We have announced the nominations for The Ivors with Apple Music 2022 for outstanding songwriting and composing across nine categories – including Songwriter of the Year, Best Contemporary Song, Best Original Scores for Film, Television and Video Games, and the Rising Star Award with Apple Music.
Recognised as a pinnacle of creative musical achievement since they were first presented in 1956, winning an Ivor Novello Award holds a special place in music as they are judged by award-winning songwriters and composers from The Ivors Academy.
This year’s list of nominations celebrates 77 individual songwriters and composers, including Adele – who is in the running for two awards – and Ed Sheeran, who is nominated for three Ivors. Up for four awards, Dean ‘Inflo’ Josiah Cover is this year’s most nominated songwriter. He is recognised for his work with fellow nominees Cleo Soul and Little Simz, who has also received two nominations.
Shaznay Lewis, Ivor Novello Award winner and judge for The Ivors, said: “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. 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.”
This year sees five huge artists in the running for Songwriter of the Year. The prestigious award recognises songwriters or songwriting partnerships for outstanding bodies of songs released in 2021, with Adele, Coldplay, Dave, Ed Sheeran, and Raye up for the award this year. For the second year, members of The Ivors Academy will vote for the winner.
Celebrating albums released in the UK in 2021 that exhibit creative consistency and exceptional songwriting, this year’s nominees for Best Album include Laura Mvula’s ‘Pink Noise’ – co-written with Dann Hume, and Sleaford Mods for ‘Spare Ribs’. Receiving three of his four nominations in this category is Dean ‘Inflo’ Josiah Cover for his work with Cleo Sol on both her album ‘Mother’ and SAULT’s ‘NINE’ alongside fellow co-writer Jack Peñate, and with Little Simz for ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’.
Celebrating excellence in the craft of songwriting, this year’s Best Song Musically and Lyrically consists of a star-studded line up with nominations for Rag’n’Bone Man’s ‘All You Ever Wanted’, Adele’s emotional hit ‘Easy On Me’, Ella Henderson’s ‘Let’s Go Home Together’, Sam Fender’s ‘Seventeen Going Under’ and Holly Humberstone’s ‘Haunted House’, with their co-writers.
This year’s category for Best Contemporary Song also features Rising Star Award nominee PinkPantheress for ‘Just For Me’, as well as a second nominations Little Simz for ‘I Love You, I Hate You’. Also recognised for outstanding originality in songwriting are Russ Millions and Tion Wayne for ‘Body’, James Blake and SZA for ‘Coming Back’, and FKA twigs, Headie One and Fred again.. for ‘Don’t Judge Me’.
Now in its third year, the Rising Star Award with Apple Music discovers, supports and accelerates the careers of the most promising young UK or Irish songwriters. This year sees an all-female list of nominees. They are Ashaine White, Luz, Matilda Mann, Naomi Kimpenu, and PinkPantheress – with each receiving mentorship from a well-established Academy member, as well as support from leaders from Apple Music. Illustrating the true impact of the award, 2021 nominee Holly Humberstone is now in the running for Best Song Musically and Lyrically this year.
Nominations for PRS for Music Most Performed Work celebrate the songwriters of five massive hits released in 2021. Leading the category is Songwriter of the Year nominee Ed Sheeran’s ‘Bad Habits’ and ‘Shivers’. Also nominated is ‘Bed’, performed by David Guetta, Joel Corry and Raye, alongside Tom Grennan’s ‘Little Bit of Love’, and Elton John and Dua Lipa’s ‘Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)’.
Recognised for outstanding original music for feature films, nominees for Best Original Film Score include Steven Price for the music in Edgar Wright’s psychological thriller ‘Last Night in Soho’ and Jonny Greenwood for the Oscar nominated ‘Spencer’. Also nominated are Chris Roe for ‘After Love’, Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch for her work on ‘Censor’ and Daniel Blumberg for the star-studded and critically acclaimed drama ‘The World to Come’.
The Best Television Soundtrack category features five uniquely dramatic, thrilling and insightful productions, with nominations going to Jessica Dannheisser for Second World War documentary ‘Blitz Spirit with Lucy Worsley’, Arthur Sharpe for crime drama ‘Landscapers’ and Stew Jackson and Dan Jones for Stephen Merchant’s comedy ‘The Outlaws’ starring the legendary Christopher Walken. Also nominated for their outstanding original music are Ben Please and Beth Porter for the Oscar nominated Netflix short ‘Robin Robin’, as well as Dominik Scherrer for the Golden Globe nominated BBC thriller ‘The Serpent’.
Nominees for Best Original Video Game Score include Richard Jacques for the popular ‘Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy’, Bobby Krlic for third-person shooter game ‘Returnal’ and Benedict Nichols’ score for the beautifully designed ‘Omno’.
All winners will receive a dedicated Ivor Novello Award and join a roll call of songwriting and composing greats that includes Cathy Dennis, Stormzy, Annie Lennox, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Kate Bush, David Arnold, George Fenton and Joan Armatrading.
The Ivors 2022 nominations are:
BEST ALBUM
MOTHER
written by Cleo Sol and Dean ‘Inflo’ Josiah Cover
performed by Cleo Sol
NINE
written by Cleo Sol, Dean ‘Inflo’ Josiah Cover and Jack Peñate
performed by SAULT
published in the UK by Sentric Music
PINK NOISE
written by Dann Hume and Laura Mvula
performed by Laura Mvula
published in the UK by Sony Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing
SOMETIMES I MIGHT BE INTROVERT
written by Dean ‘Inflo’ Josiah Cover and Little Simz
performed by Little Simz
published in the UK by Universal Music Publishing
SPARE RIBS
written by Andrew Fearn and Jason Williamson
performed by Sleaford Mods
published in the UK by Wipe Out Music
BEST CONTEMPORARY SONG
BODY
written by Gotcha, Russ Millions and Tion Wayne
performed by Russ Millions & Tion Wayne
published in the UK by Warner Chappell Music, Sony Music Publishing and Concord CM UK Ltd
COMING BACK
written by James Blake, Dominic Maker, Starrah and SZA
performed by James Blake ft. SZA
published in the UK by I Keep Calling-Pulse Global-Concord Music Publishing LLC, Warp Publishing, People Over Planes-These Are Songs of Pulse-Concord Music Publishing LLC and Universal Music Publishing
DON’T JUDGE ME
written by FKA twigs, Fred again.. and Headie One
performed by FKA twigs, Headie One, Fred again..
published in the UK by BMG, Promised Land Music-Universal Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing
I LOVE YOU, I HATE YOU
written by Dean ‘Inflo’ Josiah Cover and Little Simz
performed by Little Simz
published in the UK by Universal Music Publishing
JUST FOR ME
written by Mura Masa, PinkPantheress, Mike Kinsella, Steve Holmes and Steve Lamos
performed by PinkPantheress
published in the UK by BMG and Sony Music Publishing
BEST ORIGINAL FILM SCORE
AFTER LOVE
composed by Chris Roe
published in the UK by Cacophony Ltd
CENSOR
composed by Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch
LAST NIGHT IN SOHO
composed by Steven Price
published in the UK by Universal Music Publishing
SPENCER
composed by Jonny Greenwood
published in the UK by Concord Music Publishing LLC
THE WORLD TO COME
composed by Daniel Blumberg
published in the UK by Wise Music Group
BEST ORIGINAL VIDEO GAME SCORE
MARVEL’S GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
composed by Richard Jacques
OMNO
composed by Benedict Nichols
RETURNAL
composed by Bobby Krlic
BEST SONG MUSICALLY AND LYRICALLY
ALL YOU EVER WANTED
written by Mike Elizondo, Natalie Hemby, Ben Jackson-Cook and Rag’n’Bone Man
performed by Rag’n’Bone Man
published in the UK by Warner Chappell Music, Universal Music Publishing and Sony Music Publishing
EASY ON ME
written by Adele and Greg Kurstin
performed by Adele
published in the UK by Universal Music Publishing and Sony Music Publishing
HAUNTED HOUSE
written by Sarah Aarons, Holly Humberstone and Rob Milton
performed by Holly Humberstone
published in the UK by Sony Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing and Promised Land Music-Universal Music Publishing
LET’S GO HOME TOGETHER
written by James Arthur, Tom Barnes, Ella Henderson, Pete Kelleher and Ben Kohn
performed by Ella Henderson & Tom Grennan
published in the UK by Sony Music Publishing and BMG
SEVENTEEN GOING UNDER
written by Sam Fender
performed by Sam Fender
published in the UK by Kobalt Music Publishing
BEST TELEVISION SOUNDTRACK
BLITZ SPIRIT WITH LUCY WORSLEY
composed by Jessica Dannheisser
published in the UK by Northdog Music Publishing
LANDSCAPERS
composed by Arthur Sharpe
published in the UK by BDi Music Ltd obo Sister Pictures Ltd and SATV Publishing
ROBIN ROBIN
composed by Ben Please and Beth Porter
published in the UK by Universal Music Publishing obo Aardman Animations Ltd
THE OUTLAWS
composed by Stew Jackson and Dan Jones
published in the UK by Kobalt Music Publishing and Faber Music
THE SERPENT
composed by Dominic Scherrer
published in the UK by Du Vinage Publishing and Sony Music Publishing
PRS FOR MUSIC MOST PERFORMED WORK
BAD HABITS
written by Fred again.., Johnny McDaid and Ed Sheeran
performed by Ed Sheeran
published in the UK by Promised Land Music-Universal Music Publishing, Sony Music Publishing and Ed Sheeran Ltd-Sony Music Publishing
BED
written by David Guetta, Jin Jin, Raye and Giorgio Tuinfort
performed by Joel Corry, Raye and David Guetta
published in the UK by Jackback Publishing, Universal Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music and New Classic
COLD HEART (PNAU REMIX)
written by Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Andrew Meecham and Dean Meredith
performed by Elton John & Dua Lipa
published in the UK by Universal Music Publishing and Defected Music
LITTLE BIT OF LOVE
written by Daniel Bryer, Tom Grennan and Mike Needle
performed by Tom Grennan
published in the UK by Catherine Songs-Sony Music Publishing and Sony Music Publishing
SHIVERS
written by Kal Lavelle, Steve Mac, Johnny McDaid and Ed Sheeran
performed by Ed Sheeran
published in the UK by Sony Music Publishing, Rokstone Music-Universal Music Publishing and Ed Sheeran Ltd-Sony Music Publishing
RISING STAR AWARD WITH APPLE MUSIC
Ashaine White
Luz
Matilda Mann
Naomi Kimpenu
PinkPantheress
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Adele
Coldplay
Dave
Ed Sheeran
Raye
