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.

The shortlist has been shared on social media and includes five debuts: Arlo Parks, Celeste, Black Country, Nubya Garcia and Berwyn.

The 2021 Hyundai Mercury Prize Shortlist has been announced!

Congratulations to:@arloparks@berwynberwyn_@BCNRband@celeste@floatingpoints@THEREALGHETTS@Hanpeel@lauramvula@mogwaiband@nubya_garcia@SaultGlobal@wolfalicemusic #HyundaiMercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/Z728zcSuXR

— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) July 22, 2021

The list also includes Wolf Alice, who won the prestigious award back in 2018 for “Visions of A Life” and acknowledgement for their debut album “My Love Is Cool” in 2015. Mvula was nominated twice before, in 2013 for “Sing To The Moon” and in 2016 for “The Dreaming Room“.

Arctic Monkeys, PJ Harvey and Laura Marling are the only ones with three nods each, and Harvey is the only artist with two wins.

“The Mercury Prize is known for championing a wide range of musical genres, with Primal Scream winning the first award in 1992 and artists including Ms Dynamite, Pulp, Dave, Roni Size, Skepta, Elbow, Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys and The XX among the acts who went on to claim the prize“. 

The records will be judged by a panel of music critics and industry professionals. This year it will be three-time nominee Anna Calvi, Dj and radio presenter Annie Mac, Musician Jamie Cullum and last year winner Michael Kiwanuka.

The 2021 eligibility period for best album ran from 18th July 2020 to 16th July 2021. David Wilkinson, A mercury Price chairman said that even though last year has been challenging, “creatively, this is shaping up to be an exceptional year for British music – with so many outstanding albums“.

The gala will take place on 9th September at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. More info about it can be found on the official website.

See the shortlist for Hyundai Mercury Prize 2021:
Arlo Parks: “Collapsed in Sunbeams”
Berwyn: “Demotape/Vega”
Black Country, New Road: “For the First Time…”
Celeste: “Not Your Muse”
Floating Points / Pharoah Sanders / The London Symphony Orchestra: “Promises”
Ghetts: “Conflict of Interest”
Hannah Peel: “Fir Wave”
Laura Mvula: “Pink Noise”
Mogwai: “As the Love Continues”
Nubya Garcia: “Source”
Sault: “Untitled (Rise)”
Wolf Alice: “Blue Weekend”

Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat

She explained, “it seemed bizarre that I had all this critical acclaim, was applauded over and over again, but where it counts on paper it just wasn’t translating….That’s so heartbreaking, to know financially, it’s not a worthy investment. I’m not a worthy investment. That was a tough pill to swallow. I’ve since learned that the music industry is a complex beast.” 

Both her first and second albums were very well received critically, and she said “I was enjoying some of the flattery from taglines like ‘Our generation’s Nina Simone’, ‘She lives in her own lane’. And it was positive – I was writing and performing with orchestras and touring all over the world.” However, despite the positivity of these epithets she began to feel the weight of being expected to live up to the icons of black music, saying “I was aware pretty much from day dot that I needed to go on being this ‘thing.’” 

After the experience of being dropped by Sony, Mvula speaks of how she wasn’t sure she would ever write music again, saying “I can’t tell you how much at one stage I didn’t think I would ever write a song again, let alone a whole body of work.”

On the happier topic of the upcoming Pink Noise, Mvula states that “There are two things I want people to engage with…The party, the black barbecue in the garden, and then the more solemn lullaby soulful lament, which has always been a part of my music.” 

‘Pink Noise’ will be released on the 10th of July 2021.

What a pleasure, Laura xxx https://t.co/CeOIjcCok6

— Biffy Clyro (@BiffyClyro) June 17, 2021

Mvula’s forthcoming album is a combination of uplifting disco-inspired pop. She said in a statement: “This is the album I always wanted to make. Every corner is made warm with sunset tones of the 80s. I was born in 1986. I came out of the womb wearing shoulder pads. I absorbed the dynamism of the 80s aesthetic right from my first moments on this planet”.
“Making ‘Pink Noise’ felt like the most violent of emotional wrestling matches. It took three years of waiting and waiting and fighting and dying and nothingness, and then finally an explosion of sound. As if it was always here, this record is my most honest and unapologetic flying of the freedom flag. I can’t wait to play this album live” – she continues.
Recently the singer admitted she felt extremely hurt after her former label dropped her in 2017. In an interview with MusicWeek she said: “I was very much aware that I wasn’t charting. It’s not like my albums were hitting the Top 10 and staying there. It was pretty intense. It was a very brief note saying that they were so grateful, but this was the end of the road. It’s a hard thing to make sense of and to come back from“.
Laura Mvula will perform in London on 2nd September at Village Underground, purchase tickets from here.

You can pre-order the album here and the new single is available to buys and stream here.

Mvula wrote on Instagram about the song’s release: “Got me’ is out in the world!! Thank you @anniemacmanus for making it your Hottest Record and for giving it it’s first-ever play tonight on @BBCRadio1 – I hope you all love it x.”

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A post shared by Laura Mvula (@lauramvula)

The British R&B and soul singer-songwriter has released an ‘Official Visualiser’ lyric video to accompany her latest release, which features dreamy pink shadows and patterns to accompany her soulful but electric vocals, reinforcing the 80s funk ‘Pink Noise’ is expected to embrace. In a press release for ‘Got Me,’ the track is described as “a funk-fuelled release of inhibitions; another taste of the euphoric feel-good sonics Laura explores without fear on her new album.”

Following on from her critically acclaimed album ‘The Dreaming Room’, which was released back in 2016, ‘Got me’ is the third track to be released from her third studio album, ‘Pink Noise.’ So far, four tracks have been released from Mvula’s forthcoming album, ‘Safe Passage,’ ‘Conditional,’ ‘Church Girl,’ and ‘What Matters’ featuring Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil. 

Speaking on ‘Pink Noise,’ the singer recently revealed that it is the album she had always wanted to make, “Wrestling with identity seems to be one of the rites of passage of the established artist. Making ‘Pink Noise’ felt like the most violent of emotional wrestling matches. It took three years of waiting and waiting and fighting and dying and nothingness and then finally an explosion of sound. As if it was always here, this record is my most honest and unapologetic flying of the freedom flag.”

She continued: “In my adult years, I had forgotten how important dance was to me as a vital tool of my creative expression. I brought it back, just for me, so I could find my delight in dance again. And now I can’t stop dancing. I can’t wait to play this album live.”

Mvula is delivering a second streaming of her performance ‘Under a Pink Moon’ on 26 May 2021, after the first stream sold out last February. ‘Under a Pink Moon’ was her first live show in three years, and the replay will be available to those who pre-order her album. “On May 26th, there’ll be another ACTUAL pink moon  , and we’ll be putting on the ‘Under a Pink Moon’ Stream Replay,” she wrote on Instagram. 

You can watch the Official Visualiser now on Youtube and ‘Got Me’ is available across streaming platforms. 

Mvula posted on Instagram: “NOW YOU KNOW… Church Girl is now out in the world and my new album ‘Pink Noise’ will be with you all on July 2nd… CANNOT WAIT to share it with you.” 

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A post shared by Laura Mvula (@lauramvula)

Speaking about the album, the Birmingham-born songwriter said: “Wrestling with identity seems to be one of the rites of passage of the established artist. Making Pink Noise felt like the most violent of emotional wrestling matches. It took 3 years of waiting and waiting and fighting and dying and nothingness and then finally an explosion of sound.” 

“As if it was always here this record is my most honest and unapologetic flying of the freedom flag. In my adult years I had forgotten how important dance was to me as a vital tool of my creative expression. I brought it back, just for me, so I could find my delight in dance again. And now I can’t stop dancing. I can’t wait to play this album live.” 

Fans have voiced their excitement at the upcoming release, which is Mvula’s first album for nearly five years, after The Dreaming Room. 

@hitdogsholler posted: “THANK GOD! We’ve been waiting with baited breath!” 

@moss_susannah wrote: “This chorus is very moving. This spine bothering kind.” 

@ChrisIl76 added: “Wonderful news! You brighten our world, thank you! X” 

In February 2021 Mvula released EP 1/f, which featured revamped versions of her songs alongside a cover of Diana Ross’ I’m Still Waiting. She also performed her Under A Pink Moon livestream – her first live concert to be performed in more than three years. She sang several new songs from her upcoming album, including Safe Passage, Church Girl, Conditional and What Matters. 

Posting on Instagram, Mvula wrote: “SAFE PASSAGE IS OUT NOW! … happy tears people x”
A video has been released for the track, featuring the singer performing wearing a shoulder-padded blazer in bright lights. The song also has a distinctive eighties feel, with bold synth sounds. 

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A post shared by Laura Mvula (@lauramvula)

Fans were delighted at Mvula’s return. 

@BVSCPhil posted: “I love this song soooo much. Had it on all morning! So glad to have new music from you, cannot wait for the album now. Please tell me you plan to tour too.” 

@JonasJRichter wrote: “Love it! Your voice and singing are energizing and inviting, and I feel better listening to your music. Thank you!” 

@StarkExpo17 added: “I’m in love with the song! As usual your voice is absolutely beautiful and I can’t wait to hear the rest of the album!” 

Speaking about the track, Mvula said: “Safe Passage is a poem about the vehicle that takes us all from the space where we feel like we’re drowning, and we’re trapped to the promised land, which actually exists. It’s not a dream, it’s not a fictional place. We can go there. We can go there like right now. We just have to tap into ourselves to our love relationships. ‘Safe Passage’ evokes that feeling in me. It reminds me of a time when feeling positive emotions was much simpler, much less complicated.” 

Mvula released her first EP, She, at the end of November 2012, and was nominated for the BBC Sound of 2013 and for the Critics’ Choice Awards at the Brits the following year. Both of her albums, 2013’s Sing to the Moon and 2016’s The Dreaming Room, were nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in their respective years of release. In 2017 it was announced that she had been dropped by her record label Sony. 

Last month, Mvula released EP 1/f, featuring some revamped versions of her songs alongside a cover of Diana Ross’ I’m Still Waiting. During her livestream, she performed four new songs from her upcoming album – Safe Passage, Conditional, What Matters and Church Girl. 

‘Laura Mvula Presents…Under A Pink Moon’ will mark Mvula’s first live performance in over three years. According to a press release, Mvula has signed a contract with Atlantic Records and has been working on new music in the studio. Mvula’s last released album was 2016’s ‘The Dreaming Room’- a year after whose release, Mvula was dropped by her record label Sony via email.

Speaking to BBC in 2017, Mvula said of the culmination of her relationship with Sony, “I didn’t see anyone, I didn’t hear anybody’s voice. I just read words. It felt so cold and cruel. Not even the fact that I was dropped, the way that the whole thing happened. To be treated like that doesn’t feel quite just.”

Mvula also said that she’d been naive in the beginning of her career. She explained, “When I was signed, I thought when someone says, ‘we love you and we’re with you until the end’, that’s what they mean.”

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A post shared by Laura Mvula (@lauramvula)

Mvula’s comeback performance in February 2021 will feature some of the new material the artist’s been working on- as she hinted on her instagram post, “CAN’T! WAIT! to share with ya what I been working on!!!”. ‘Laura Mvula Presents…Under A Pink Moon’ will surely mark the beginning of a new era in Mvula’s career. Set a reminder for the live stream today.

This year sees Michael Kiwanuka, Nick Cave and Laura Mvula all vying for for best album, whilst Coldplay have two songs in the Most Performed Work, against Adele. Meanwhile, Mystery Jets take on both  Laura Mvula and Michael Kiwanuka for the award for ‘Best Song Musically And Lyrically’.

Chairman of BASCA Crispin Hunt was very proud of both the longevity of the ceremony, and the quality and diversity of the artists nominated for this year, and said in a statement that “BASCA’s nominations for the 62nd Ivor Novello Awards are as diverse and impressive as the contemporary UK music scene itself […] As the only peer nominated music award ceremony in the country, we’re especially thrilled to be honouring such a cool selection of both emerging and established nominees; they are the true architects of the music we love, and reflect the creative global force that is British music writing. Our congratulations go out to everyone nominated today.”

The ceremony will take place on May 18, at Grosvenor House in London, and will doubtlessly see many of the nominated artists both in attendance, and potentially performing at the event too. The categories include awards for International Achievement, Lifetime Achievement, Outstanding Song Collection, Outstanding Contribution to British Music, and the Special International Award, Songwriter of the Year, The Ivors Jazz Award and The Ivors Inspiration Award, you can see the full list of awards, and nominees here.

Best Male Act
Best Album – Konnichiwa
Best Grime Act (In association with BBC Radio 1XTRA)

Hip Hop artist GIggs also feature in three categories:

Best Hip Hop Act
Best Album – Landlord

Giggs appear in Best Song in ‘3 Wheel-Ups’ by Kano Ft. Giggs & Wiley.

Craig David also makes his huge return to 2016 (including a 2017 arena tour – see our article here) with nominations for Best Male Act and Best Song: ‘When the Bassline Drops’ by Craig David x Big Nasrtie. Craig David is no stranger to awards having won three Ivor Novello Awards. But it was the MOBO Awards where Craig David secured his popularity winning three in 2001 including Best UK Newcomer. Three of his singles were nominated that year and ‘Fill Me In’ won Best UK Single of the Year. He won Best UK Act in the following year in 2001. So, fifteen years later, will we see Craig David achieving further MOBO success?

Craig David has tough competition in the Best Male Act category which includes:

Kano
Skepta
Tinie Tempah
Stormzy

Craig David said of his nominations:

“I remember rocking up to the 2000 awards, I had my ‘Buy British’ red jumper on and I was proud to be walking up there.”

“It feels full circle to be standing here again. It’s crazy.”

“It’s great for Big Narstie to be nominated.”
“I’m like ‘Bro! Look how far you’ve come, you’re up for a Mobo now’.”

Skepta’s competition for Best Album features heavy weights such as:

Laura Mvula – The Dreaming Room
Giggs – Landlord
Kano – Made In The Manor
Michael Kiwanuka – Love & Hate

Kano and Laura Mvula lead the way with four nominations each. The MOBO Awards take place on 4 November. Click here for the full list for every category.

Watch the MOBO nominated ‘When the Bassline Drops’, Craig David x Big Narstie, below: