26 September 2017
Newsdesk
Today The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), the world leader in performing rights and advocacy for music creators, announce the honourees for their 2017 ASCAP Awards, London. The coveted ASCAP Vanguard Award will be presented to pop sensation Dua Lipa and to Britain’s best new rock band The Amazons on Monday 16 October 2017 at the annual celebration of songwriters and composers taking place at One Marylebone. Luminary songwriter and record producer Steve Mac will also be honoured at the ceremony with the iconic ASCAP Founders Award and celebrated with a special performance from his recent collaborator and one of the hottest names in British pop, Anne-Marie.
After a year of huge international tour dates, triumphant hometown shows, millions of single sales and securing multiple spots in the UK singles chart simultaneously, Dua Lipa is a pop force to be reckoned with. Lipa’s latest single ‘New Rules’ has spent 7 weeks in the UK Top 5 singles chart after holding the #1 spot for two weeks. The single has been certified gold with the video going viral and breaking 240 million views. ‘New Rules’ is also the first single by a solo female artist to reach #1 in the UK since Adele in 2015. Dua is the 11th most streamed artist in the world on Spotify with 29.5m monthly listeners and she is about to embark on a massive ‘self-titled tour,’ a mix of sold-out headline shows and support slots for Coldplay and Bruno Mars.
The Amazons, a four-piece rock band from Reading, UK, are comprised of frontman Matt Thomson, drummer Joe Emmett, bassist Elliot Briggs and guitarist Chris Alderton. The acclaimed quartet have had an incredible year so far. With a rapidly growing fan base and support from the likes of NME, Q, MTV and BBC Radio 1, their self-titled debut album went straight in to the top 10 of the Official Charts. They are currently on the European stretch of a headline tour and will return to the UK in October to a run of sold out shows including the O2 Forum Kentish Town.
ASCAP President Paul Williams said: “Dua Lipa and The Amazons are two of the most exciting new artists to emerge in Britain over the past few years. They each reached their audiences with skilfully crafted collections of songs which are both rich in emotion and ready for the stadium. Their songwriting talent shines through and we look forward to honouring Dua Lipa and The Amazons at this stage of their flourishing careers.”
Dua Lipa said: “I’m so honoured and grateful to win this award. I’m very thankful for the response to the music and the recognition. Things like this make me work so hard and I just want to make my fans proud. Thank you!”
The Amazons said: “We're honoured to be receiving the ASCAP Vanguard Award. Like with any act trying to break through at the moment, the support of institutions like ASCAP means a huge amount. We're excited to be a part of the night and look forward to performing as well.”
In a career spanning almost three decades, writer and producer Steve Mac has been associated with a staggering 62 Top Ten UK Singles, 30 of which were #1, and 74 Top Ten UK Albums of which 31 hit the #1 spot. Mac’s latest monumental achievement comes as co-writer of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of You’ alongside Sheeran and Johnny McDaid. The track broke the all-time Top 40 airplay record for the highest play-count ever recorded in a single week and has also become the longest running single in the Top Ten of Billboard Hot 100's 59-year history. Mac has also been associated with over 43 Top 40 US hit singles and albums for artists such as P!NK, Liam Payne, Clean Bandit, Cobra Starship, Kelly Clarkson, O-Town, Susan Boyle, Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken, Demi Lovato, Il Divo, Toni Braxton, Trace Adkins and Shakira.
“Steve Mac is an extremely rare talent. In his incredible 27-year career he has written and produced some of the most successful songs of all time with some of the biggest names in contemporary music” said Paul Williams. “Steve's irresistible compositions continue to thrill audiences around the globe and we are delighted to be presenting him with the ASCAP Founders Award.”
Steve Mac said: “I'm deeply honoured to be given this prestigious award. When I read the list of previous recipients, I can’t quite believe I'm being added to this collection of musical heroes who have inspired and helped shape my career.”
The ASCAP Awards, London ceremony will also see esteemed awards presented for Song of the Year, Top Digital Song, Top EDM Song and Film Score of the Year. The evening will be attended by some of the biggest names in the music and entertainment industry.
The 2017 ASCAP Awards, London featuring performances from The Amazons and Anne-Marie takes place on Monday 16 October at One Marylebone.
