Halsey tells us about receiving Innovation Award at BandLab NME Awards 2022

Halsey has spoken about the honour of receiving the Innovation Award at the BandLab NME Awards 2022.

• READ MORE: The NME Big Read – Halsey: “I’ve always been driven to reinvent myself and reinvent my genre”

The New Jersey-born singer, who released her fourth album ‘If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power’ this summer, will pick up the prize during a ceremony at the O2 Academy Brixton in London on March 2.

Speaking in this week’s Big Read cover interview, Halsey told NME that she “wasn’t expecting” the award and was “very surprised” to be recognised with the nod.

“But it’s really, really awesome – I think you start to get really sad and nervous about how your music connects when you’re not around to bring it to life and to know that it’s still resonating is really, really cool,” said Halsey.

Halsey was also reminded of her past desire to “be voted ‘worst band/artist’ at the NME awards”, a tongue-in-cheek comment she made after becoming a cover star in October 2018.

“I guess I just thought the only way I would ever get an NME Award was if it was gonna be that,” Halsey told NME in this week’s Big Read. “I would be like, ‘Hey, you know, at least I’m being recognised for something’.”

Looking ahead to attending next year’s Brixton bash, Halsey – who’s usually an “anti-awards show” artist – joked: “From what I’ve seen, I’ll definitely need to learn how to hold my liquor. The last thing I want to do is be the American lightweight who has two pints and is on the fucking floor.”

She continued: “[The BandLab NME Awards] seems more about a celebration of a bunch of people who are contemporaries rooting each other on. I don’t get many opportunities to celebrate with my peers and look around and be like, ‘Wow, this was a great year for music’ and that’s why we do this – we love it, y’know?”

NME‘s Innovation Award was introduced in 2018 and has previously been picked up by Boy Better Know and The 1975.

Head here to read our full cover interview with Halsey, where she also speaks about her new record, the experience of working with Nine Inch Nails‘ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on the project and more.

NME hailed Halsey for creating “an endlessly compelling artistic statement” with ‘If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power’. Check out our four-star review here.

Announced earlier this week, the BandLab NME Awards 2022 will also see the likes of Sam Fender, Griff and Rina Sawayama in attendance. Many more acts are to be announced in the coming weeks, along with the full list of nominees.

Tickets to the event are on sale now – purchase yours from here.

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