BandLab NME Awards 2022: Neneh Cherry Wins Icon Award, Liam Gallagher’s Free Concert for NHS Workers Named Music Moment of the Year, Griff to Receive NME Radar Award, Sigrid to Join Griff for Live Collaboration

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Today, NME has announced further details of the BandLab NME Awards 2022, including the winners of three more prestigious honorary awards and an exciting new performer, ahead of the event at London’s O2 Academy Brixton on Wednesday 2 March 2022. 

NME is excited to announce Neneh Cherry as the winner of this year’s Icon Award, following previous winners Courtney Love and Shirley Manson, in celebration of her continual ability to redefine music, fashion and culture over the past three decades. It is also shared today that Liam Gallagher’s Free Concert For NHS Workers has been named the Music Moment Of The Year, as a triumphant night that celebrated the heroes of the pandemic.

Griff will be awarded the NME Radar Award on the night, following in the footsteps of previous winners beabadoobee and Pale Waves. As one of the UK’s most exciting young pop stars, NME are thrilled to present Griff with the award, which recognises emerging acts who are destined to become legends for the next generation of musicians. It is also announced today that Norwegian pop powerhouse Sigrid will be joining Griff onstage for a performance of their Best Collaboration–nominated track ‘Head on Fire’.

Celebrating the most brilliant people in music and pop culture right now, the BandLab NME Awards 2022 will be presented by the UK’s hottest comedian, actress & writer Daisy May Cooper and rapper, presenter & BBC Radio 1Xtra host Lady Leshurr, feature performances from some of the most thrilling musical acts around, big-name guests, and a raft of epic unpredictable moments. NME Awards aims to be an inclusive event for all to enjoy and have teamed up with Grolsch to provide interpreters on the night for hearing impaired and deaf attendees. Fans have the chance to be in the thick of the action, with tickets on sale now via nme.com.

Since the release of her debut single in 1989, the worldwide hit ‘Buffalo Stance’, Neneh Cherry has continued to push the boundaries in culture, style and music. She has released five studio albums, her latest one being 2018’s Four Tet-produced Broken Politics, which was met with critical acclaim followed in 2019 by a 30th anniversary expanded reissue of her solo debut album, Raw Like Sushi. She played her largest ever headline show at London’s Roundhouse, and festival performances at Glastonbury, Latitude, Primavera, Pitchfork and more, proving her music and message are more relevant than ever.

Neneh says: “Life is a series of ups and downs – along the way I’ve tried to get better at loving myself but ultimately it’s the love from others given then received that makes that possible. I’ve just tried to hold my corner and serve with truth, all made possible by the great visionaries I’ve come up and collaborated with along the way – you know what they say…it takes a village. To wake up one day to hear I’m being given an Icon Award seems crazy but I’ll take it with great honour, so thank you NME.”

British rock legend Liam Gallagher will be honoured with the Music Moment Of The Year award at this year’s ceremony, for his free concert for NHS workers. As NME wrote in a 5* review, it was a ‘life-affirming, era-defining show’ from the artist, who played Oasis classics and his colossal solo cuts to a packed crowd of NHS heroes at London’s O2 Arena in August as thank you for 18 months of vital work throughout the pandemic.

Liam shared: “I’d like to thank NME for the Music Moment Of The Year award and would like to dedicate it to all the NHS and care workers and all the people that give a shit in general LGx”

Griff is undoubtedly one of the UK’s youngest and brightest pop stars. Aged just eleven when she taught herself to record and produce her own songs, she found a kind of solace in creating raw and ruminative pop songs from her bedroom. After securing a management deal aged just thirteen, she signed to Warner Records in 2019 and her stunning debut mixtape One Foot In Front Of The Other was released in June 2021 to commercial success and critical acclaim. She was featured in BBC’s Sound Of 2021 poll and NME 100, was nominated for a Rising Star Award at the Ivor Novello Awards in 2020, has been tipped by the likes of MTV, Amazon Music and more, and hailed by Taylor Swift on social media.

Griff says: “NME have been there from day 1 supporting what I do and what I have to say and that’s always meant so so much. Big thank you to everyone at NME for your support and for this award. Can’t wait to perform this with Sigrid at Brixton :))) x”

One of pop’s most radiant talents, Sigrid has been on a non-stop rise since she first emerged in 2013. Her stellar debut EP Don’t Kill My Vibe propelled her to win the BBC’s Sound Of critics poll in 2018, and the resulting debut album Sucker Punch showed no signs of slowing down. After opening up about her admiration for Griff in her NME Big Read last year, Sigrid recently joined forces with the burgeoning pop hero on their empowering collaboration ‘Head on Fire’, and now the duo are ready to set the 2022 Awards alight together.

The full list of nominations can be found below, including the previously announced winners FKA twigs, Halsey and Jack Antonoff, who will be taking home the Godlike Genius Award, Innovation Award and Songwriter Award, respectively. 2022’s Awards sees the introduction of award categories that champion Southeast Asian talent, following 2020’s Australian categories and furthering NME’s global approach with dedicated editions in Australia and Asia. NME recently announced the winners of the Australia- and Asia-exclusive categories, who will go on to compete in the equivalent global categories at 2022’s 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, including Hero Of The Year and Villain Of The Year. Fans can cast their votes now at nme.com/awards.

This year’s official charity partner will be Music Venue Trust, continuing NME’s long-standing relationship and work with the charity. Created in 2014 to protect, secure and improve the UK’s vital grassroots music venues, they represent over 900 venues across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. 

What you need to know:

Where? O2 Academy Brixton

When? March 2, 2022

Why? You don’t want to miss out on the wildest night of the year.

How do I get in? Tickets available via nme.com

Visit nme.com/awards for more.

BANDLAB NME AWARDS 2022 NOMINATIONS

GODLIKE GENIUS

FKA twigs

ICON AWARD

Neneh Cherry

INNOVATION AWARD

Halsey

SONGWRITER AWARD

Jack Antonoff

NME RADAR AWARD

Griff

MUSIC MOMENT OF THE YEAR

Liam Gallagher’s Free Concert For NHS Workers

BEST ALBUM IN THE WORLD

Genesis Owusu – ‘Smiling With No Teeth’

Ghetts – ‘Conflict Of Interest’

Halsey – ‘If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power’

Lana Del Rey – ‘Blue Banisters’

Little Simz – ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’

Sam Fender – ‘Seventeen Going Under’

Self Esteem – ‘Prioritise Pleasure’

Subsonic Eye – ‘Nature Of Things’

Tyler, The Creator – ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’

Wolf Alice – ‘Blue Weekend’

BEST ALBUM BY A UK ARTIST

Ghetts – ‘Conflict Of Interest’

Little Simz – ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’

Sam Fender – ‘Seventeen Going Under’

Self Esteem – ‘Prioritise Pleasure’

Wolf Alice – ‘Blue Weekend’

BEST SONG IN THE WORLD

BTS – ‘Butter’

Charli XCX – ‘Good Ones’

CHVRCHES & Robert Smith – ‘How Not To Drown’

Lorde – ‘Solar Power’

Olivia Rodrigo – ‘Good 4 U’

PinkPantheress – ‘Just For Me’

Sam Fender – ‘Seventeen Going Under’

The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber – ‘Stay’

Warren Hue – ‘Omomo Punk’

Wet Leg – ‘Chaise Longue’

BEST SONG BY A UK ARTIST

Charli XCX – ‘Good Ones’

CHVRCHES & Robert Smith – ‘How Not To Drown’

PinkPantheress – ‘Just For Me’

Sam Fender – ‘Seventeen Going Under’

Wet Leg – ‘Chaise Longue’

BEST LIVE ACT: SUPPORTED BY GROLSCH

Bleachers

Bring Me The Horizon

IDLES

Little Simz

Megan Thee Stallion

Rina Sawayama

Self Esteem

Tomorrow x Together

Wizkid

Yungblud

BEST FESTIVAL IN THE WORLD

All Points East

Austin City Limits

Fuji Rock

Exit Festival

Green Man

Life Is Beautiful

Reading & Leeds

Riot Fest

TRNSMT

Wireless

BEST FESTIVAL IN THE UK: SUPPORTED BY WHITE CLAW

All Points East

Green Man

Reading & Leeds

TRNSMT

Wireless

BEST SMALL FESTIVAL

End Of The Road

Live At Leeds

Lost Village

Mighty Hoopla

Wide Awake 

BEST FESTIVAL HEADLINER

Billie Eilish

Liam Gallagher

Megan Thee Stallion

Wolf Alice

Tyler, The Creator

BEST BAND IN THE WORLD

Amyl & The Sniffers

Ben&Ben

Bring Me The Horizon

CHVRCHES

Fontaines DC

Glass Animals

HAIM

Måneskin

Nova Twins

Wolf Alice

BEST BAND FROM THE UK: SUPPORTED BY PIZZA EXPRESS

Bring Me The Horizon

CHVRCHES

Glass Animals

Nova Twins

Wolf Alice

BEST SOLO ACT IN THE WORLD

Arlo Parks

Billie Eilish

Burna Boy

Dave

Little Simz

Pyra

Rina Sawayama

Sam Fender

Tkay Maidza

The Weeknd

BEST SOLO ACT FROM THE UK

Arlo Parks

Dave

Little Simz

Rina Sawayama

Sam Fender

BEST NEW ACT IN THE WORLD: SUPPORTED BY CANO WATER

Bad Boy Chiller Crew

BERWYN 

Bree Runway

Inhaler

King Stingray 

Olivia Rodrigo

Shye

Tems

Wet Leg

Yard Act

BEST NEW ACT FROM THE UK: SUPPORTED BY MUSIC VENUE TRUST

Bad Boy Chiller Crew

BERWYN 

Bree Runway

Wet Leg

Yard Act

BEST MIXTAPE

Berwyn – ‘Tape 2/Fomalhaut’

Central Cee – ‘Wild West’

FKA twigs – ‘Caprisongs’

Holly Humberstone – ‘The Walls Are Way Too Thin’

PinkPantheress – ‘To hell with it’

BEST COLLABORATION

Baby Keem x Kendrick Lamar – ‘Family Ties’

Coldplay x BTS – ‘My Universe’’

FKA twigs x The Weeknd – ‘Tears In The Club’

Griff x Sigrid – ‘Head On Fire’

Rina Sawayama x Elton John – ‘Chosen Family’

BEST PRODUCER: SUPPORTED BY BANDLAB

Arca

Fred again..

India Jordan

Nia Archives

Travis Barker

BEST FILM

Last Night In Soho

Licorice Pizza

Promising Young Woman

Sound Of Metal

The Harder They Fall

BEST TV SERIES

Feel Good

It’s A Sin

Sex Education

Stath Lets Flats

We Are Lady Parts

BEST FILM ACTOR

Alana Haim

Benedict Cumberbatch

Jonathan Majors

Riz Ahmed

Thomasin McKenzie

BEST TV ACTOR

Aisling Bea

Mae Martin

Ncuti Gatwa

Olly Alexander

Zendaya

BEST REISSUE

The Beatles – ‘Let It Be’

Nirvana – ‘Nevermind’

OutKast – ‘ATLiens’

Radiohead – ‘Kid Amnesiae’

Taylor Swift – ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’

BEST MUSIC FILM

Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry

If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power

The Sparks Brothers

Summer Of Soul

Oasis Knebworth 1996

BEST MUSIC VIDEO

Billie Eilish – ‘Happier Than Ever’

Foals – ‘Wake Me Up’

Lil Nas X – ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’

Taylor Swift – ‘All Too Well The Short Film’

Wet Leg – ‘Chaise Longue’ 

BEST MUSIC BOOK

Bobby Gillespie – Tenement Kid

Dave Grohl – The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music

Michelle Zauner (Japanese Breakfast) – Crying In H Mart

Questlove – Music Is History

Paul McCartney – The Lyrics

BEST PODCAST

Disgraceland

Grounded With Louis Theroux

Songs To Live By

Table Manners

Wheel Of Misfortune

GAME OF THE YEAR

Deathloop

Halo Infinite

Hitman 3

Metroid Dread

Unpacking

INDIE GAME OF THE YEAR

The Artful Escape

Cruelty Squad

The Forgotten City

Overboard!

Unpacking

BEST GAME DEVELOPMENT STUDIO

Arkane Studios

Black Matter

Double Fine

IO Interactive

Xbox Game Studios

BEST ONGOING GAME

Apex Legends

Escape From Tarkov

Final Fantasy XIV

Fortnite

Genshin Impact

BEST AUDIO IN A VIDEO GAME

The Artful Escape

Deathloop

Forza Horizon 5

Guardians of the Galaxy

Psychonauts 2

BEST ALBUM BY AN AUSTRALIAN ARTIST

Genesis Owusu – ‘Smiling With No Teeth’

BEST ALBUM BY AN ASIAN ARTIST

Subsonic Eye – ‘Nature Of Things’

BEST SONG BY AN AUSTRALIAN ARTIST

The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber – ‘Stay’

BEST SONG BY AN ASIAN ARTIST

Warren Hue – ‘Omomo Punk’

BEST BAND FROM AUSTRALIA

Amyl & The Sniffers

BEST BAND FROM ASIA

Ben&Ben

BEST SOLO ACT FROM AUSTRALIA

Tkay Maidza

BEST SOLO ACT FROM ASIA

Pyra

BEST NEW ACT FROM AUSTRALIA

King Stingray

BEST NEW ACT FROM ASIA

Shye

About the BandLab NME Awards 2022:

Our award categories are designed to celebrate the best in music, entertainment and pop culture today. To reflect NME’s global reach and to champion artists from all around the world, we have divided the categories into two broad bands: Global and Regional. Artists who are nationals of Southeast Asian countries, Australia and the UK will be nominated in categories under their respective regions (Asia, Australia and the UK), and artists from outside the aforementioned regions will be nominated in the Global categories. Artists who are nominated for the Regional categories may also appear additionally in the Global categories. The editors and the management of NME Networks reserve the right to amend any categories and/or nominees, or remove any nominees and/or categories in light of new developments.

About NME:

Launched in London, UK, in 1952 as the New Musical Express, NME has grown into a global media powerhouse that creates and curates content, products and experiences essential to fans of music and pop culture today. NME brings together the best writers and photographers to provide a multi-platform editorial offering that is at the bleeding edge of what matters most across the globe — be it music, film, TV or gaming. Intent on shining a spotlight on the artists and stories coming out of the world’s most compelling music scenes via NME.com, NME also has dedicated editions for Australia and Asia, using its distinctive voice and point of view to champion and celebrate established and emerging homegrown talent.

About BandLab:

BandLab’s vision is simple: A future where there are no boundaries to making and sharing music. BandLab is the next-generation social music platform with over 40 million users on a mission to break down the technical, geographic, and creative barriers for musicians and fans. Free-to-use, the mobile-first cross-platform DAW and social network, unites the entire creator journey into one place, boasting a suite of features and tools for creators to make their music, earn a living and grow their audience.

About Music Venue Trust:

Music Venue Trust is a UK registered charity which acts to protect, secure and improve Grassroots Music Venues. Created in January 2014, Music Venue Trust aims to secure the long-term future of iconic Grassroots Music Venues such as Hull Adelphi, Exeter Cavern, Southampton Joiners, The 100 Club, Band on the Wall, Tunbridge Wells Forum etc. These venues have played a crucial role in the development of British music over the last 40 years, nurturing local talent, providing a platform for artists to build their careers and develop their music and their performance skills. The charity works to gain recognition of the essential role these venues fulfil, not only for artist development but also for the cultural and music industries, the economy and local communities. Music Venue Trust aims to preserve and improve venues, making them more efficient and improving the experience for performers and audiences. Long-term, it plans to acquire the freeholds of as many of these vital venues as possible.

For more information please contact:

NMEawards@insideout.agency