'I'm hardly Bob Dylan': Charli XCX wins songwriter of the year

3 hours ago 2

Mark Savage

Music Correspondent

Getty Images Charli XCX holds up her Ivor Novello Award

A self-deprecating Charli XCX downplayed her talents as a songwriter, as she was named songwriter of the year at the Ivor Novello Awards.

Accepting the award in London, the star illustrated her "songwriting genius" by quoting the lyrics to her 2024 song Club Classics: "I wanna dance to me, me, me / When I go to the club, club, club."

"I'm sure you all agree, I am hardly Bob Dylan," she joked to an audience that included Bruce Springsteen and Robbie Williams, "but one thing I certainly do is commit to the bit".

The ceremony also saw awards for rising stars Lola Young and Myles Smith, while U2 became the first Irish band to win the fellowship of the Ivor Novello songwriting academy.

U2 joke backstage at the Ivor Novello Awards

The award recognised almost 50 years of hits, including With Or Without You, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Even Better Than The Real Thing, I Will Follow, Vertigo and One.

Speaking on stage, the band's frontman, Bono, paid tribute to the power of music. "Songs can be arrows through time if they come from the right place," he said.

"They can fly higher and farther, last longer, hit harder. They can pierce the hardest armour of the human heart.

"I don't know if they can change the world, but they changed us."

Each of the band's members gave their own acceptance speech, with drummer Larry Mullen, Jr, recalling the group's first rejection letter, from the head of CBS Records, Muff Winwood.

"He heard the song and offered us a record deal, but only if the band fired the drummer," he said.

"I humbly concede that on every musical break, I may have counted to three instead of four - but from where I'm standing right now having trouble counting makes some of us look like musical geniuses."

The Killers won the special international prize, with Bruce Springsteen handing over the trophy to frontman Brandon Flowers.

The singer joked that "the only downside" of the award was that "it feels one giant step away from fulfilling my original dream of becoming the most sought-after valet on the Las Vegas strip".

Backstage, Flowers was somewhat overwhelmed by Springsteen's presence.

"That was really cool," he told BBC News. "He went out of his way to come here. I love him.

Lola Young won the rising star award, recognising the success of her breakthrough single, Messy.

"This is such a big moment for the kid in my bedroom that was 10 years old, writing songs on her guitar," the 24-year-old musician told the BBC.

"To be here now is such an honor, and such a gives me such a warm feeling."

Young also revealed she'd recently finished her next album, and "shot 12 music videos in one day" to accompany her new songs.

Myles Smith's Stargazing was named the most-played song on UK radio last year.

"The first time I heard it on the radio was actually in New York," he said. "I remember it so specifically. I was in an Uber and the song came on, and I told the driver, 'This is me' and he could not care less.

"It was the best way to be humbled, and it really kept me grounded from year one."

Getty Images Myles Smith with his Ivor Novello Award

Charli XCX was recognised for her ground-breaking Brat album, which she described as "chaos and emotional turmoil set to a club soundtrack".

But it's a carefully crafted and nuanced record, where hedonism gives way to vulnerability, as she describes the doubts she has over friendships, motherhood and commercial success.

Marketed with laser-focused zeal, the album became the soundtrack to summer 2024, with its in-your-face "Brat green" cover art quickly becoming a meme.

On stage, Charli explained that the music could only ever be a starting point.

"'I've never particularly believed the idea that everything starts from a great song," she said.

"In my head, a great song alone has never actually been enough to captivate an audience.

"Instead, a song with a distinct identity coupled with a point of view... and above all, conviction is what can catapult a songwriter from being technically good to globally renowned."

Robbie Williams' won the icon award, in recognition of his 34-year career - from boyband hits like Could It Be Magic and Back For Good with Take That, to his record-breaking solo work on songs including Angels, Rock DJ, Feel and Come Undone.

Coming undone might also an apt description of his reaction to the award.

"When momentous things like this happen, it's just a hodge-podge of things coming at you from the universe," he said backstage.

"It's self-doubt and self-hatred mixed with ego and delusion and audacity.

"So it's very difficult to put your finger on what it feels like in the moment, other than you're supposed to say, 'I'm very grateful'. And I am."

2000s indie heroes Bloc Party won the outstanding song collection prize, while Berwyn's fierce and personal debut Who Am I, was named best album.

Best contemporary song was won by Sans Soucis for Circumnavigating Georgia, while best song musically and lyrically was won by Orla Gartland for Mine, beating the likes of Lola Young, Raye and Fontaines DC.

Mine is a quiet but hopeful ballad about overcoming a traumatic experience that Orla said "really affected my relationship with intimacy".

Accepting the prize, the Irish singer said she was proud to be an independent artist, because "I'm not sure what a boardroom of old guys would have known what to do with this song about bodily autonomy and reclaiming it".

Taking a similar approach was pop artist Self Esteem, who was given the visionary award.

She used her speech to implore the music industry to do more to protect young women from misogyny and online abuse.

"People are foaming at the mouth to ridicule you," she said. "People hate women, and sometimes [those comments] get in and stay there."

But she also took the opportunity to thank her mum and dad, Janet and Andy, who'd finally seen her win an award, "after coming down to see me lose the Mercury [Prize] twice".

"I'm so sorry about how much I swear and how many of my songs are about shagging," she added.