Dave Wins Songwriter Of The Year At The Ivor Novello Awards
Dave has been voted songwriter of the year at this year’s Ivor Novello awards, which celebrate Britain’s best songwriters and composers.
It was the fourth win for Dave at the Ivors in five years, this time thanks to his second album We’re All Alone in This Together, which topped UK charts and yielded three simultaneous top 10 singles – Clash (featuring Stormzy), Verdansk and In the Fire.
The Ivors Songwriter of the Year is @Santandave1 ✨?#TheIvors pic.twitter.com/pRTXyqEfvk
— The Ivors Academy (@IvorsAcademy) May 19, 2022
Ed Sheeran, Fred Again and Johnny McDaid won in the Most Performed Work category for their collaboration on the UK’s biggest song of 2021, Bad Habits. It is Sheeran’s fifth Ivor. He also won in the same category in 2019 alongside McDaid for Shape Of You.
The award for best contemporary song went to Dean “Inflo” Josiah Cover and Little Simz for I Love You, I Hate You from the album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. Inflo was nominated for four awards this year, more than any other person. Laura Mvula won the award for best album for Pink Noise, which she wrote with Dann Hume.
Paul Heaton, formerly of The Housemartins and The Beautiful South, had his hugely successful career recognised with an award for Outstanding Song Collection. Meanwhile, Sam Fender won his first Ivor after winning best song musically and lyrically for the track Seventeen Going Under.
Other awards went to Peter Gabriel – who received the fellowship of the Ivors Academy in recognition of his outstanding contributions as a musician, innovator, humanitarian and songwriter – and Robert Smith and Simon Gallup of The Cure, who received the Icon award.
Shaznay Lewis, Ivor award winner for her work with All Saints and chair of the Ivors awards committee, said she was “absolutely thrilled” for this year’s winners. “It is a privilege to experience such an immensely powerful, emotive and eclectic range of music. Huge congratulations to everyone who took home awards, and every single songwriter and composer nominated,” she said.