Self Esteem is one of the most important and fearless voices in British music. Her genre-defying sound, razor-sharp lyrics and boundary-pushing live shows have redefined what it means to be a songwriter, musician and artist. Spanning feminism, ageing, identity and shame, with dark humour and vulnerability Self Esteem has created unique and powerful music.
Her 2021 breakthrough album Prioritise Pleasure was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and named The Sunday Times’ Album of the Year, and her 2025 follow-up A Complicated Woman continues her radical exploration of self-worth, solidarity and artistic autonomy. Following a critically acclaimed turn as Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Taylor has emerged as a leading cultural voice in music and theatre.
She will be joined by Guy Garvey, the multi-award-winning singer, songwriter and frontman of Elbow. With a career spanning more than 25 years, Guy is a Mercury Prize winner, three-time Ivor Novello Award recipient, a celebrated broadcaster and composer, and part of the BBC Radio 6 Music line-up with his show Guy Garvey’s Finest Hour. He will lead a candid conversation with Self Esteem, exploring her creative process and evolution as a songwriter and artist.
Roberto Neri, CEO of The Ivors Academy said: “I’m delighted that Self Esteem and Guy are joining the lineup of leading creatives, music industry executives and policy makers for The Ivors Academy Summit. We know that Rebecca and Guy equally care about the sustainability of our songwriter community, and this event is all about empowering music creators with the connections, knowledge and inspiration they need to build successful music careers and make the right decisions for themselves.”
They join 29 confirmed Summit speakers, including Caroline Dinenage MP Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, AI campaigner and CEO of Fairly Trained Ed Newton-Rex, multi-award winning screen composer and Fellow of The Ivors Academy David Arnold, SVP & Head of A&R Warner Music Publishing Amber Davis and James Duffett-Smith Global Head of Music Publishing at Amazon Music.
ICE and PRS for Music are co-title sponsors of the Summit, who along with sponsors the Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) and Musixmatch, provide essential support to enable this new gathering of global voices across music rights, tech and advocacy.
