UK Americana Music
Awards 2025, powered by Sweet Home Alabama, WINNERS REVEALED
Gillian Welch
& David Rawlings and Hannah White lead the way with two wins each
Special Awards for
Candi Staton, Lyle Lovett and CMAT
Toby Lee named Bob
Harris Emerging Artist Award winner
The
winners of the UK Americana Awards 2025, powered by Sweet Home Alabama, were
revealed on the evening of Thursday 23 January in a glittering ceremony at
Hackney Church, London.
During
a remarkable night, which celebrated the best in UK and International Americana
and Roots music, highly acclaimed US singer-songwriters Gillian Welch &
David Rawlings scooped Best International Album and Single awards
for WOODLAND (released 24 Aug 2024; tagged Singer/Songwriter | UNCUT Review)
and “Empty Trainload of Sky” (1.3 million Spotify streams)
respectively. The duo’s current album Woodland was released to
widespread praise in 2024 and marked their first LP of new, original music
since 2017.
London-based singer-songwriter Hannah White won the coveted UK Artist of the Year Award, plus UK Album of the Year for SWEET REVOLUTION.
A leading light of the homegrown Americana music scene, White’s album was
recognised as a major progression in her craft.
Robert Vincent was awarded UK Song of the Year for his stand-out track “Follow What You Love and Love Will Follow” and multi-talented guitarist Keiron Marshall was UK Instrumentalist of the Year.
Alabama’s
Jason Isbell, one of the most respected and celebrated songwriters of
his generation, won the prestigious International Artist of the Year
Award.
Kezia
Gill (left photo credit: Jake Morrell),
who has toured extensively, playing to packed houses throughout the UK, took
home the Live Act of the Year Award.
The
Grassroots Award, presented by the AMA-UK to individuals working in the
industry (in a capacity other than as artists) who have made outstanding
efforts to support Americana music from the grass roots up, was given to
independent music promoter David Messer.
Bob
Harris chose sensational young English guitarist Toby Lee (photo below) for his 2025 Emerging
Artist Award.
Of
the evening’s Special Awards, legendary soul icon Candi Staton collected
the AMA-UK Board’s highest accolade, an International Lifetime Achievement
Award. Four times Grammy-winning singer, composer and actor Lyle Lovett received
the International Trailblazer Award and groundbreaking Irish singer,
songwriter and musician CMAT was presented with the UK/Ireland
Trailblazer Award.
The Awards show boasted an eclectic mix of stunning live performances, illustrating the breadth of talent within the genre, including Lyle Lovett, CMAT, Hannah White, Robert Vincent, Kezia Gill, The Heavy Heavy, Willie Watson, Toby Lee and Kyshona. The evening was brought to a close with an outstanding group rendition of Candi Staton’s worldwide hit “You Got The Love”, featuring Staton herself.
The show was hosted by broadcaster Baylen Leonard, who was
joined by Award presenters Bob Harris OBE, BBC Radio Ulster’s Ralph
McLean, journalist and broadcaster Paul Sexton, and Immy Doman and Risa
Tabatznik of famed London venue The Green Note.
In addition to the star-studded artist lineup, the event also
welcomed senior music executives, including from organisations such as Amazon
Music, PPL, Live Nation, The Orchard, WME, AEG, CAA, FUGA and Atlantic Records,
as well as many UK and international media representatives.
The UK Americana Awards concluded in style a full week of
activities during UK Americana Music Week 2025, powered by Sweet Home
Alabama.
Two nights of showcases
in venues across Hackney took place on Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22, featuring
an incredible line-up of artists from around the world including: Danni
Nicholls, The Dreaming Spires, Robert Vincent, Savannah Gardner, Viv &
Riley, Willie Watson, the Canada House at Moth Club, and many more.
During the daytime
on Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22, the annual AMA-UK conference, the
cornerstone of the week’s programming, was held at Night Tales in Hackney. This
year’s theme was “Can Songs Change the World? Americana in 2025,” covering a
diverse range of topics tailored for Americana enthusiasts and industry
professionals alike.
The event is
proudly supported by Sweet Home Alabama, who were headline sponsors
again for the third year, CIMA (Canadian Independent Music Association),
PPL, PRS for Music, Concord, Thirty Tigers, Uncut, Musicians’ Union, Americana
Music Sweden, and the US Americana Music Association.
Award
Winners:
UK
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
·
Elles
Bailey
·
Ferris
& Sylvester
·
Hannah White - WINNER
·
Katherine
Priddy
·
Robert
Vincent
·
The
Heavy Heavy
UK
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
·
Elles
Bailey - Beneath The Neon Glow
·
Hannah White - Sweet Revolution - WINNER
·
Kathryn
Williams & Withered Hand - Willson Williams
·
Nina
Nesbitt - Mountain Music
·
The
Hanging Stars - On A Golden Shore
·
The
Heavy Heavy - One of a Kind
UK
SONG OF THE YEAR
·
Blue
Rose Code – “Sadie”
·
Brown
Horse – “Stealing Horses”
·
Jack
Francis – “Failure”
·
Nina
Nesbitt – “Pages”
·
Our
Man In The Field – “L'Etranger”
·
Robert Vincent – “Follow What You Love and Love Will
Follow” - WINNER
UK
INSTRUMENTALIST OF THE YEAR
·
Ashley
Campbell
·
Henry
Senior Jr
·
Joe
Coombs
·
Joe
Harvey White
·
Joe
Wilkins
·
Keiron Marshall - WINNER
INTERNATIONAL
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
·
Bonny
Light Horseman
·
Charley
Crockett
·
Jason Isbell - WINNER
·
Larkin
Poe
·
Sierra
Ferrell
·
Waxahatchee
INTERNATIONAL
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
·
American Aquarium
- The Fear Of Standing Still
·
Bonny
Light Horseman - Keep Me On Your Mind/See You Free
·
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings – Woodland - WINNER
·
Kacey
Musgraves - Deeper Well
·
Kyshona
- Legacy
·
Willie
Watson - Willie Watson
INTERNATIONAL
SONG OF THE YEAR
·
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings – “Empty Trainload of
Sky” - WINNER
·
Hurray
For The Riff Raff – “Buffalo”
·
Julian
Taylor & Allison Russell – “Pathways”
·
Kyshona
– “The Echo”
·
Lizzie
No – “The Heartbreak Store”
·
Sierra
Ferrell – “American Dreaming”
LIVE
ACT OF THE YEAR
·
Ben
Ottewell & Ian Ball (of Gomez)
·
Campbell
Jensen
·
Danny
& The Champions of the World
·
Kezia Gill - WINNER
·
Lola
Kirke
·
Morganway
·
Savannah
Gardner
·
Skinny
Lister
·
The
Heavy Heavy
·
Wunderhorse
AMA-UK
Special Awards
International
Lifetime Achievement Award
Selected
by the board members, their highest honour is awarded to an international
artist, duo or group in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the
Americana genre over the span of their career and life in music. The 2025
recipient is Candi Staton
International
Trailblazer Award
Selected
by the board members, this special award celebrates an international artist,
duo or group that has taken an exceptional path, inspiring others to follow in
their footsteps in developing the Americana genre. The 2025 recipient is Lyle
Lovett
UK/Ireland
Trailblazer Award
Selected
by the board members, this special award celebrates an artist, duo or group
from the UK or Ireland that has taken an exceptional path, inspiring others to
follow in their footsteps in developing the Americana genre. The 2025 recipient
is CMAT
Grass
Roots Award
Selected
by the board members, this special award celebrates the sometimes-unsung heroes
of the UK Americana scene. It is presented to individuals working in the
industry (in a capacity other than as artists) who have made outstanding
efforts to support Americana music from the grass roots up. The 2025 recipient
is David Messer
Bob
Harris Emerging Artist Award
Selected
by Bob Harris OBE, this special award celebrates the breakthrough artist, duo
or group that has particularly impressed the legendary music broadcaster
throughout the year. The 2025 recipient is Toby Lee.
About
the AMA-UK
“Wouldn’t
it be great if we had an Americana Music Association like they have in the
States?” - Bob Butler, Grapevine Music Agency.
The
AMA-UK is a professional trade association representing and advocating for the
voice of American Roots music in the UK.
Our
membership comprises musicians, both from the UK and overseas, plus
professionals from all sectors of the music industry, such as agents,
promoters, venues, festivals, labels, distributors, retailers, management,
touring, journalists, broadcasters and publicists.
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