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Chapter 1: What recent achievement did CMAT receive at the Ivor Novello Awards?
The unmistakable sound of Dunboyne singer-songwriter C. Matt. Last night at Grosvenor House in London, she was awarded an Ivor Novello for her album Euro Country. The prestigious awards who announced Elton John as their first ever president yesterday celebrate the songwriting and composing achievements of musical artists.
An incredible win for the 30-year-old who also won the 2026 RT Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year earlier this year to discuss the significance... Of this, I'm joined by Niall Byrne of the Niler 9 music site and podcast. Morning, Niall. Hey, David. How are you? Fabulous now. CMAT's songwriting skills finally getting the recognition they deserve.
Chapter 2: How has CMAT's recognition evolved in the UK music scene?
Isn't it great?
Yeah, well, I think CMAT has actually been getting quite a lot of recognition. The first time I heard getting a winning recognition in the UK, she was previously nominated for the BBC Sound Award, the Brit Awards for International Artist of the Year award. which she hasn't won and also nominated for the album Euro Country for the Mercury Music Prize last year.
But this is the first time she's won an actual award properly in the UK. Obviously, she's won twice now the Irish Album of the Year for the Choice Music Prize. She just has something special about her. The Ivor Novell Awards specifically recognise the importance of songwriting. So it's a much coveted award from songwriters. And Seaman is very serious about songwriting.
Chapter 3: What makes the Ivor Novello Awards significant for songwriters?
If you listen to her speak about how she talks about songwriting, she has studied it. She has studied the greats. She has studied the new greats. She has studied modern music, old music. It is her vocation.
Yeah, and the Ivor Novello Awards in particular, they're kind of the musicians' music prize, in a sense. Previous winners include Paul McCartney, Adele, Amy Winehouse, and now CMAT. So you can see that this is a really big deal.
Yeah, and it's for the best album as well. It's a really significant achievement.
Chapter 4: How does CMAT's songwriting reflect her personal experiences?
The album Euro Country came out last year. It's very much inspired by what she says, her experience with Ireland and and talking about how Ireland is the most toxic boyfriend she's ever had. So she's just a really relatable, really specific writer, but she relates those kind of
For big, big topics, obviously the title song is about the Celtic Tiger, talking about Bertie Hearn growing up in the crash. And it's the first song I've heard in that vein that really speaks to the kind of desperation that people had around that time. And it's also just an amazing song as well. It's something that she does for all of her work.
Sorry to cut a course, I was just going to say, it's very specific and yet it's universal at the same time.
This is it.
Chapter 5: What themes does CMAT explore in her album 'Euro Country'?
I mean, this is her skill. Because, you know, even on our live show, she does the Dunboyne County Mead two-step. And that specificity is something that she is so good at. And it's a really difficult skill. And people would tell you, you know, or maybe don't write about everything you know if it's very specific. But she's not afraid to go colloquial in her music and bring that to a wider world.
And that is, I think, one of the things that she's really, really good at and something that should be commended because She doesn't shy away from writing about local and referencing local things or Irish things. But people have gone with it. And that's because she's such a great songwriter.
Chapter 6: How is Irish music currently being recognized on the international stage?
They have really, like, they're on board with her. She brings people with her.
Yeah, she's not the first Irish person to win an Ivor Novello Award. I think Orla Gardin won last year.
Orla Gardin won last year. Yeah, she did mention in her speech that Villagers, Conor O'Brien won previously as an inspiration. And I think you're really just seeing how Irish music in the last 10, 15 years is just really punching quite high in its weight. It's been recognised internationally and it's continued to.
Like it's really, really, I mean, we say it all the time, but it's a really, really big thing. time for Irish music. There's all sorts of genres, all sorts of artists who are doing really well. Like if you look at Seamath, she played one of the biggest festivals in the world last year, or this year, Coachella, but she wasn't the only Irish artist to play.
There was also New Dad from Galway, Jazzy from Dublin, and Ketama, the Galway dance DJ. So there's a lot of different genres being represented internationally. Irish artists are not only they're doing really well internationally, but they're finding audiences and they're finding the ability to resonate with artists, other people abroad. And that's something to be really celebrated.
Absolutely. Niall Byrne of the Niall O'Neill blog and podcast. Thank you for that. And congratulations again to CMAT.
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