Skepta Wins The Coveted Ivor Novello ‘Songwriter Of The Year’ Award

Grime, the eclectic genre that emerged in London in the early 2000s, is finally getting the recognition it so richly deserves – and the man championing its ascent is the exceptional British-Nigerian artise, Joseph Junior Adenuga (better known as Skepta).

Just last year, Skepta was named the winner of the prestigious Mercury Prize, beating out the likes of Radiohead and presumed frontrunner, David Bowie – making his self-released Konnichiwa the second grime album to win the award since Dizzee Rascal’s Boy In Da Corner over 10 years ago.

Well, Skepta continues to break barriers in the UK music scene as just last week, he went on to win two coveted Ivor Novello awards, one for ‘Best Contemporary Song’ for his single “Man”; and the other for ‘Songwriter Of The Year‘.

The Ivor Novello awards are among the most prestigious in UK music – known for recognizing excellence in songwriting across genres. Previous winners of the award’s highest honour, the ‘Songwriter Of The Year’ award, include Adele, Ed Sheeran, Calvin Harris and Lily Allen.

Speaking about his love for songwriting while accepting the award, Skepta said:

“It’s helped me out through my life and I understand that in any time in my life I understand that the reason I’m so easy with bad times now is that I’m like ‘Oh, another song’s coming’.

Songwriting has really allowed me to enjoy life and look at it from an objective place.”

Skepta’s win is unprecedented for a grime artiste, signifying the genre’s coming-of-age, while also marking a really rare win for a black artist in the ‘Songwriter Of The Year Category’ – the second since Craig David in 2001, and the first for an artiste of African descent.

To make the win even more memorable, Skepta was presented the trophy by his sister, acclaimed radio host, Julie Adenuga – who playfully teased and praised him like only a sister can.