Mystery Jets’ Ivor Novello nomination for Best Song Musically and Lyrically was a "complete surprise".
The indie rockers track ‘Telomere’ from their critically-acclaimed 2016 LP ‘Curve Of The Earth’ will go up against Michael Kiwanuka’s ‘Black Man in a White World’ and ‘Overcome’ by Laura Mvula and Nile Rodgers for the prestigious accolade at the ceremony next month, and they didn’t see it coming as they never felt this kind of award would be "attainable" for a group like them.
Speaking at the nominations launch at The Loft, The Club at The Ivy in London on Wednesday morning (19.04.17), the group’s guitarist Blaine Harrison told BANG Showbiz: "It feels incredible to be nominated today, it came as a complete surprise a couple of weeks ago, I’m not even joking, we never … I think as a songwriter, when you’re writing a song and you’re rewarded in this way, it is probably the furthest thing from your mind – all you really care about is getting it out onto a piece of paper and getting it out into a world where it’s not your problem anymore, that’s kind of what songwriting is.
"It can be this very loving but also quite torturous process and I think nothing quite matches the relief of releasing a record, putting it out there and letting people … it’s almost the way that books take on a completely different meaning when readers cast their own imagination and imagery into it, it’s exactly the same for songwriting.
"The audience are the silent missing ingredient in the songwriting process so that really is the greatest award for us.
"Having said that, the Ivor’s have always been that pie in the sky, that unattainable incredible accolade that we would never have in a million years expected to follow in the footsteps of."
Blaine – who was joined by his father and bandmate Henry Harrison at the bash – says he feels "humble" to be nominated alongside Nile Rodgers and Laura Mvula, and particularly Kiwanuka as he thinks his competition’s track carries an "important message" about today’s songwriting.
He said: "She (Laura) wrote the song [‘Overcome’] with Nile Rogers which I have huge respect for but I’m not so familiar with Laura, but Michael Kiwanuka is an incredible artist and we’ve spent time touring in the States together and I think that song is a really important song [‘Black Man in a White World’], I think the message behind it is really important to hear that voice in the climate of today’s songwriting … I feel humble to be in the same category as him."
The winners of the 62nd Ivor Novello Awards will be announced at a star-studded ceremony on May 18 at the Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London.
Mystery Jets’ Ivor Novello Award surprise
