To be nominated for an Ivor Novello award is the ultimate honour for many songwriters, but to be up for three in one year (and two in one category) is a truly astounding accomplishment. That's where James Napier finds himself in 2015. We asked him about what went into one of his biggest successes, the smash hit 'Stay With Me' with Sam Smith.
Watch James Napier telling the story behind 'Stay With Me' in the video above
"It was very quick, we wrote it less than an hour," Napier tells Gigwise of working with Sam Smith on 'Stay With Me'. "It was a very personal song and a very raw subject about a one night stand and wanting that person to stay to ease the pain essentially. Not to my knowledge, there's not been a song written about that subject. I think today, it's really something that people can relate to."
He continues: "I think with Sam, he's incredibly honest - he's always very honest about how he's feeling with his emotions, which makes it really enjoyable to work with him and write songs together because he'll pour his heart out and I'll help him to put it on the page or record it or play the chords that fit the feelings. We manage to complement each other, which has been amazing.
Responding to the claim earlier this year that resulted in Tom Petty and Jeff Glynne being given a writing credit for the track due to its similarity to 'I Won't Back Down', Napier said: "I was shocked obviously, because I was unfamiliar with the song, but we listened to it and we understood the problem they had with it and came to an amicable agreement. There's not really much more to say on it."
Watch James Napier telling the story behind 'Stay With Me' in the video above
Watch above as Napier discusses the 'surreal' runaway success of the track and what he and Sam Smith plan to do on his next album.
The winners of the Ivor Novellos will be announced at a London ceremony on 21 May. See the full list of nominations below.
Best Song Musically and Lyrically
Above The Clouds of Pompeii
Written by Andrew Davie
Performed by Bear’s Den
I Forget Where We Were
Written and Performed by Ben Howard
Published in the UK by Warner/Chappell Music Publishing Ltd
Take Me to Church
Written by Andrew Hozier-Byrne
Performed by Hozier
Published in the UK by Sony/ATV Music Publishing – The Evolving Music Company
Best Contemporary Song
Every Other Freckle
Written by Thomas Green, Joe Newman and Gus Unger-Hamilton
Performed by alt-J
Published in the UK by Kobalt Music Publishing
Rather Be
Written by James Napier and Jack Patterson
Performed by Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne
Published in the UK by Universal Music Publishing – Salli Isaak Songs / Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Two Weeks
Written by Tahliah Debrett Barnett and Emile Haynie
Performed by FKA Twigs
Published in the UK by BMG Chrysalis / Universal Music Publishing
PRS for Music Most Performed Work
Budapest
Written by George Ezra Barnett and Joel Pott
Performed by George Ezra
Published in the UK by BMG Chrysalis
Rather Be
Written by James Napier and Jack Patterson
Performed by Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne
Published in the UK by Universal Music Publishing – Salli Isaak Songs / Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Stay With Me
Written by James Napier, William Phillips and Sam Smith
Performed by Sam Smith
Published in the UK by Universal Music Publishing – Salli Isaak Songs – Method Paperwork / Naughty Words Ltd – Stellar Songs Ltd – Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Album Award
Present Tense
Written by Thomas Fleming, Ben Little, Christopher Talbot and Hayden Thorpe
Performed by Wild Beasts
Published in the UK by Domino Publishing Company
Royal Blood
Written by Michael Kerr and Ben Thatcher
Performed by Royal Blood
Published in the UK Warner/Chappell Music Publishing Ltd
So Long, See You Tomorrow
Written by Jack Steadman
Performed by Bombay Bicycle Club
Published in the UK by Imagem Music
Best Original Film Score
‘71
Composed by David Holmes
Published in the UK by Universal Music Publishing
Mr. Turner
Composed by Gary Yershon
Published in the UK by Universal Music Publishing
The Boxtrolls
Composed by Dario Marianelli
Published in the UK by Warner/Chappell Music Publishing Ltd
Best Television Soundtrack
The Honourable Woman
Composed by Natalie Holt and Martin Phipps
Published in the UK by Imagem FTV / Du Vinage Publishing
The Mill - Series 2
Composed by Samuel Sim
Published in the UK by Du Vinage Publishing / Sony/ATV Music Publishing
The Suspicions of Mr Whicher – Beyond the Pale
Composed by Edmund Butt
Published in the UK by Bucks Music Group / Imagem FTV
