptance speech dedicated to a friend that had sadly died the previous week. Detailed in a recent NME article covering the event, Fender said: “A very good friend of mine passed away last week. He was my very first boss and employer. He gave me a job when both me and my mum were unemployed. He used to always hit me over the head with a newspaper for being a shit barman.” Going on he credited his late friend with being instrumental in him having a career in music: “I was always playing guitar in front of people instead of serving the customers, until one day he said, ‘Go get your guitar out and sit in that corner’. That was because my future manager, who was up and coming at the time, had just come in the pub. Without that man then none of this would have happened, so thank you so much.”. 

Characteristically honest and forthcoming, his speech can be seen as an example of why the nation has taken to him so much over the last couple of years. With equal sincerity and vulnerability showcased consistently in his music, the sky seems to be the limit for Sam as we all watch on with vested interest.

You can check out the now Ivor Novello Award winning single here below:

The 5 nominations for best album are, admittedly, quite a breath of fresh air. With the general niceties that The Grammys keep going for, it’s good to see bands like Sleaford Mods get a shred of attention, their album, Spare Ribs, may not be the best in their discography, but it’s dealing with COVID at the time was almost quite new on the scene. Cleo Sol’s Mother, SAULT’s Nine, and Little Simz’ Sometimes I Might Be Introvert are the 3 albums that got nominated, and all give production credits to Inflo. Laura Mvula’s fantastic Pink Noise rounds out the list. Listen to “Got Me” below.

Ivors judge, and previous winner in 2001, Shaznay Lewis commented on the awards, “It’s been a standout year for music and I am full of admiration for the 77 talented songwriters and composers we are celebrating this year,” adding, “Their work and words touch on a dizzying range of emotions, and I count myself lucky to have heard their stories. As it has every year since 1956, The Ivors celebrates the outstanding creation of music, and I’d like to say a huge congratulations to every nominee.”

 The Best Contemporary Song category also has its own almost hidden gems, in terms of awards shows anyway; Russ Millions and Tion Wayne’s “Body”, James Blake’s “Coming Back”, FKA Twigs’ “Don’t Judge Me”, PinkPantheress’ “Just For Me”, and Inflo’s fourth and final nod with Little Simz’ “Sometimes I Might Be Introvert”. Slightly less interestingly, but arguably the most important award for the night, Songwriter of the Year throws in some particularly boring choices; Adele, Coldplay, Dave, Ed Sheeran, and RAYE. I thought the fact that Sheeran is still getting nominations for songwriting was a thing of the past. How foolish of me, he’s been nominated for 3 awards throughout the evening. Adele, and Little Simz also took 2 nominations.

Emily Saunders, board director and chair of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion steering group, said: “I’m delighted that we have reached this point and I would like to thank all our directors and trustees for their commitment to championing equality at the Academy and across the music industry. Our members deserve and expect a gender-balanced, representative and inclusive Academy and trustee board to represent their perspectives and interests.

The ⁦@IvorsAcademy⁩ achieves gender balance on its Boards .

Don’t just talk Equality, Diversity & Inclusion….Do it.

To speak for all voices , Music must speak with all voices…..more to do but proud we’re getting there.
https://t.co/2Hkbxco5FM

— Crispin Hunt (@crispinhunt) February 22, 2021

“This is one step of many that we are committed to taking to make sure we are fully diverse and inclusive across everything do. Diverse life experiences, identities and backgrounds bring diverse thinking and new ways of seeing the world, that creates a stronger Academy for all music creators.”

The Ivors Academy committed itself to championing equality, diversity and inclusion after publishing a 12-point action plan in July of last year. Within the manifesto, the organisation outlined the ambition for 50% representation of both genders on its boards. Improving the protection and management characteristics of collected data also featured within the plan, as well as providing equality and diversity training to staff and board members, and providing more support and guidance to improve accessibility when entering awards ceremonies.

Earlier this month the Ivors relaunched the Academy Trust with a line-up of new trustees, described by the he organisation as “an important call to action for increased support for the songwriters, composers and musicians hit hardest by the pandemic and a lack of opportunity”.

Ivors Academy CEO Graham Davies said: “I am delighted to announce the relaunch of The Ivors Academy Trust with an amazing board of talented trustees and ambition to sustain music creators.

“This is an important time for the music industry to increase the level of support it gives to creators. We must throw a lifeline to our talent pipeline on which our industry depends. The Ivors Academy can grow and develop our creative community if we get support to scale the education, development, mentoring, training and support we can provide. This is vital work.”

Following the 2020 award ceremony which was held completely virtually, the Ivor Novello awards are looking to return this year, and the celebrate the ceremony live on the 21st of September at the Grosvenor House in London.

Speaking of the ceremony, Graham Davies, CEO of The Ivors Academy, said, “Hold the date for The Ivors with Apple Music 2021. I can’t wait to see the talent and artistry we will recognise from the past year – something that’s more important than ever. While we are in uncertain times, we remain optimistic about being able to celebrate in person.”

The award show, because of the onset of Covid-19 was postponed from May to September last year, before being cancelled altogether. The winners were announced on Matt Wilkinson’s Apple Music radio show instead. Speaking of the cancellation of the award show, Davies and Crispin Hunt, chair of The Ivors Academy, had commented, “As a community of music creators, The Ivors Academy has presented awards continuously for 64 years and 2020 will be no different. Lockdown proved how important music is to our lives and how fragile the live music industry is.”

This year however, the ceremony organisers are trying to “remain optimistic” about the possibility of an in-person show being hosted in September.

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Dave, Calvin Harris, Little Simz were among the winers of last year’s Ivor. Dave won the ‘best contemporary song’ award for his song ‘Black’, which at the Brits he performed calling Boris Johnson racist. Little Simz won  the ‘best album’ award for ‘GREY Area’, speaking of which on Twitter, she said she was thankful for the award and that it’s “Been a long journey but more on the horizon to come.”

 

 

 

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In a year where everyone’s live shows have gone down the drain. I’m so exited to be putting on a show in my dream venue. I will be live streaming a live performance for you guys in the mf Tate Morden!!!!! Save the date. The rona won’t stop us

A post shared by Griff (@wiffygriffy) on Oct 15, 2020 at 9:05am PDT

Griff’s first EP ‘The Mirror Talk EP‘ was released with Warner Records back in November 2019. Since then she has taken the UK music scene by storm, having been described as the UK’s ‘Brightest New Pop Star‘. Griff is only 19 years old, but her song writing skills have matured a lot over her short time in the industry. Her debut EP was certainly impressive, but her 2020 creations such as singles ‘Good Stuff‘ and ‘Forgive Myself‘ feel more emotionally mature and also more distinctively her own style.

In the last few months, Griff has branched out into collaborations with exciting names such as HONNE and TSHA, lending her smooth vocals to their complex beat arrangements. 1,000,000 X Better, collab with HONNE, saw Griff singing about the support a loving relationship can give: ‘…I know sometimes I’m heard to love… When I got clouds hanging over my head// Yeah I get irrational, crazy, upset// But you// Pick me back up and// You tell me it’s okay’. 

The beat and electronic arrangements gave the track a dreaminess reminiscent of Owl City’s music. Her collaboration with TSHA, released in August this year, was a more upbeat affair. However the lyrics of that song, too, explored serious themes. Griff stated that Say It Again was written when ‘a lot of her friends were going through mental health issues, and [she] felt so helpless. This song is basically [her] helpless self trying to reassure a friend whose going through a really difficult time’. 

Griff’s ability to make serious and vulnerable music that can also get you dancing is quite unique. Perhaps this is one reason why she is a nominee for the first ever Ivor Novello Rising Star Award. This year must have been difficult for her as an artist, as she has been unable to perform live shows due to the Covid-19 pandemic; It is good news that she can at least fulfil her dream of performing at the Tate!

TSHA and Griff have a lot in common, which is perhaps why their professional collaboration feels so natural. Both women are young London-based musicians, both have featured on NME’s 100 Essential new artists for 2020, both are half Jamaican, and both are talented beyond their years. They hit the music scene at relatively similar times, with TSHA’s EP ‘Dawn‘ dropping in 2018. This three-track beauty introduced her eclectic style, which sounds both fresh and nostalgic at the same time.

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So excited that my 3 track EP and first ever release “Dawn” Drops tomorrow and will be available on all major platforms! Shout out to @jaywilcoxthat1 and @marc_tc for bring 2 of the tracks alive with their gorgeous vocals. So blessed to have so many people believe in me and support my vision. A very special thanks to @lunamonogatari for this incredible art work and being so helpful in bring my vison alive! Please check her out!

A post shared by TSHA (@tshamusic) on Aug 9, 2018 at 2:12am PDT

Griff’s first EP ‘The Mirror Talk EP‘ was released with Warner Records back in November 2019. Since then she has taken the UK music scene by storm, having been described as the UK’s ‘Brightest New Pop Star‘. Griff is only 19 years old, but her song writing skills have matured a lot over her short time in the industry. Her debut EP was certainly impressive, but her 2020 creations such as singles ‘Good Stuff‘ and ‘Forgive Myself‘ feel more emotionally mature and also more distinctively her own style.

These explore themes of self-doubt, failed relationships and depression. Griff said that ‘Say It Again‘ was written when “a lot of [her] girlfriends were going through mental health issues, and [she] felt so helpless. So this song is basically [her] helpless self trying to reassure a friend who’s going through a really difficult time.”

TSHA cites the likes of Bonobo, Jon Hopkins and Floating Points as influences. She supported Bonobo and Maribou State back in 2019 and was due to play at Festivals El Dorado and Forbidden Fruit this year, though these appearances were cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Their collaborative remix of ‘Say it Again‘ is a foot-tapping, head-nodding labour of love. While Griff’s influences are musicians like Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift, giving her songs a bubble-gum pop feel, TSHA’s electronic style is quite different. The fusion of these two exciting artists creates an edgy yet playable dance track that will have you shuffling around your bedroom all night long.

The multiple Mercury-nominee and recent Ivor Novello winner, Bat For Lashes – who is also known as Natasha Khan – has shared details of the follow-up to 2016’s acclaimed album ‘The Bride‘, with her fifth studio album, ‘Lost Girls’ set to arrive, on the 6th of September 2019.

According to a press release, the new full-length album, ‘Lost Girls’, is the “mischievous younger sister” to Bat for Lashes’ last release, ‘The Bride’. It’s also said to be somewhat of a concept album set in a “fully formed parallel universe… in which gangs of marauding female bikers roam our streets, teenagers make out on car hoods, and a powerful female energy casts spells and leave clues for us to follow.”

The press release goes on to say, “it’s an album full of romance, a homage to Los Angeles where the album was recorded, to being a kid in the 80’s, to films that touched and changed her life.”

‘Lost Girls’ sees singer/ songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Natasha Khan, take on the persona of Nikki Pink – one of the women who inhabit this world. Our first introduction to this protagonist and her story comes in the form of the forthcoming album’s lead single, ‘Kids in the Dark’.

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A post shared by Bat For Lashes (@batforlashes) on Jun 8, 2019 at 9:55am PDT

Spanning ten tracks, ‘Lost Girls’ sees Khan conjuring up her own parallel universe, creating a quirky coming of age film, in which gangs of female bikers roam the streets, of LA, and a powerful female energy takes centre stage, casting spells and leaving clues for us to follow. The women of ‘Lost Girls’ are parallel to one of Khan’s previous female protagonists, the tough, darkness-driven Pearl, from her 2009 lauded album, ‘Two Suns’.

 

 

 

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Have you seen this lost girl? Call +1 213-675-6673 now A post shared by Bat For Lashes (@batforlashes) on Jun 7, 2019 at 9:00am PDT

Within the forthcoming, female driven album, ‘Lost Girls’, the powerful women and the character Nikki Pink, Khan unfolds elements of herself; within the songs. Over the course of four award-winning, critically acclaimed albums, Khan has undertaken a singular artistic course.

That has seen her create a dense and dreamlike state that is full of enchanting melodies, contagious choruses, and a passionate lyricism that is infused with timeless magic of truth, and Khan’s most recent work, ‘Lost Girls’ is no different.

Before the announcement, Khan teased the new release, over the last week, in several posts, she has shared clips from a video which is seemingly about a missing girl. In one post, Khan asks fans to call a hotline which asks you to leave a message a lost girl called Nikki; in another, she appears to have shared a snippet of some dreamy new music.

The announcement comes after Khan was recently awarded an Ivor Novello for Best Television Soundtrack, for her work on ‘Requiem’, with Dominik Scherrer. Speaking about the winning music, the judges said: “with immediate, absorbing and haunting Celtic vocals the score empowered drama with innovative instrumentation.”

Bat For Lashes ‘Lost Girls’ Tracklist:

01. Kids in the Dark
02. The Hunger
03. Feel for You
04. Desert Man
05. Jasmine
06. Vampires
07. So Good
08. Safe Tonight
09. Peach Sky
10. Mountains