A host of stars including Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Dua Lipa, Black Eyed Peas, Years & Years, Mabel, Sheku, Gary Numan, Bernard Sumner and The Chemical Brothers were honoured at the annual O2 Silver Clef Awards, in support of Nordoff Robbins' life-changing music therapy.
Other guests and award presenters at the event on 5 July 2019 included: Liam Payne, Louise Redknapp, Jax Jones, Disclosure, Dynamo, Adam Smith, Munroe Bergdorf, Eddy Temple Morris.
Guests were delighted by the news that Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith had not only decided to create a song together, but that both were going to donate an amazing £50,000 each to Nordoff Robbins – which will enable the music therapy charity to reach so many more people across the UK with music therapy.
Sam Smith, who won the AEG Presents Best Male Award, said: “Thank you so much for this award. First of all, I’d like to say that Nordoff Robbins is truly sensational – it takes my breath away with the work you do. My uncle is 50 years old, he was born with brain damage and diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, I know music is such an important part of his life. Thank you for everyone on my team and being patient with me and believing in me when I don’t believe in myself.”
will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas said: “We wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t for songs like ’Where Is The Love” it wasn’t party songs that started our career it wasn’t songs about love and heartache it was a song about the world actually going on tour on September 12 2001, the day after 9/11 is when we realised we had a calling…When we wrote the song we didn’t think that that was what we were trying to do but we see the effects and how music changes people’s lives."
Black Eyed Peas’ Taboo said: “Five years ago I was diagnosed with cancer, this is real talk, I did chemotherapy and fought for my life. I didn’t know if I was going make it or not. If chemotherapy didn’t work I would have had to go into radiation – music was the thing that was therapy for me. There were two things that I thought of: one, I was to be there for my wife and kids, and number two I want be back on stage with my brothers Will-I-Am and Apple Rockin showing the world that we can do it.”
In addition to raising vital funds for Nordoff Robbins, the annual awards, presented by Edith Bowman for the third year running, recognise and celebrate the powerful impact of music, bringing the finest of the music industry together with celebrity supporters.
Source: Nordoff Robbins
