Olivia Rodrigo has won Best New Act In The World Supported By CanO Water at the BandLab NME Awards 2022.
The US singer-songwriter came out on top among the international slate of nominees, which included Bad Boy Chiller Crew, BERWYN, Bree Runway, Wet Leg and Yard Act. Dublin band Inhaler, Nigerian singer Tems, King Stingray from Australia and Shye of Singapore were also nominated in the same category.
The gong was presented by It’s A Sin actor Nathaniel Curtis and Love Island presenter Laura Whitmore. Accepting her award virtually, Rodrigo said: “Oh my gosh, thank you guys so much for this beautifully crafted award. I love this so much!
“And I love NME and this is such an honour, so thank you,” she added. Watch her speech above.
The rising pop star was also nominated for Best Song In The World for ‘Good 4 U’ at this evening’s ceremony. However, the award ultimately went to Lorde, who picked up the accolade for ‘Solar Power’.
Rodrigo shot to fame in 2021 after the release of her smash hit ‘Drivers License’, which appeared on her debut album ‘Sour’. Speaking to NME last year, the singer said she felt “really proud” of her first-ever record, adding that “that’s the only thing that I set out to do”.
“I try not to write songs through the lens of hoping that they’re commercially successful. I just feel that takes away some of the magic of the songs. Success in my eyes would be making music that I feel really proud of, and I feel like it challenges me and excites me and hopefully makes people feel understood.”
The BandLab NME Awards 2022 returns to the O2 Academy Brixton and is co-hosted by Daisy May Cooper and Lady Leshurr. The ongoing ceremony kicked off with a performance from Sam Fender and was followed by Griff and Sigrid’s joint stage, where they performed their NME Award-winning collaboration ‘Head On Fire’. Godlike Genius FKA Twigs and Rina Sawayama, who bagged the award for Best Live Act Supported By Grolsch, also performed at tonight’s show.
Meanwhile, Bring Me The Horizon are expected to close out the ceremony with a multi-song set later tonight.
Check back for the latest news, interviews, winners and more from the BandLab NME Awards 2022.