RISING STAR WITH AMAZON MUSIC

RISING STAR WITH AMAZON MUSIC

Recognising young songwriting talent who demonstrate exceptional potential, ambition and have begun to capture the imagination of the music creator community.

2024 marks the fifth year of the Ivor Novellos’ Rising Star Award with Amazon Music – and in that time, plenty of stellar songwriters have already risen and shone.

Indeed, over the past half decade, the award has become one of the music industry’s most reliable conveyor belts of talent, with previous nominees and winners including the likes of Holly Humberstone, Cat Burns, Griff, venbee, Rachel Chinouriri and PinkPantheress.

That those and many others have gone on to write hit records, sell out tours and pick up other awards – at a time when finding that elusive musical breakthrough is tougher than ever – is testament to the deep reserves of young songwriting skills found throughout the UK and Ireland.

And this year is no exception, with 2024’s Rising Star nominees showcasing an astonishing range of songwriting ability that suggests they too will soon join the pantheon of greats that have preceded them. Indeed, no matter who actually picks up the gong today, you can expect these five stars to keep on rising…

Take BLAIR DAVIE for example. Songs such as Stairs and Right Love Wrong Time have already won over fans including Coldplay’s Chris Martin, who recently urged Davie to “keep going and believe in yourself because I believe in you”.

Davie has mined a rich seam of supremely candid self expression, admitting: “I used to have to bear the depths of my soul, the deepest and darkest parts of me, in order to come out with the most vulnerable and honest songs.”

That led to the discovery “that honesty and vulnerability are superpowers” but, these days, Davie is “trying to chase magic” in their songwriting by “seeking joy in my life” and collaborating with others.

It seems to be working. Davie has become one of 2024’s most hotly tipped singer-songwriters and sees the Rising Star shout as a sign that “you are on the right path and the work is being recognised”.

“It’s been wonderful this year to really feel like the momentum is building,” Davie adds. “I’m becoming the artist I’ve always wanted to be.”

CHRISSI, meanwhile, realised what type of songwriter she wanted to be when attending her first Ivors in 2021, resolving to “have a nomination for Rising Star by 2025”.

No wonder she declares herself “over the moon” at having achieved that ambition. Not that you’ll find much similarly boundless joy in her songwriting: Chrissi has built an enviable reputation for emotionally raw lyrics on the likes of Stupid Little Girl and Love Me In Chapters.

“My songwriting style is very honest in an ugly way - but it’s framed with pretty melodies,” she says. “I love to write sad songs; I normally start with the emotion I’m feeling and take the more realistic approach.”

That method is certainly paying off, with Chrissi having already collaborated with Rising Star alum Rachel Chinouriri. On Chrissi’s wishlist for the future: stadium tours and writing for artists she loves, from Sam Fender to Haim. Although she also notes: “Overall, I just want to write sad stuff and make people feel normal for having similar emotions.”

ELMIENE is already keeping some impressive company. The soulful singersongwriter has collaborated with Stormzy, Sampha and James Vincent McMorrow, while Louis Vuitton used his song Golden to soundtrack one of its shows. But he’s particularly delighted to have The Ivors recognition.

“The part of making music I take most pride in isn’t my voice; it’s my ability to write and express the weird ideas to paper,” he says. “Nothing feels better than when someone expresses interest in what I’m trying to say.”

You can expect that attention to soar in future, with tracks such as Someday and Remember destined to attract anyone who appreciates top quality songwriting.

Elmiene describes his writing process as “filtering my very normal emotions through my very not normal brain” and cites Prince as his ultimate inspiration.

“He was always looking at the bigger picture of his existence as an artist,” Elmiene says. “And that’s what I want; a massive vault of everything from demos to finished albums that will let me explore every itch I’ve ever wanted to artistically scratch.”

Similarly ambitious is MASTER PEACE: after all, you can’t have a stage name like that without backing it up – and his songwriting certainly lives up to its billing.

“I really want to achieve ‘greatness’,” he declares. “I feel like it’s a matter of time until people believe in what I’m trying to achieve.”

Many already do. His music is an eclectic grab bag of influences –from funk to punk, grime to indie rock – while Peace’s boundless energy and unfiltered lyrics on anthems such as I Might Be Fake and Shangaladang have helped him win over a whole Peace Corps of devotees, including The Streets’ Mike Skinner.

“I don’t think my music sounds like anyone else,” Peace says. “There’s a rhythm and swag to it that pushes songwriting forward to a place I haven’t seen many artists push in a very long time. It’s go hard or go home with me and I’m very motivated to be the best I can be.”

No wonder the world is now waiting for a career full of Master Peace masterpieces.

NINO SLG is also crafting a unique musical blend. Already, he is surely the only musician to ever be supported by both Stormzy – who dubbed him an artist to watch last year – and Twinings tea, which used Prison Walls on an ad campaign.

He sees The Ivors recognition as “a huge accolade” and “a symbol of progress in my career”. That development is also evident in his music, which he describes as “genuine and diverse, with influence derived from my love for poetry”.

And, indeed, while his rapping on consummately executed songs such as House Invasions and LSOM is fierce, his lyrics are always socially conscious and beautifully expressive, while a quick reading of the songwriting tea leaves suggests there is much more to come.

“I aspire to write incredible albums and create great bodies of work,” he says. “As an artist, I push myself to create music which helps other people’s lives. If I can achieve an impact on the world through my work, that will display great success.”

And that’s a sentiment that echoes across The Ivors Rising Star Class of 2024: five great songwriters surely destined to become everybody’s favourite brew.