Grime artist Dave collects Best Contemporary Song while rapper Little Simz takes home the coveted Best Album title at the annual awards presented by the Ivors Academy.
- Sep 3, 2020
AceShowbiz - Grime star Dave and rapper Little Simz are the big winners at the 2020 Ivor Novello Awards.
Officials at the Ivors Academy announced the winners on Wednesday (02Sep20), with the results exclusively revealed by Matt Wilkinson on Apple Music 1 Radio.
"Grey Area", written by Little Simz and Inflo, wins the Ivor Novello Award for Best Album, marking the star's first Ivor Novello Award and the second for Inflo - who previously won in 2017 for co-writing Michael Kiwanuka's "Black Man in a White World".
The award for Best Contemporary Song went to Dave and his frequent collaborator Fraser T. Smith for "Black", their second in as many years, with judges describing the work as "important, eloquent and a song that not only empowers, but is borderless in its musicality."
Jamie Cullum also collects his first Ivor for "Age of Anxiety" in the Best Song Musically and Lyrically category, while "Giant", performed and written by Calvin Harris and Rag'n'Bone Man, with co-writing by Jamie Hartman and Troy Miller, won the PRS for Music Most Performed Work of 2019 prize.
The Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of the Year goes to Steve Mac - who co-wrote some of 2019's standout hits including Mabel's "Don't Call Me Up", "South of the Border" by Ed Sheeran featuring Camila Cabello and Cardi B, and Westlife's "Hello My Love".
Joan Armatrading was presented with an Academy Fellowship by 2015 recipient, "Eurythmics" star Annie Lennox.
Praising the "Drop the Pilot" hitmaker, Annie said, "Joan Armatrading was born to create beautiful music, as she has done so consistently over the decades of her life, as an outstanding singer songwriter, recording artist and performer."
Songwriter and artist Mysie wins the first Rising Star Award.
The full list of winners is as follows:
- Best Album - "Grey Area (Written by Inflo and Little Simz, performed by Little Simz)
- Best Contemporary Song - "Black" (Written by Dave and Fraser T. Smith, performed by Dave)
- Best Original Film Score - "Midsommar" (Composed by Bobby Krlic)
- Best Original Video Game Score - "Draugen" (Composed by Simon Poole)
- Best Song Musically and Lyrically - "Age of Anxiety" (Written and performed by Jamie Cullum)
- Best Television Soundtrack - "Euphoria" (Composed by Labrinth)
- PRS for Music Most Performed Work - "Giant" (Written by Calvin Harris, Jamie Hartman, Rag'n'Bone Man and Troy Miller, performed by Calvin Harris and Rag'n'Bone Man)
- Rising Star Award with Apple Music - Mysie
- Songwriter of the Year - Steve Mac
- Academy Fellowship - Joan Armatrading MBE
