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Q AWARDS 2019 ANNOUNCES WINNER OF THE FENDER PLAY® AWARD

• 8th Oct 2019

Q Magazine, the UK’s greatest music magazine, in coalition with Fender® has today revealed Anna Calvias this year’s recipient of the Fender Play Award at the Q Awards 2019 in association with Absolute Radio.

The Fender Play Award is a very special accolade which celebrates an artist at the forefront of guitar music today, driving true musical innovation through the power of their fretted instruments and inspiring music fans all over the world to pick up a guitar and start their journey of musical expression.

The prize is named after Fender Play, Fender’s complete learning subscription app for guitar, bass and ukulele which makes it more fun and easier than ever to learn a new musical skill. Pick an instrument and your music genre of choice and you’ll be strumming along to your favourite songs in a matter of minutes, with hundreds of tracks to choose from and more being added every day.

This year’s Fender Play Award goes to British singer-songwriter and guitarist Anna Calvi. Having garnered incredible critical acclaim (including a Mercury Prize nomination for each of her three studio albums) from the very beginning of her career, 2019 saw Calvi cement her position as one of the most exciting live acts performing today – delivering sets hallmarked by intense and beautifully dramatic guitar solos, singling her out as a true guitar star.  Calvi also scored the soundtrack to the recent hit series of Peaky Blinders.

Neil Whitcher, Head of Artist Relations (EMEA) at Fender, commented: “It is an honour to dedicate the Fender Play Award to Anna Calvi this year. As an artist at the top of their game, Anna’s playing prowess knows no bounds, continually exploring and pushing the sonic boundaries of the guitar. It has been an incredible year for Anna filled with powerful performances including a breathtaking headline show for Fender at The Great Escape to support her most recent album ‘Hunter’.

The Fender Play™ Award is all about being inspired to pick up a guitar and make music for yourself – and right now, we don’t think it gets much more inspirational than Anna Calvi onstage with her Telecaster.”

Anna Calvi is the second-ever artist to take home a Fender Play Award from the Q Awards – with Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil having won the first ever at least year’s event.

The Q Awards, now in their 29^th year, are one of the most prestigious and anticipated nights on the music calendar.  The 2019 Q Awards will be hosted by Nadine Shah who will become the first woman to host the awards.  Talking about her first hosting gig, Shah said, “I think a lot of my job is going to be telling people what side of the stage they need to walk off: ‘Oh no, this way, love.’ I’m basically going to be like this oddball Geordie lollipop lady.”

Another first for this year is the exclusive and already sold-out pre-awards gig headlined by Biffy Clyro. It will take place at Camden’s Roundhouse the night before the awards.

The Q Awards, one of the UK’s most highly-regarded awards ceremonies presents seven public-voted awards each year along with a number of highly-coveted merit awards bestowed by Q Magazine on the night.

The public can cast their votes and choose the winners for the following categories over at www.Qthemusic.com – with voting closing on Monday, 7 October.

• Q Breakthrough Act presented by Red Stripe
• Q Best Track presented by Absolute Radio
• Q Best Album
• Q Best Live Performance presented by The Cavern Club
• Q Best Solo Act
• Q Best Act In The World Today presented by Rocksteady Music School
• Q Best Festival/Event

Full list of nominees as follows:

Q Breakthrough Act presented by Red Stripe
Gerry Cinnamon
Little Simz
Rosalia
Lewis Capaldi
slowthai
Fontaines D.C.
AJ Tracey
Easy Life
Pale Waves
Sam Fender
Working Men’s Club
Self Esteem

Q Best Track presented by Absolute Radio
People – The 1975
Vossi Bop – Stormzy
Bad Guy – Billie Eilish
Must I Evolve – JARV IS
Juice – Lizzo
Cellophane – FKA twigs
Incapable – Roisin Murphy
Ladbroke Grove – AJ Tracey
Harmony Hall – Vampire Weekend
Someone You Loved – Lewis Capaldi

Q Best Album
Eton Alive – Sleaford Mods
When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?  – Billie Eilish
A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships – The 1975
Norman Fucking Rockwell – Lana Del Rey
Remind Me Tomorrow – Sharon Van Etten
Nothing Great About Britain – slowthai
Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost (Part 1) – Foals
Psychodrama – Dave
GREY Area – Little Simz
Serfs Up – Fat White Family

Q Best Live Performance presented by The Cavern Club
The 1975 – Reading Festival
Stormzy – Glastonbury
Ariana Grande –  O2 Arena
The Courteeners – Heaton Park
The Streets – Brixton Academy
Florence + The Machine – BST Hyde Park
Doves – TCT at Royal Albert Hall
The Strokes – All Points East
Michael Kiwanuka – End Of The Road
Neil Young & Bob Dylan – BST Hyde Park

Q Best Solo Act
Lewis Capaldi
Stormzy
Loyle Carner
Billie Eilish
Dave
Aldous Harding
Liam Gallagher
Florence + The Machine
Kate Tempest
Kano

Q Best Act In The World Today presented by Rocksteady Music School
Stormzy
The 1975
Billie Eilish
Florence + The Machine
Liam Gallagher
Arctic Monkeys
Lana Del Rey
Bruce Springsteen
Christine And The Queens
Biffy Clyro

Q Best Festival/Event
All Points East
Glastonbury 
Latitude
Isle Of Wight Festival
British Summer Time
Reading and Leeds Festival

The Q Awards, in association with Absolute Radio, take place on Wednesday 16 October 2019 at Camden’s Roundhouse.

The Q Awards, in association with Absolute Radio, exclusive pre-awards gig with Biffy Clyro, will take place on Tuesday 15 October 2019 at Camden’s Roundhouse.