BIMM Songwriters Nominated for BCMA Award
BIMM London Songwriting graduate Emily Faye and current BIMM Manchester Songwriting student Izzie Walsh have both received a nomination for Horizon Act of The Year at the annual British Country Music Association (BCMA) Awards, 2018.
And the BCMA Awards have been celebrating the hard work of talented newcomers within the UK’s growing Country music scene since 2011, and both Emily and Izzie have both proven themselves worthy of the award having had an incredibly productive 12 months.
Emily recorded and released her debut EP ‘Here I Am’ back in May before hitting the road this Summer for numerous gigs around the country including dates at Lakefest, Rochdale Feel Good Festival, Boondocks, Buckle & Boots Festival and FSA Fest. Alongside various shows with her four bandmates, she’s also played solo slots around the country as part of the Write Like A Girl campaign, which seeks to bridge the gender gap in the country music scene as well as wider genres.
Emily’s tracks have received airplay from radio legend Bob Harris on BBC Radio 2 and she made her live television debut in May with an interview and performance on the BBC 1 news show ‘Look East’. We spoke to Emily on how she was feeling about her award nomination:
“I’m really excited and thankful to have been nominated for ‘Horizon Act of the year’ at the BCMA awards this year. It’s great to be recognised as an up and coming UK Country Act and I’m so thankful to the time the guys in my band have put in with me developing our live show. We’ve had a crazy busy year so far, plus a fun summer of festivals and currently we are back in the studio recording another EP.”
Fellow BIMM student Izzie Walsh has had an equally productive year. She performed with her band at Mid Sussex Americana Festival, Bickerstock Fest, Bluedot Festival, Buckle & Boots Festival, Blackthorne Music Festival and Foodies Festival earlier this Summer, and her sophomore EP ‘Take Me Back’ was released back in April, receiving keen support from BBC Radio Introducing.
Izzie’s subsequent headline tour saw her play highly acclaimed shows in Edinburgh and London, plus a sold out hometown slot at Manchester’s Deaf Institute. She also regularly hosts and performs at a regular Open Mic event in Manchester’s new pop-up food, drink and retail venue, Hatch. When asked about how she’s feeling about the nomination, Izzie had this to say:
“It’s great to be nominated for the ‘BCMA Horizon Act Of The Year’ and know that our hard work has been paying off. Hopefully this nomination will help us expand our music and gain new fans as well as provide new and exciting opportunities for the future. Thanks to everyone for the continued support!”
In addition to the profile-boosting nominations, both Emily and Izzie have confirmed they’ll also be carrying out special on-stage performances during the awards ceremony itself, which takes place at Harrogate Convention Centre on Saturday 24th November.
We wish the best of luck to both candidates in the competition!
