Amazon Music has today announced further details on the ways they will be amplifying and scaling The Ivors 2023 as a part of their multi-year global deal, including the first ever livestream from the event. The ceremony, which will see the pioneering songwriter, Sting, presented with the top Award will also a feature a special live performance by the iconic superstar. Presented by The +44 Podcast hosts Zeze Millz and Sideman, as well as radio DJ Zach Sang, the livestream will feature live coverage direct from The Ivors red carpet, plus additional award show performances from RAYE and Matilda Mann, and backstage interviews with the winners. Ahead of The Ivors red carpet kicking off, the livestream will also include a special edition of The Zach Sang Show, featuring a performance and chat with Amazon Music Breakthrough UK: Artist to Watch 2023, Henry Moodie.
Presented since 1956, The Ivors is the largest and most prestigious celebration of songwriting and screen composing. Each winner receives an Ivor Novello award and joins a roll call of greats that includes Adele, Lana Del Ray, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Mariah Carey, Bill Withers, Ed Sheeran, Amy Winehouse, and Stormzy. The awards are judged by songwriters and composers from The Ivors Academy, which represents, champions and supports music creators.
In addition to red carpet access, live performances and backstage interviews, the pre-show stream will also include highlights from an Amazon Music panel discussion “50 Years of Hip Hop”, recorded earlier in the week as a part of the Ivors Week activity. The panel, in collaboration with The +44 Podcast and hosted by Zeze Millz and Sideman, will feature Wretch 32, DYO, JP Patterson and Michael Adex. The discussion will be centred around the evolution of hip hop from 1970s North America to UK rap, hip hop, grime, garage, drum ‘n’ bass, drill and other genres. It will highlight the importance of the genres throughout UK history, the impact it’s had on society and culture, the songwriting and lyrics, and what the future holds. This will be followed by Zeze, Zach and Sideman predicting their Ivor Novello winners, alongside renowned music critic XXX.
Audiences can tune into the livestream on the Amazon Music UK channel on Twitch from 11:30am BST on 18th May.
The full “50 Years of Hip Hop” panel discussion will be released as a +44 Podcast ad-free on Amazon Music on Friday 19th May, available on all other streaming providers on Sunday 21st May.
As part of the activity around the multi-year global deal between Amazon Music and The Ivors, artists Matilda Mann, Henry Moodie and Kurt Vile will each release new Amazon Original tracks. These will be released on the same day as The Ivors (18th May), and will be available to listen to exclusively on Amazon Music.
The Ivors Academy revealed in February that Sting will be the latest songwriter to become an Academy Fellow, the highest honour the Academy bestows. With over 100 million albums sold throughout his career from his combined work with The Police and as a solo artist, Sting is one of Britain’s most successful, accomplished, and iconic songwriters. Sting becomes the twenty-third Fellow that the Academy has inducted in its 79-year history, an honour reserved for those who have truly reshaped and redefined the art and craft of music creation. He joins a roster of songwriter greats including Sir Paul McCartney, Kate Bush CBE and Joan Armatrading MBE, and follows on from Peter Gabriel who received the award in 2022.
Zach Sang says: “There’s no stronger champion for music creators than The Ivors Academy. Working with them and Amazon Music to bring this prestigious show to a new audience via Twitch is a responsibility we don’t take lightly. The Ivors celebrates those in the spotlight and those behind it, being able to tell their stories through our coverage is an honour.”
Zeze Millz says: “I am super proud to be working with The Ivors Academy and Amazon Music in hosting the live stream this year! The Ivors are synonymous with music excellence and I can’t wait to get stuck in, bringing the awards to a bigger audience.”
Sideman says: “Songwriters are the unsung creative heroes of music, which provide the soundtrack to our lives. I’m honoured to be working with The Ivors Academy and Amazon Music to bring the awards to a wider audience.”
Laura Lukanz, Head of Music Industry, UK, Australia & New Zealand at Amazon Music says: “The work of The Ivors Academy is truly valued and we’re so pleased we’re able to collaborate with them by celebrating songwriters and their craft globally, bringing iconic and emerging music creators to the forefront through our amplifications of the awards. The Ivors are such a special event that have typically been behind closed doors so we’re thrilled to be able to shine a deserving light on it by bringing it to more audiences than ever before through this inaugural livestream including special performances from Sting, Matilda Mann and Henry Moodie.”
In February, as a part of a multi-year global deal, Amazon Music were announced as the new title sponsor of The Ivors in a collaboration that will amplify and scale the awards’ recognition and celebration of songwriters globally. As a part of this, Amazon Music will offer its cross-category capabilities to bring both iconic and emerging music creators to the forefront through exclusive content offerings, as well as presenting and broadcasting inaugural live performances and an immersive red carpet and backstage interviews from the 2023 event on the Amazon Music UK Twitch channel to honour the craft of songwriting. An unheard Amazon Original demo of Sting’s 2021 single ‘If It’s Love’ has been released exclusively on Amazon Music [for Amazon Music customers], available to listen to here. The official playlist for The Ivors 2023 on Amazon Music, showcases the songs and songwriters nominated for a 2023 award. Listen here.
In addition to recognising icons’ songwriting achievements, Amazon Music will integrate this year’s Rising Star Award nominees into their global developing artist programme, Breakthrough. Breakthrough provides long-term, customised global plans for emerging artists during crucial moments in their careers. This support includes: video and audio content, global marketing, increased visibility across Amazon Music playlists and programming and high-profile Amazon Original tracks available only on Amazon Music. Further details on this will be announced in the coming months.
On Thursday 18th May 2023 The Ivors with Amazon Music will recognise and celebrate outstanding songwriters and composers across fourteen categories – including Songwriter of the Year with Amazon Music, Best Album, Best Original Film Score, Best Contemporary Song, PRS for Music Most Performed Work and the Rising Star Award with Amazon Music. The 2023 winners will be revealed at The Ivors with Amazon Music at Grosvenor House in London on Thursday 18th May 2023.
