Why KT Tunstall feels bad for new singers as she accepts Ivor Novello award

The Scottish singer-songwriter was honoured on Thursday evening

KT Tunstall said she feels “bad” for new musicians ahead of accepting the Ivor Novello award for outstanding song collection.

The Scottish singer-songwriter, 48, was being recognised at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on Thursday.

She was being honoured along with Bruce Springsteen, who was making history at the awards as the first international songwriter to be awarded an Ivors Academy fellowship.

KT Tunstall arrives at the Ivor Novello Awards at Grosvenor House in London. Photo: Lucy North/PA Wire

Speaking at the red carpet, Tunstall said the prize was “extremely special” and she was lucky she did not have to “practice my happy loser face”.

Tunstall added: “I think it’s the most meaningful award I’ve ever had and it just feels like a massive hug, which spending 20 years really doing my best… work I’ve been able to do so it’s a wonderful, wonderful thing to happen, pretty unexpected as well.”

She has been working with Tom Gray on the broken record campaign to “try and make streaming a reasonable income for a writer”.

When asked about why there has not been stronger action on getting revenues from streaming music, Tunstall said: “It was very much a case of the industry just not keeping his eye on the ball, including us musicians.

“And once people get something for next to nothing, it’s extremely difficult to go backwards on that.

“I don’t know what the future looks like, but I’m certainly willing and able to be part of galvanising musicians together to try and change because, I feel so bad for new musicians, it’s next to impossible for them to make a living.”

“And at least I sort of had my hand on the till of people buying albums.

“But I really hope that legislation and Tom being at the forefront of that really helps because music… without good songs, you’ve got to have the good materials and the writers have got to be part of the renumeration of wealth around music.

“And I think we’ve learned over the last few crazy years that it’s mixing music is just magic, brings all of us together. So yeah, I love the Ivors for that. And they’re celebrating the writers.”

The event also saw British singer-songwriter Raye nominated for best album her chart-topping record My 21st Century Blues, alongside Irish singer CMAT’s Crazymad, For Me; London jazz musician Yussef Dayes’ Black Classical Music; Irish folk group Lankum’s False Lankum.