All posts tagged: songwriter

Rosalia to be named international songwriter of the year at Ivor Novello Awards

Rosalia to be named international songwriter of the year at Ivor Novello Awards

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the inside track from Roisin O’Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Rosalía, the acclaimed Spanish alternative pop star, is set to receive the prestigious International Songwriter of the Year award at the 2026 Ivor Novello Awards. The recognition comes after a period of significant global success for the 33-year-old Catalan artist. Last year saw the release of her fourth studio album, Lux, which garnered widespread critical acclaim and featured UK chart successes such as “Reliquia”, “La Perla” and “Berghain”, the latter a collaboration with Icelandic icon Björk and US musician Yves Tumor. Her burgeoning international profile was further cemented when she was named International Artist of the Year at this year’s Brit Awards. Rosalía Tobella, as she is formally known, will be presented with the coveted award during a ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House on 21 May. Roberto Neri, chief executive of The Ivors Academy, lauded her achievements, stating: “We are proud to celebrate …

Don Schlitz death: Legendary country music songwriter behind The Gambler, dies aged 73

Don Schlitz death: Legendary country music songwriter behind The Gambler, dies aged 73

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the inside track from Roisin O’Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Don Schlitz, the acclaimed country music songwriter behind iconic hits such as “The Gambler,” “On the Other Hand,” and “Forever and Ever, Amen,” has died at the age of 73. He passed away on Thursday at a Nashville hospital. The cause of his death was not immediately disclosed, though a press release from the Grand Ole Opry attributed it to a sudden illness. A two-time Grammy Award winner, Schlitz was a revered figure in the music industry, inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Country Music Hall of Fame. Reflecting on his Country Music Hall of Fame honour in 2017, he stated: “I will never be able to believe that I deserve this, unless I receive it as a representative of my family, my mentors, my collaborators, my promoters and my friends. That’s the only …

‘African people are surreal’: songwriter and blues poet Aja Monet on Black resistance and love as spiritual warfare | Music

‘African people are surreal’: songwriter and blues poet Aja Monet on Black resistance and love as spiritual warfare | Music

Published by Sam Flores

‘For many years, I’ve called myself a surrealist blues poet,” says Aja Monet in her warm, deep voice. Sitting in a London cafe, the Los Angeles-based artist looks striking, with her blue braids woven up in an intricate style. She was up late uploading the final master recordings for her new album, The Color of Rain, which she says was heavily influenced by her reading around how “surrealism was a real intentional device that artists used in response to the rise of fascism throughout history”. High-minded and yet invested in the cut-and-thrust of our lives today, it’s a typical comment from Monet. With themes around love, resistance and the absurdity of our current times, her performance, poetry and music offers a balm for the suffering and abuse meted out by establishment power. Already in 2026, her second poetry book Florida Water was nominated for an award by the foundational US civil rights organisation the NAACP, and she performed alongside Stevie Wonder at Time magazine’s event celebrating Martin Luther King Day. She’s gearing up for a …

‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Songwriter EJAE Put Her Whole Heart—and Her Past—into “Golden”

‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Songwriter EJAE Put Her Whole Heart—and Her Past—into “Golden”

Published by Sam Flores

For over a decade, Kim Eun-jae trained to become a K-pop idol under SM Entertainment, one of South Korea’s top agencies. But the label deemed her too tall and her voice too low and husky—and ultimately decided not to debut her. “After getting dropped, my dream to become a singer—I let that go,” the musician, who goes by EJAE, tells Vanity Fair over Zoom. But that rejection turned out to be a “redirection,” as the Korean American singer-songwriter famously declared in her Golden Globes acceptance speech last month. Following her failed attempt at K-pop stardom, EJAE found solace in songwriting—a decision that would eventually lead her to cowrite and perform many of the songs from the blockbuster film KPop Demon Hunters, including the Grammy-winning hit “Golden”. “I was very determined to get through the depression, and what helped me was songwriting. It was a happy accident,” she says. “I was so obsessed with it, and it was helping me so much, I gave it my all. I was desperate to be healed, and it became …

Golden songwriter confirms KPop Demon Hunters sequel ‘in process’

Golden songwriter confirms KPop Demon Hunters sequel ‘in process’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter KPop Demon Hunters songwriter Mark Sonnenblick has confirmed that a sequel to the Netflix animated film is “in process”. KPop Demon Hunters is an action fantasy-musical following popular K-pop girl group HUNTR/X, who lead a double life battling a rival boy band, the Saja Boys, who turn out to be demons. The film’s lead single “Golden” quickly became the breakout success of the summer, winning awards at both the Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Awards. Earlier this month, “Golden” became the first-ever K-pop song to win at the Grammys, and is also nominated at the forthcoming Oscars for best original song. “This song could have disappeared. The only reason this nomination happened is fans responded and told other people to watch the film,” Sonnenblick told the BBC. Sonnenblick wrote “Golden” along with Ejae, Teddy Park, 24, and Ido. In November last …

K-Pop Demon Hunters 2 under way as Golden songwriter gives exciting update

K-Pop Demon Hunters 2 under way as Golden songwriter gives exciting update

Published by Daniella Wilson

The release of K-Pop Demon Hunters on Netflix last summer was one of the biggest pop culture phenomenons of 2025 – with the animated movie becoming the most streamed film in the history of the platform. It’s now in the running for two Academy Awards – best animated feature and best original song for breakout hit Golden – while a sequel was unsurprisingly confirmed towards the end of last year. There’s still a long while to wait before we actually get to see that follow-up, with a release date currently planned for 2029, but the good news is that we’ve now got a new update on its progress courtesy of the Golden songwriter. Speaking to BBC Newsbeat, Mark Sonnenblick explained that development on the film was “in process” – although he added that work on composing new songs for the sequel was still some way off at this point. “There’s going to be a whole development process before we get deep into writing the songs,” he explained. “The music will follow from the story and …