Nordoff And Robbins Music Therapy Names Legendary Music Icons To Be Honoured At Star-Studded O2 Silver Clef Awards Ceremony

Nordoff and Robbins, the UK’s largest music therapy charity, is thrilled to announce the final set of music icons to win a prestigious O2 Silver Clef Award at the upcoming star-studded ceremony on Friday 5 July. 

One of the most enduring and iconic British bands of the last three decades, blur will be honoured with the flagship O2 Silver Clef Award. The O2 Silver Clef Award is the most prestigious award of the day, honouring artists of the highest calibre who continue to impact the music industry with their outstanding careers and contribution to music. Previous legendary winners include: Stormzy, David Bowie, Ed Sheeran, Roger Waters, Paul McCartney, George Michael, Annie Lennox, Dame Shirley Bassey, Kylie Minogue, The Rolling Stones, Oasis and Coldplay. 

Pioneering global rockers AC/DC will win the Legend Award, acknowledging five decades of the iconic band, whose huge impact on the industry still reverberates through today’s rock musicians. 

Pop culture megastar Chaka Khan will receive the Global Impact Award in recognition of her 50 years of international influence, while world-renowned rockstar Mark Knopfler will win the esteemed Music Icon Award. 

UK hip hop sensation Loyle Carner will take home the Best Male Award and the ground-breaking Jacob Collier will pick up the Innovation in Music Award. Impossible to classify Scottish group Young Fathers will receive Best Live Act.

The winning artists will join the previously announced 2024 award recipients including pop icon Jessie Ware who will win Best Female, pop-rock global sensation The 1975 who will win Best Group and iconic Scottish band Texas who will be receiving the Outstanding Achievement Award. London legend Cat Burns will receive the Best New Music Award and genre busting Ezra Collective will win the Contemporary Music Award. 

The artists will receive their awards in person at a glittering music industry lunch and ceremony held at the Grosvenor House Hotel on London’s Park Lane. The exclusive event – now in its 48th year – will raise vital funds for Nordoff and Robbins to support a wide range of children and adults. The charity’s trained music therapists enable connection and communication through music for people living with autism, dementia, learning difficulties, brain injuries, life-limiting illnesses, mental health challenges, grief and trauma. 

The O2 Silver Clef Awards are held to recognise and celebrate the talent of the winning artists and are one of the highlights of the music industry calendar - bringing together artists, labels, management teams and celebrity supporters. Since 1976 the awards have raised nearly £13 million for Nordoff and Robbins’ transformative music therapy services and honoured some of the greatest names in music. Last year’s event raised over £612,000 for Nordoff and Robbins, supporting its work with some of the most vulnerable people in society.  
 
In 2023, Nordoff and Robbins held nearly 50,000 vital music therapy sessions across the UK. Shaped by more than 60 years of practice, Nordoff and Robbins’ trained music therapists use the power of music to transform people’s lives by helping them to express themselves and connect with others. The charity works with children and adults at over 380 schools, hospitals, hospices and care homes, as well as providing sessions from its centres nationwide.  
 
Hosted with O2 for the last 23 years, the annual lunch is Nordoff and Robbins’ biggest fundraising event of the year thanks to table sales, sponsorship and live auctions on the day, featuring special items from the winning artists alongside money can’t buy experiences donated by the music industry. Edith Bowman will host the star-studded ceremony for the sixth year running.
 
Guests can now secure their place at this exclusive music industry event by purchasing table tickets online at: www.nordoff-robbins.org.uk/events/o2-silver-clefs-lunch/ 

•    One of the most enduring and iconic of English bands, O2 Silver Clef Award winners blur have been at the heart of British cultural life for over three decades. Since announcing their arrival with debut album Leisure in 1991, blur - Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Dave Rowntree and Alex James – went on to revolutionise the sound of English popular music with six successive UK #1 albums ‘Parklife’ (1994), ‘The Great Escape’ (1995), ‘Blur’ (1997), ’13’ (1999), ‘Think Tank’ (2003) and ‘The Magic Whip’ (2015) and a string of Top 10 singles, including two No 1s with ‘Country House’ and ‘Beetlebum’ helping to propel the band to mass popularity at home and abroad. blur have released eight studio albums and collected ten NME Awards, six Q Awards, five BRIT Awards and an Ivor Novello Award and played live to thousands of devoted fans across the globe. The band’s most recent studio album - the critically acclaimed No 1 record ‘The Ballad of Darren’ - was released in July last year. 

•    AC/DC are one of the most influential rock bands in history, with over 200 million albums sold worldwide. The band’s ‘Back In Black’ album stands out as the ‘bestselling album by any band ever’ and the ‘third bestselling album by any artist’ with global sales of 50 million and counting. The band continues to sell out shows on multiple continents, sell millions of albums annually, generate streams in the billions, and have a legion of dedicated fans, which grows with every passing year. The band is undertaking a sold-out European stadium tour this Summer in support of their 17th album ‘Power Up’, which debuted at #1 in 21 countries. Lead singer Brian Johnson will pick up the Amazon Music Legend Award on behalf of the band.

•    Legendary pop culture icon Chaka Khan, renowned for her unmistakable voice and style, will receive the prestigious Raymond Weil Global Impact Award. The 10-time Grammy Award-winning international superstar is celebrating her 50th anniversary in music and also received a well-deserved induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year. Chaka Khan has made a profound impact as a singer, songwriter, producer, visual artist, author and actress, with the rare distinction of having recorded in eight different music genres. She continues to entertain and energize her world of fans with her uplifting anthems, performing on six continents to sold-out crowds.

•    The legendary Mark Knopfler will receive the American Express Music Icon Award. As lead singer, guitarist and song writer of rock icons Dire Straits, which he co-founded with brother David in 1977, Mark found global success with hit singles including ‘Sultans Of Swing’, ‘Romeo And Juliet’, and ‘Money For Nothing’. Dire Straits remain one of the most popular British rock bands ever, with global album sales of more than 120 million including Brothers In Arms (1985), one of the best-selling records in history. Mark pursued a solo career after the band dissolved in 1995, releasing 10 solo albums as well as composing film scores and producing albums for artists including Bob Dylan and Randy Newman. His tenth solo studio album ‘One Deep River’ was released in April 2024.

•    One of modern hip-hop’s most distinctive voices, South London-born trailblazer Loyle Carner will receive the AEG Presents Best Male Award. His music, a seamless blend of hip-hop rhythms with soulful undertones and deeply personal storytelling, resonates deeply with fans. A graduate of the BRIT school, his critically acclaimed third album ‘hugo’ reached number 3 in the UK album chart, helping him amass over 790 million global streams. Loyle will be fronting a multiple sell-out headline UK and EU tour this summer, including topping the bill and co-curating All Points East Festival in London. 

•    English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and global collaborator Jacob Collier will pick up the Oak View Group Innovation in Music Award, recognising his joyous, genre-defying music. Jacob’s five albums include the four-album opus, ‘Djesse’ which reached its epic conclusion in 2024 with ‘Djesse Vol. 4’. Jacob has worked with luminaries including Chris Martin, Quincy Jones, Hans Zimmer, Shawn Mendes, Anoushka Shankar, John Legend and Stormzy, amassing a global following through his ever-expanding musical adventures.

•    The impossible to classify Scottish group, Young Fathers, will take home the PizzaExpress Live Best Live Act Award. The band, comprising Alloysious Massaquoi, Kayus Bankole and G Hastings, formed in Edinburgh in 2008, releasing their debut Mercury Prize winning album ‘Dead’ in 2014, followed by White Men Are Black Men Too (2015) and Cocoa Sugar (2018). Their fourth album, Heavy Heavy, was released in February 2023 to widespread critical acclaim. Their recent US tour delivered their unique, vibrant, bass-shaking live experience to sell-out crowds.

Alex James, blur said:  "Making music with my brothers in blur has been one of the great gifts of my life. We are absolutely chuffed to receive the O2 Silver Clef Award and help raise awareness for Nordoff and Robbins, a brilliant organisation.”

Brian Johnson, AC/DC said: "We're over the moon to receive the Amazon Music Legend Award. As a band, we've been dishing out our own brand of music therapy for the past five decades, so to hear all about how Nordoff and Robbins helps the young and the old with the power of music is something that we understand and salute. Thank you for this honour.”

Chaka Khan said: "Music has always been my solace, my strength, my voice, a gift. I'm grateful for this beautiful honour to be part of the Nordoff and Robbins creative community, where the power of music is used to transform, inspire, and bring love to the world. Music really does heal.” 

Mark Knopfler said: “I am honoured to have been chosen to receive the Icon Award at this year’s O2 Silver Clefs. It’s a privilege to support an event that is directly part of such important music therapy work. One of the best parts of being an artist is meeting people who have been touched by your music. I think we have all appreciated the power of music in our own lives from time to time. Nordoff and Robbins believes in sharing the value of music with everyone who needs it – that’s why I’m a longtime supporter and will continue to help raise funds so Nordoff and Robbins’ music therapists can continue their vital work.”

Jacob Collier said: “I am overjoyed to have been chosen as the recipient of this year’s Innovation Award. The depth, power and universality of music has been of foundational importance to my life and humanity ever since I can remember. The amount I’ve learned in the past ten years - creating, collaborating and performing all round the world - has shown me more than ever just how crucial and transformative music is for all people. That the magic of music is changing so many people’s lives through Nordoff and Robbins’ music therapy work warms my heart, and it makes me extremely proud to be a part of this event.”

Young Fathers said: “We’re pleased to be honoured with Best Live Act. After many years of cutting our teeth playing a lot of gigs, it seems that our live show has become the thing where people finally understand what the band is all about. Which is essentially chasing moments that take you somewhere else, somewhere only music can really. That’s why we’re supporting Nordoff and Robbins – helping their therapists to bring music and connection to more people who really need it.” 
 
Sandra Schembri, CEO of Nordoff and Robbins said: “As a charity, music is part of our DNA. The support of the most incredible global superstars through to newer artists and all of those involved in the music industry who attend the O2 Silver Clef Awards, means that we can provide the power of music therapy to those who need it most. Every penny raised can help children and adults across the UK access music therapy, which can often be life changing. Our trained therapists help people to break through the barriers caused by life-limiting illness, mental health challenges, disability and social isolation. Just like the universal feelings we can all get from hearing our favourite songs, music therapy is about making a connection, whether for a non-verbal child or a person living with life altering injuries – where words fail, music speaks.”  

Gareth Griffiths, Director, Partnerships and Sponsorship, O2 said: “We are extremely proud to continue our support of the brilliant Nordoff and Robbins and their amazing work. We can’t wait to celebrate the O2 Silver Clef Awards for the 23rd year, recognising such talented artists. Congratulations to Blur for picking up this year’s O2 Silver Clef Award, hugely deserved. This is always our favourite lunch of the year, helping to raise money for music therapy which supports thousands of people across the UK through the power of music. See you on the 5th July!"