Apple Music exec talks Ivors Rising Star Award and backing new artists

Apple Music, global head of creative services, music publishing, Dan Adams, has spoken exclusively to Headliner about the company’s ongoing partnership with the Ivors Awards and its Rising Star Award, as well as its commitment to supporting new talent.

Taking place once again at London’s Grosvenor House on Thursday, May 19, The Ivors will welcome a star-studded array of talent, as the industry celebrates the industry’s finest songwriters and artists. Among the nominations this year are Ed Sheeran, Adele, Dave, Coldplay and Raye to name just a few.

Returning for its third outing this year is the Ivors Rising Star Award with Apple Music. Designed to uncover, support and develop the careers of new UK or Irish songwriters, this year’s Rising Star shortlist comprises Ashaine White, Luz, Matilda Mann, Naomi Kimpenu, and PinkPantheress. Each will receive mentorship from a well-established Academy member, in addition to support from leaders from Apple Music. Highlighting the significance of the award and the influence it can have upon an artist’s career, 2021 nominee Holly Humberstone is now in the running for Best Song Musically and Lyrically at this year’s ceremony.

Speaking to Headliner about the organisation’s commitment to nurturing new artists, Ivors Awards judge and former All Saints star Shaznay Lewis said: “The Rising Star Award gives winners the confidence to know that by winning an award such as this they are heading in the right direction. They are being recognized for their most gifted talent, songwriting, of which the importance can sometimes become secondary to the other trappings of the music industry.”

You can read our interview with Lewis in full here.

Here, Apple Music’s Adams speaks to Headliner about the company’s work to support emerging talent and the power of the Rising Star Award.

How did Apple Music become involved with the Ivors and the Rising Star Award?

The idea of winning an award is inspirational for emerging songwriters. However, winning an Ivor can feel like an all too distant dream for those in the infancy of their careers, so we felt there was an opportunity to create a new Rising Star award - one that recognises the very highest potential at the start of a career, as much as long-term achievements, and supports the very best new songwriters out there.

What kind of impact can winning the Rising Star Award have on a burgeoning artist’s career?

This year marks the third year of the Rising Star Award, and we’re delighted with how it’s gone so far. Our first winner Mysie was paired with mentor Fraser T Smith in 2019, and they set the bar for what a Rising Star nomination can do for a songwriter. Aside from building a great working relationship, Fraser signed Mysie, wrote and recorded with her, and she now has a relationship with one of the UK’s best songwriter producers to help achieve her huge potential. In 2020, our winner Willow Kayne was paired with mentor Nile Rodgers, who immediately brought her into his world with a songwriting week at Abbey Road.

For this year, two of our nominees are unpublished (Naomi and Ashaine). We hope that by bringing this talented duo to the attention of our publisher partners, we can help kickstart new and successful working relationships for them both.

What does the award win entail – what are the tangible benefits?

We agreed early on that all five nominees should benefit and not just the winner. All nominees are offered a year's mentorship with a top tier songwriter, which opens up a whole new world of opportunities to meet and grow their professional networks and navigate the industry in general.

In addition, the Music Publishing Creative Services team at Apple Music ensure their music reaches a new audience of music fans, through playlisting, special featuring and also by spotlighting their songwriting with our Songbook playlists, helping them tell the stories behind their songs with original video content, or opportunities to talk about their songwriting processes on Apple Music Radio - on Deep Hidden Meaning hosted by Ivors mentor Nile Rodgers, or with our daily radio hosts.

While we see this as an opportunity to celebrate 5 brilliant young songwriters, it’s pretty special to watch the eventual winner be celebrated in front of the most important players in the music industry. That in itself is something I hope many songwriters can benefit from in years to come.

How vital is it for entities like Apple Music to pledge practical support for the next generation of artists?

It’s absolutely vital, and the key word is 'practical'. We aren’t in the business of helping talented songwriters write songs, but Apple is unique in the industry because we make so many of the tools that songwriters and the creative industry rely on to create their music.

From recording their initial melody ideas on Voice Memos, recording demos on GarageBand, recording the track in a studio in Logic Pro on a Mac, to premiering a song on Apple Music Radio and building an audience on Apple Music, Apple and its ecosystem plays an integral part in their creative journey, and we take that responsibility very seriously.

We also feel very strongly about helping to maximise opportunities for those who historically have found it difficult to build a career in songwriting. You may not know this, but all three years of the Rising Star Award has seen majority applications from female songwriters - some years up to two thirds of all applications.

The fact that all five of our 2022 nominees are women is not an anomaly, it’s the future. By opening up the pipeline for more talent to succeed, there’s an opportunity for the next generation of songwriters to come from different places to the previous generation, with different perspectives, and different sounds. That’s a very exciting prospect that'll help the songwriting community thrive for years to come. We’re very proud to be a part of it.