The last two years have been pretty full on for Sam Fender. The North-Shields native has been on a tear ever since the release of his No.1 debut album Hypersonic Missiles in 2019, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be slowing down anytime soon. His new album Seventeen Going Under has picked up multiple accolades since it’s release in October, receiving widespread critical acclaim for it’s cutting and incisive lyricism, it landed the top spot in NME’s 50 best albums of the year, was nominated for Best British Album of the Year at the 42nd Brit Awards, and has now picked up the much lauded Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for single “Seventeen Going Under”. It comes as no surprise really considering the star’s momentum at the moment, with said single living a long and healthy life as a viral sensation on Tik Tok, Sam Fender seems to be straddling the difficult path between social media necessities and genuine artistry with great success.
Just won a fucking @IvorsAcademy award for best song musically and lyrically. I couldn’t breathe. pic.twitter.com/tM8InHRmR3
— Sam Fender (@samfendermusic) May 20, 2022
Taking to Twitter, the singer said “I couldn’t breathe” in regards to taking home the award. With fellow nominees Adele, Rag’n’Bone Man, Holly Humberstone, Ella Henderson, and Tom Grennan, you can see why as competition was tough on the night. However, once his name was called Fender seemed composed, delivering a touching acceptance speech dedicated to a friend that had sadly died the previous week. Detailed in a recent NME article covering the event, Fender said: “A very good friend of mine passed away last week. He was my very first boss and employer. He gave me a job when both me and my mum were unemployed. He used to always hit me over the head with a newspaper for being a shit barman.” Going on he credited his late friend with being instrumental in him having a career in music: “I was always playing guitar in front of people instead of serving the customers, until one day he said, ‘Go get your guitar out and sit in that corner’. That was because my future manager, who was up and coming at the time, had just come in the pub. Without that man then none of this would have happened, so thank you so much.”.
Characteristically honest and forthcoming, his speech can be seen as an example of why the nation has taken to him so much over the last couple of years. With equal sincerity and vulnerability showcased consistently in his music, the sky seems to be the limit for Sam as we all watch on with vested interest.
You can check out the now Ivor Novello Award winning single here below:
