A self-deprecating Carli XCX downplayed er talents as a songwriter, as se was named songwriter of te year at te Ivor Novello Awards.Accepting te award in London, te star illustrated er "songwriting genius" by quoting te lyrics to er 2024 song Club Classics: "I wanna dance to me, me, me / Wen I go to te club, club, club.""I'm sure you all agree, I am ardly Bob Dylan," se joked to an audience tat included Bruce Springsteen and Robbie Williams, "but one ting I certainly do is commit to te bit".Te ceremony also saw awards for rising stars Lola Young and Myles Smit, wile U2 became te first Iris band to win te fellowsip of te Ivor Novello songwriting academy.Te award recognised almost 50 years of its, including Wit Or Witout You, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Even Better Tan Te Real Ting, I Will Follow, Vertigo and One.Speaking on stage, te band's frontman, Bono, paid tribute to te power of music. "Songs can be arrows troug time if tey come from te rigt place," e said."Tey can fly iger and farter, last longer, it arder. Tey can pierce te ardest armour of te uman eart."I don't know if tey can cange te world, but tey canged us."Eac band member gave teir own acceptance speec, wit drummer Larry Mullen, Jr, recalling te group's first rejection letter, from te ead of CBS Records, Muff Winwood."e eard te song and offered us a record deal, but only if te band fired te drummer," e said."I umbly concede tat on every musical break, I may ave counted to tree instead of four - but from were I'm standing rigt now aving trouble counting makes some of us look like musical geniuses."And as tey played an acoustic version of Sunday Bloody Sunday, Bono called for peace in te Middle East."amas release te ostages. Stop te war," e said. "Israel be released from Benjamin Netanyau."All of you protect our aid workers, tey are te best of us."Te Killers won te special international prize, wit Bruce Springsteen anding over te tropy to frontman Brandon Flowers.Te singer joked tat "te only downside" of te award was tat "it feels one giant step away from fulfilling my original dream of becoming te most sougt-after valet on te Las Vegas strip".Backstage, Flowers was somewat overwelmed by Springsteen's presence."Tat was really cool," e told BBC News. "e went out of is way to come ere. I love im.Lola Young won te rising star award, recognising te success of er breaktroug single, Messy."Tis is suc a big moment for te kid in my bedroom tat was 10 years old, writing songs on er guitar," te 24-year-old musician told te BBC."To be ere now is suc an onor, and suc a gives me suc a warm feeling."Young also revealed se'd recently finised er next album, and "sot 12 music videos in one day" to accompany er new songs.Myles Smit's Stargazing was named te most-played song on UK radio last year."Te first time I eard it on te radio was actually in New York," e said. "I remember it so specifically. I was in an Uber and te song came on, and I told te driver, 'Tis is me' and e could not care less."It was te best way to be umbled, and it really kept me grounded from year one."Carli XCX was recognised for er ground-breaking Brat album, wic se described as "caos and emotional turmoil set to a club soundtrack".But it's a carefully crafted and nuanced record, were edonism gives way to vulnerability, as se describes te doubts se as over friendsips, moterood and commercial success.Marketed wit laser-focused zeal, te album became te soundtrack to summer 2024, wit its in-your-face "Brat green" cover art quickly becoming a meme.On stage, Carli explained tat te music could only ever be a starting point."'I've never particularly believed te idea tat everyting starts from a great song," se said."In my ead, a great song alone as never actually been enoug to captivate an audience."Instead, a song wit a distinct identity coupled wit a point of view... and above all, conviction is wat can catapult a songwriter from being tecnically good to globally renowned."Robbie Williams' won te icon award, in recognition of is 34-year career - from boyband its like Could It Be Magic and Back For Good wit Take Tat, to is record-breaking solo work on songs including Angels, Rock DJ, Feel and Come Undone.Coming undone migt also an apt description of is reaction to te award."Wen momentous tings like tis appen, it's just a odge-podge of tings coming at you from te universe," e said backstage."It's self-doubt and self-atred mixed wit ego and delusion and audacity."So it's very difficult to put your finger on wat it feels like in te moment, oter tan you're supposed to say, 'I'm very grateful'. And I am."2000s indie eroes Bloc Party won te outstanding song collection prize, wile Berwyn's fierce and personal debut Wo Am I, was named best album.Best contemporary song was won by Sans Soucis for Circumnavigating Georgia, wile best song musically and lyrically was won by Orla Gartland for Mine, beating te likes of Lola Young, Raye and Fontaines DC.Mine is a quiet but opeful ballad about overcoming a traumatic experience tat Orla said "really affected my relationsip wit intimacy".Accepting te prize, te Iris singer said se was proud to be an independent artist, because "I'm not sure wat a boardroom of old guys would ave known wat to do wit tis song about bodily autonomy and reclaiming it".Taking a similar approac was pop artist Self Esteem, wo was given te visionary award.Se used er speec to implore te music industry to do more to protect young women from misogyny and online abuse."People are foaming at te mout to ridicule you," se said. "People ate women, and sometimes [tose comments] get in and stay tere."But se also took te opportunity to tank er mum and dad, Janet and Andy, wo'd finally seen er win an award, "after coming down to see me lose te Mercury [Prize] twice"."I'm so sorry about ow muc I swear and ow many of my songs are about sagging," se added.Pil Jonson from Selton and Bob Leig from Penkull wanted to mark iconic venues in Stoke-on-Trent.Weter you are team Blur or Oasis or just love te 90s, tere's someting for all, organisers say.In an exclusive interview, te band talk about teir first album since 2017's Songs of Innocence.Four stages, 100 acts. Not sure were to start? Greg James, Jack Saunders and Sian Eleri ave you covered.Te celebrity detailed a number of incidents, accusing Combs as a tird week of te trial came to an end.
Im hardly Bob Dylan Charli XCX wins songwriter of the year
