Pauline Black, frontwoman of ska band The Selecter, will receive the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award at the 2026 Independent Music Awards on 22 September at London's Roundhouse.
The award celebrates Black’s career spanning more than four decades. As one of the prominent female figures of the 2 Tone movement in the late 1970s, Black helped shape the UK's multiracial musical landscape alongside contemporaries such as The Specials, The Beat, and Madness.
Formed in Coventry, The Selecter achieved commercial success with their 1980 debut album Too Much Pressure, which reached Number 5 on the UK Albums Chart and produced hit singles including "On My Radio," "Three Minute Hero," and "Missing Words." The band has remained creative, releasing their UK Top 10 album Human Algebra in 2023, while Black toured with Damon Albarn's Gorillaz during summer 2026. She was awarded an OBE for services to entertainment in 2022.
"I started my career on an independent label, 2-Tone, because it fitted who I was perfectly: bringing together the best of black music with the best of white music in 1979," said Black. "Forty-seven years later, I’m still making music with people I trust, still mixing it up and spreading the same message: we are better together than divided."
The Selecter will perform live at the ceremony alongside newly confirmed performers Jalen Ngonda and Naima Bock. Ngonda enters the event with two nominations for Independent Breakthrough and Best Independent Track, while Bock's Live in Toulon is nominated for Best Independent Mixtape / EP.
Organised by the Association of Independent Music (AIM), the 16th annual awards ceremony celebrates the UK's independent music sector under the 2026 theme of 'Collective Strength.' The evening will also feature previously announced honourees Fabio & Grooverider receiving the Innovator Award, followed by an official afterparty hosted in partnership with DORK Magazine at Camden's Barfly featuring live performances from FEET and Jo From School.
