Charli XCX, Dua Lipa, RAYE and Lola Young lead the stars who have scored nominations at the 2025 Ivor Novello Awards.

The prestigious awards ceremony is set to take place next month, for its milestone 70th year, and has announced the full list of nominations, recognising and celebrating achievements in songwriting and screen composing across eight categories.

And among them this year is Charli, who is up for the esteemed Best Album gong for the incredibly successful BRAT, after winning the BRIT Award in the category last month.

The hyper pop-electronic LP debuted as the ‘most critically acclaimed record of the year’, bagging Charli nine Grammy nominations and three wins.

It also sparked a nationwide trend branded ‘Brat Summer’, which the singer described as a ‘girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes’.

She is up against stiff compeтιтion from Ghetts’ album On Purpose, With Purpose, Lola Young with This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway, BERWYN’s WHO AM I and Jordan Rakei’s The Loop.

Charli XCX, Dua Lipa , RAYE and Lola Young lead the stars who have scored nominations at the 2025 Ivor Novello Awards (Charli pictured in February) 

The prestigious awards ceremony is set to take place next month and recognises achievements in songwriting and screen composing across eight categories (RAYE pictured at awards last year)

In her first year of recognition by The Ivors Academy, breakout star Lola leads the pack with a whopping three nominations.

Alongside her nod for Best Album, the 24-year-old is up for the Rising Star prize and Best Song Musically and Lyrically for her viral No. 1 track, Messy.

She is competing to be named the 2025 Rising Star against another four female artists – Bea and her Business, Liang Lawrence, LULU. and Nia Smith.

Meanwhile, RAYE will be seeking to continue her incredible winning streak, scoring two nominations this year.

She was previously nominated for two Ivors in 2022, won the Contemporary Song award in 2023 for her viral hit Escapism and was honoured with the highly-regarded Songwriter of the Year at last year’s ceremony.

This year sees her competing against Lola for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for her 2024 single Genesis, alongside Child of Mine by Laura Marling, Fontaines D.C.’s In the Modern World and Orla Gartland with Mine.

While RAYE’s 2023 hit Prada is among the very strong contenders for the Most Performed Work prize, which recognizes the most-played song in the UK.

She is up against fierce compeтιтion from Dua’s Houdini, Stargazing by Myles Smith, and Harry Styles’ hit As It Was, which has been in contention for the gong three years in a row, previously winning in 2023.

The hyper pop-electronic LP debuted as the ‘most critically acclaimed record of the year’, bagging Charli nine Grammy nominations and three wins (pictured in November)

And among them this year is Charli, who is up for the esteemed Best Album gong for the incredibly successful BRAT, after winning the BRIT Award in the category last month (seen)

In her first year of recognition by The Ivors Academy, breakout star Lola leads the pack with a whopping three nominations (pictured last week)

Alongside her nod for Best Album, the 24-year-old is up for the Rising Star prize and Best Song Musically and Lyrically for her viral No. 1 track, Messy (pictured this month)

Meanwhile, RAYE will be seeking to continue her incredible winning streak, scoring two nominations this year (pictured in November)

She was previously nominated for two Ivors in 2022, won the Contemporary Song award in 2023 for her viral hit Escapism (pictured) and was honoured with the highly-regarded Songwriter of the Year at last year’s ceremony

While the late George Michael is also posthumously nominated in the category, with Wham!’s beloved and staple festive hit, Last Christmas – four decades after it was released.

Along with RAYE, Ghetts and Conor Dickinson each received two nominations, with Ghetts set to compete for Best Contemporary Song with hit track Double Standards (feat. Sampha).

The category also sees Little Mix star Jade Thirlwell land her first nomination as a solo artist for her debut single Angel of My Dreams.

While she and Ghetts will also face off against Sans Soucis’s Circumnavigating Georgia and How Black Men Lose Their Smile by Bashy and Pa Salieu with Allergy.

The Ivors also celebrate composers for film and TV, and up for Best Original Film are Daniel Pemberton with Fly Me to the Moon, Gary Yershon’s music to Hard Truths, Michael ‘Mickey J’ Asante’s original score to Kneecap, Raffertie’s music to The Substance and Mica Levi’s score to The Zone of Interest.

In contention for Best Television Soundtrack are Martin Phipps for Black Doves, Oliver Coates’ music to Mary & George, Jack Halama and Natalie Holt’s soundtrack to Rivals, Vince Pope’s score to True Detective: Night Country and Carly Paradis’ Until I Kill You.

The final category for Best Original Video Game Score sees nods for Mathieu Alvado and Mark Choi’s Empire of the Ants, John Konsolakis for Farewell North, Eli Rainsberry’s music to Flock, David Garcia Diaz’s soundtrack to Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II and Boxed Ape’s The Casting Of Frank Stone.

The ceremony will also see U2 become the latest songwriters bestowed with the most prestigious accolade of Academy Fellows, making Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. the first Irish songwriters that the Academy has inducted into Fellowship in its 81-year history.

RAYE’s 2023 hit Prada and Dua’s Houdini are among the contenders for the Most Performed Work prize, which recognizes the most-played song in the UK (Dua pictured this month)

While the late George Michael is also posthumously nominated in the category, with Wham!’s beloved and staple festive hit, Last Christmas – four decades after it was released (pictured with Andrew Ridgeley in 1985)

Along with RAYE, Ghetts and Conor Dickinson each received two nominations, with Ghetts  (pictured last month) set to compete for Best Contemporary Song with hit track Double Standards (feat. Sampha)

The category also sees Little Mix star Jade Thirlwell land her first nomination as a solo artist for her debut single Angel of My Dreams (pictured last month)

The ceremony will also see U2 bestowed with the most prestigious accolade of Academy Fellows (Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr. and dam Clayton pictured in 2017)

While other awards presented on the night will be Songwriter of the Year, Outstanding Song Collection, the Visionary Award, the Special International Award, and the Music Icon Award.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony held at Grosvenor House in London on Thursday, May 22.

Tom Gray, Chair of The Ivors Academy, said: ‘Everyone knows The Ivors are the most joyful celebration of music making in the calendar. Many of the most talented and creative people on the planet get together to celebrate each other’s exceptional originality and craft.

‘ Congratulations to all of the remarkable nominees this year. It’s a huge privilege for The Ivors Academy to champion music creation in all its forms.’

Roberto Neri, Chief Executive of The Ivors Academy, added: ‘An Ivor Novello Award holds a unique place in music, as it is judged by fellow songwriters and composers, making it the most respected acknowledgement of creative excellence. 

‘We are proud to welcome and celebrate the nominees’ achievements and look forward to honouring their work at the 70th edition of The Ivors in May.’

The Ivors 2025 nominations 

BEST ALBUM

BRAT – Charli XCX

ON PURPOSE, WITH PURPOSE – Ghetts

THE LOOP – Jordan Rakei

THIS WASN’T MEANT FOR YOU ANYWAY – Lola Young

WHO AM I – BERWYN 

 

BEST CONTEMPORARY SONG

ALLERGY – Pa Salieu

ANGEL OF MY DREAMS – JADE

CIRCUMNAVIGATING GEORGIA – Sans Soucis 

DOUBLE STANDARDS – Ghetts feat. Sampha

HOW BLACK MEN LOSE THEIR SMILE – Bashy 

 

BEST SONG MUSICALLY AND LYRICALLY

CHILD OF MINE – Laura Marling 

GENESIS. – RAYE

IN THE MODERN WORLD – Fontaines D.C.

MESSY – Lola Young

MINE – Orla Gartland 

 

MOST PERFORMED WORK

AS IT WAS – Harry Styles

HOUDINI – Dua Lipa 

LAST CHRISTMAS – WHAM!

PRADA – Cᴀssö, RAYE and D-Block Europe

STARGAZING – Myles Smith 

 

RISING STAR AWARD

Bea and her Business

Liang Lawrence

Lola Young

LULU.

Nia Smith

 

BEST ORIGINAL FILM SCORE 

FLY ME TO THE MOON – Daniel Pemberton 

HARD TRUTHS – Gary Yershon 

KNEECAP – Michael ‘Mickey J’ Asante

THE SUBSTANCE – Raffertie

THE ZONE OF INTEREST – Mica Levi

 

BEST TELEVISION SOUNDTRACK

 BLACK DOVES – Martin Phipps

MARY & GEORGE – Oliver Coates 

 RIVALS – Jack Halama and Natalie Holt

TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY – Vince Pope

UNTIL I KILL YOU – Carly Paradis

 

BEST ORIGINAL VIDEO GAME SCORE 

EMPIRE OF THE ANTS – Mathieu Alvado and Mark Choi

FAREWELL NORTH – John Konsolakis

FLOCK – Eli Rainsberry

SENUA’S SAGA: HELLBLADE II – David Garcia Diaz

THE CASTING OF FRANK STONE – Boxed Ape