The Ivors Academy has announced that Rosalia has won the International Songwriter Of The Year award, ahead of the Ivor Novello awards next month.
The Spanish artist has been huge for years in her homeland, but 2025 was undoubtedly her breakthrough year in English-speaking markets. Her fourth album, Lux, was the sort of wildly ambitious album people simply don’t make anymore.
We’re talking about a brazenly pretentious concept (double) album, inspired by the lives of a number of female saints that mixes classical music with pop and the avant-garde and features songs in no less than 13 different languages, including Mandarin, Latin and Ukrainian.
Article continues belowThe few critics left working in the mainstream media were salivating. Lux swept the board in those all-important End Of Year lists.
In a statement Roberto Neri, CEO of The Ivors Academy said: "We are proud to celebrate Rosalia. With lyrics in over 13 languages, she has broken down barriers and borders. This recognition reflects our growing global outlook and celebrates songwriters defining music and culture."
Tom Gray, Chair of The Ivors Academy, added that: "Rosalia is redefining what songwriting can be. Her work blends tradition and experimentation with extraordinary precision."
The Ivor Novello Awards is to take place at London’s Grosvenor House on 21 May 2026. Open to both UK and Irish songwriters, it’s long been the most coveted of the awards in the annual calendar. Prominent nominees this year include Lily Allen, Florence Welch, Lola Young, Wolf Alice and CMAT. For a full list of nominees head over to the Ivors’ website here.
