The Ivors Academy has announced the five artists nominated for its new Rising Star Award, in association with Apple Music.
Recent Music Week On The Radar star Griff (pictured) features on the list alongside soul singer Amahla, Manchester composer Carmel Smickersgill, Irish multi-instrumentalist lullahush and Mysie, who recently released a new track called Gift.
To find out everything you need to know about the new award, read an exclusive interview with Apple’s Dan Adams in the new edition of Music Week, out now.
The Rising Star Award was created to help discover and elevate new songwriters in the UK & Ireland. It is the first new category to be introduced at The Ivors – which is now in its 65th year – since 2010. This year’s ceremony was recently pulled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Public submissions for the Rising Star Award opened last year, resulting in the most applications for any category in Ivors history. The Academy reported that 60% of entries were made by female musicians.
As part of a new scheme with Apple, all nominees receive a year-long mentorship from an Academy member. The mentors are: Ivor Award-winning composers Anna Meredith and David Arnold, plus former Music Week cover stars Fraser T Smith, Camille ‘Kamille’ Purcell and Nile Rodgers.
The nominees will also receive Logic Pro X and GarageBand workshops, along with support from Apple’s Music Publishing division.
David Arnold, who is mentoring lullahush, commented: “The introduction of a new award with the purpose of nurturing the next generation of music creators is a brilliant way of genuinely supporting new talent. It gives them a platform to develop, mature and realise their talent and ambitions at a time when so much help is needed. I’m really looking forward to being a part of it and seeing more from all the nominees."
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