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Music

Little Simz, Dave and More Are Up for AIM Music Awards

Sampha, Giggs, and 67 are also nominated for the Association of Independent Music's annual prizes.
Lauren O'Neill
London, GB
Image via PR

Music awards ceremonies can often be boring, tedious exercises in diversity box-ticking without any actual pay-off when it comes to the winners (looking at you, the BRIT Awards 2017). So, it's very refreshing when a genuinely wide-lensed roster of nominees comes along, obviously selected for the excellence of their work rather than for woke points.

That's what we've got with this year's list of nods for the Association of Independent Music Awards: the criminally under-recognised Little Simz, for example, is up for Best Difficult Second Album for Stillness in Wonderland, Hardest Working Band or Artist, and UK rap favourite Dave also caught a few nominations, for Independent Breakthrough of the Year (alongside 67 and Sampha), the PPL Award for Most Played New Independent Act and Independent Track of the Year for "Wanna Know" (later remixed by Drake). Elsewhere, Giggs is honoured in the Independent Album of the Year category for The Landlord and Dillinger Escape Plan have already been announced as winners of this year's Outstanding Contribution to Music award. Not bad for a band about to duck out and hit retirement after so many years on the road.

The thing about these nominations is that they don't feel forced: they're more just a genuine celebration of everything that's good about British music right now, and by the looks of this list alone, there's a lot to be happy about.

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