NME Awards 2020 Nominations Revealed

GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL’S EMILY EAVIS ANNOUNCED AS WINNER OF GODLIKE GENIUS AWARD
SLOWTHAI, THE 1975, BILLIE EILISH, FKA TWIGS, AJ TRACEY LEAD NOMINATIONS
 
THE 1975 TO CLOSE CEREMONY WITH FIVE SONG LIVE SET 
NORDOFF ROBBINS ANNOUNCED AS NME AWARDS CHARITY PARTNER
PUBLIC VOTING FOR HERO, VILLIAN AND MUSIC MOMENT OF THE YEAR NOW OPEN

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The NME Awards return next month to celebrate the last 12 months of artists, records and performances at O2 Academy Brixton for the most raucous night in music. Today NME announce the nominations for this year’s awards, with Slowthai, The 1975, Yungblud, Billie Eilish, AJ Tracey, FKA twigs, Lizzo, Charli XCX, Stormzy and Lana Del Rey amongst those leading nominations with multiple nods each.

The first award winner to be announced is Glastonbury Festival co-organiser Emily Eavis, who will be presented with NME’s coveted Godlike Genius award, following in the footsteps of the likes of Blondie, U2, Coldplay and the Pet Shop Boys. NME are thrilled to honour Emily for her outstanding contribution to the festival in its 50th year, after having the baton passed to her by her father, Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis, who himself was named Godlike Genius in 1996. When Emily picks up the award on the night she will be the first non-performer to do so in almost 20 years.

“This festival has had so many incredible moments over its 50 years, ones that will stay with us forever. Part of the beauty of the event is that it’s brought together by a huge force of great creative masterminds and it’s such a privilege to continue to put this show on and allow it to evolve. I remember being at the NME Awards when I was 16 and being so proud to see my dad named Godlike Genius. It’s a huge honour to be given the same award all these years later. Thank you NME.” says Emily Eavis.

The full list of nominations can be found below, including special categories for this year Album Of The Decade and Songwriter Of The Decade, which will be announced in the coming weeks in addition to the Icon and NME Radar awards. The NME Awards are shortlisted, debated and decided by the core NME team staking a claim for curation, critical voice and an immutable belief in the greatest artists in the world. A select number of awards will be voted for by the fans, and voting opens today for Hero Of The Year, Villain Of The Year, Music Moment Of The Year. Fans can head to NME.com/awards to cast their votes now.

Last week NME revealed six new Australia-exclusive categories at this year’s awards to coincide with the launch of NME Australia in December. With nominations led by Amyl And The Sniffers, Stella Donnelly and Mallrat, the winners of the Australian categories are announced today – see NME Australia for the full list of Australian winners.

NME are excited to announce that multiple award nominees The 1975 will close the NME Awards 2020 with an exclusive five song set. The Manchester band join already-announced performers Yungblud and Beabadoobee in playing at the ceremony. The 1975 will bring their festival-headlining, arena performance to close the night at O2 Academy Brixton with an incendiary five-song set. This will be an exclusive chance to see the band in an intimate space; they last performed at O2 Academy Brixton for a five night residency in 2016. The 1975 released their Mercury Prize nominated third album A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships in 2018, with their anticipated fourth album Notes On A Conditional Form due for release in April 2020. 

“After our year off in 2019, we couldn’t be more excited about the return of the mighty NME Awards – and we know that our audience, our favourite artists and their associated hangers-on are just as hyped up as we are. Back at O2 Academy Brixton, this year’s event is a special one for many reasons, marking the end of a brilliant decade for music and the start of a new one that’s bursting with possibilities. Since the last time we handed out our infamous, finger-flickin’ trophies, we’ve seen superstars born and legends cemented. Our nominations show that the music scene is not only in the rudest possible health, it’s also packed with young personalities who are reshaping the music industry in their image. We’re especially humbled to be able to honour Glastonbury Festival’s Emily Eavis with our Godlike Genius Award. She is, after all, the only person in Britain who throws a better party than we do,” say the NME team.

NME are also pleased to announce that Nordoff Robbins, the UK’s largest independent music therapy charity will be the awards’ official charity partner, chosen for their excellent work in supporting people affected by life limiting illness, isolation or disability through musical engagement. Nordoff Robbins’ music therapists are expertly trained to tune into each movement, reaction and expression of the individuals they work with to discover how music can enrich their lives. This could be to unlock memories, to communicate where words have failed, to socially connect with family and friends, and to build confidence and self-esteem.​ Nordoff Robbins will be present at the awards, providing a taste of the work they do as well as raising money on the night.

For tickets to the Awards visit https://www.nme.com

Fans can head to NME.com/awards to cast their votes now

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NME Awards 2020 Nominations:

GODLIKE GENIUS

Emily Eavis 

BEST BRITISH ALBUM

FKA twigs – ‘Magdalene’

Foals – ‘Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost, Pt. 1’

Little Simz – ‘GREY Area’

Michael Kiwanuka – ‘Kiwanuka’

Slowthai – ‘Nothing Great About Britain’

BEST ALBUM IN THE WORLD

Billie Eilish – ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’

FKA twigs – ‘Magdalene’

Foals – ‘Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost, Pt. 1’

Lana Del Rey – ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell’

Little Simz – ‘GREY Area’

Michael Kiwanuka – ‘Kiwanuka’

Slipknot – ‘We Are Not Your Kind’

Slowthai – ‘Nothing Great About Britain’

Stella Donnelly – ‘Beware Of The Dogs’

Tyler, the Creator – ‘IGOR’

BEST BRITISH SONG

AJ Tracey – ‘Ladbroke Grove’

Dua Lipa – ‘Don’t Start Now’

Georgia – ‘About Work The Dancefloor’

Mura Masa ft Slowthai – ‘Deal Wiv It’

The 1975 – ‘People’

BEST SONG IN THE WORLD

AJ Tracey – ‘Ladbroke Grove’

Billie Eilish – ‘Bad Guy’

Clairo – ‘Bags’

Dua Lipa – ‘Don’t Start Now’

Georgia – ‘About Work The Dancefloor’

Lil Nas X – ‘Old Town Road (remix)’

Lizzo – ‘Juice’

Mura Masa ft Slowthai – ‘Deal Wiv It’

Post Malone – ‘Circles’

The 1975 – ‘People’

BEST BRITISH SOLO ACT

AJ Tracey

Charli XCX

FKA twigs

Slowthai

Yungblud

BEST SOLO ACT IN THE WORLD

AJ Tracey

Beck

Billie Eilish

Charli XCX

FKA twigs

Lana Del Rey

Lizzo

Slowthai

Taylor Swift

Yungblud

BEST BRITISH BAND: SUPPORTED BY PIZZA EXPRESS

Bring Me The Horizon

IDLES

Krept & Konan

The 1975

The Big Moon

BEST BAND IN THE WORLD

Bring Me The Horizon

Brockhampton

BTS

HAIM

IDLES

Krept & Konan

Slipknot

Tame Impala

The 1975

The Big Moon

BEST NEW BRITISH ACT: SUPPORTED BY NORDOFF ROBBINS

Celeste

D-Block Europe

Easy Life

Jade Bird

Sam Fender

BEST NEW ACT IN THE WORLD

Celeste

Clairo

D-Block Europe

DaBaby

Dominic Fike

Easy Life

Fontaines DC

Girl In Red

Jade Bird

Sam Fender

BEST LIVE ACT: SUPPORTED BY COPPER DOG

Amyl + The Sniffers

Foals

Iggy Pop

Lizzo

Slowthai

BEST COLLABORATION

BTS + Halsey

Charli XCX + Christine And The Queens

Megan Thee Stallion + DaBaby

Slowthai + Mura Masa

Yungblud + Dan Reynolds

BEST MUSIC VIDEO

Brockhampton – ‘I’ve Been Born Again’

Easy Life – ‘Nice Guys’

Normani – ‘Motivation’

Stormzy – ‘Vossi Bop’

Yungblud – ‘Original Me’

BEST BRITISH FESTIVAL

All Points East

Glastonbury

Parklife

Reading & Leeds

Wireless

BEST SMALL FESTIVAL: SUPPORTED BY CANO WATER

Bluedot

End Of The Road

Iceland Airwaves

Kendal Calling

Øya

BEST FESTIVAL IN THE WORLD

All Points East

Coachella

Fuji Rock

Glastonbury

Mad Cool

Parklife

Reading & Leeds

Rock In Rio

Sziget

Wireless

BEST FESTIVAL HEADLINER

Cardi B

Lana Del Rey

Stormzy

The 1975

The Cure

BEST FILM

Blue Story

Hustlers

Joker

Midsommar

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

BEST FILM ACTOR

Florence Pugh

Joaquin Phoenix

Lupita Nyong’o

Micheal Ward

Taron Egerton

BEST TV SERIES

End Of The Fucking World

Fleabag

Peaky Blinders

Stranger Things

Top Boy

BEST TV ACTOR

Asa Butterfield

Jessica Barden

Jodie Comer

Kano

Zendaya

BEST MUSIC FILM

Beyonce: Homecoming

BTS: Bring The Soul

Liam Gallagher: As It Was

Michael Hutchence: Mystify

Rocketman

BEST MUSIC BOOK

Brett Anderson – ‘Afternoons With The Blinds Drawn’

Debbie Harry – ‘Face It: A Memoir’

Elton John – ‘Me’

Prince – ‘The Beautiful Ones’

Tegan & Sara – ‘High School’

BEST REISSUE

Aretha Franklin – ‘Amazing Grace’

Muse – ‘Origins Of Muse’

Prince – ‘1999’

R.E.M. – ‘Monster 25’

The Beatles – ‘Abbey Road’

BEST PODCAST: SUPPORTED BY DAX

Have You Heard George’s Podcast?

My Dad Wrote A Porno

Sex Power Money

Stay Free: The Story Of The Clash

The Missing Cryptoqueen

BEST GAME

Death Stranding

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

The Outer Worlds

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About NME:

NME is the world’s defining voice in music and pop culture. They’ve been breaking what’s new and what’s next since 1952. The NME create and curate content, products and experiences essential to the fans of music and popular culture today. Get the latest news at nme.com.

About BandLab Technologies:

BandLab Technologies is a collective of music brands with a vision to connect the world of music. The company integrates the physical, digital and social supply chain, to enable better experiences, opportunities, and connections for all music lovers. Established in 2016, the BandLab Technologies portfolio of brands continues to rapidly expand and diversify. The growing media division currently includes the popular titles NME, Uncut, Guitar.com and MusicTech. For more information visit https://bandlabtechnologies.com

About Nordoff Robbins:

Nordoff Robbins is the largest independent music therapy charity in the UK, dedicated to enriching the lives of people affected by life limiting illness, isolation or disability. They recieve no direct government funding, which means they rely on the generosity of their supporters. The charity provide a range of different sessions for children and adults of all ages in their  centres in London, Manchester, Newcastle and Scotland – from specialised one-to-one music therapy to shared sessions for groups of different sizes and formats.​ Nordoff Robbins also work in partnership with over 200 organisations to bring music therapy to as many vulnerable people who could benefit from it as possible. These include schools, care homes, hospices, hospitals, mental health services, and brain injury units.

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