Sam Fender Makes British Chart History!
Mercury Prize 2026 – Nominees
We’re delighted to see Florence + The Machine and War Child nominated for this year’s Mercury prize albums of the year.
We’re proud to have played a part in the nominated War Child album, representing (on a pro bono basis) an incredible group of artists who contributed to the project, including Arctic Monkeys, Beabadoobee, Declan McKenna, Ellie Rowsell, English Teacher, Ezra Collective, Foals, Kae Tempest, King Krule, Pulp, The Last Dinner Party, Wet Leg and Young Fathers.
The Mercury Prize has long celebrated the very best of British and Irish music, championing exceptional songwriting, creativity and artistry and Russells is extremely honoured to have represented the last three years’ winners (Ezra Collective, English Teacher and Sam Fender). It’s fantastic to see another outstanding and diverse group of nominees recognised this year.
Congratulations to everyone, and best of luck for the awards in October!
Image and further info on nominees in here: www.nme.com//music/mercury-prize-2026
Alexi Cory-Smith
Everyone at Russells is deeply saddened by the passing of Alexi Cory-Smith whose funeral takes place today.
Alexi was an exceptional leader and a much-loved figure within the music industry. She was admired not only for her expertise and vision, but also for her generosity, warmth and the relationships she built throughout her career.
Our sincere condolences go to her family, friends and everyone at Bella Figura Music. She will be greatly missed.
Congratulations to Shellback on HarbourView Transaction
Congratulations to Shellback and Max Martin on closing this transaction with HarbourView Equity Partners, under which HarbourView has acquired the publisher’s share of select compositions by third party composers in the Wolf Cousins songwriting collective, a venture founded by Max Martin and Shellback. The catalogue includes an extraordinary collection of global hits recorded by artists including Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, Imagine Dragons, Ellie Goulding and DNCE.
Chris Gossage and Ally Horn were delighted to advise Shellback on the deal, working together with Stroem Advokats in Sweden.
Congratulations to everyone involved.
Image and further reading here https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/harbourview-shellbacks-wolf-cousins-collective/
Ivor Novello Awards 2026 – Winners
We are delighted to celebrate a successful night for Russells clients at last night’s Ivor Novello Awards, with clients receiving 7 of the 14 awards presented:
Best Album: CMAT – Euro-Country
Best Contemporary Song: Kae Tempest – I Stand on the Line
Best Song Musically and Lyrically: Jacob Alon – Don’t Fall Asleep
Most Performed Work: Lola Young – Messy
Rising Star: Jacob Alon
Fellowship of The Ivors Academy: George Michael
Songwriter of the Year: Sam Fender
Huge congratulations to all of the artists and teams involved, we’re incredibly proud to work alongside such exceptional talent.
Image and further info: https://ivorsacademy.com/winners-of-the-ivors-2026
Primary Wave acquires interests in album art collection from Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell
Russells are delighted to have represented Primary Wave on its acquisition of Aubrey “Po” Powell’s interests in the legendary Hipgnosis album art collection. This is a truly iconic catalogue with artwork that helped define the visual identity of generations of music fans.
The Great Escape 2026 – Russells Brunch!
We hosted our brunch at The Great Escape Festival last week and were lucky enough to be joined by 228 brilliant people from across music, media and beyond. It was wonderful to catch up with so many familiar faces and meet plenty of new ones. We’re grateful to everyone who came by, braved the lack of sun and fought for a mimosa! Can’t wait for next year!
Announcement – Melissa Hutter
We’re delighted to share some brilliant news…
In addition to being a qualified England & Wales solicitor, Melissa Hutter has officially passed the California Bar!
This is a fantastic achievement and a real testament to the hard work, commitment and determination she’s put in alongside her day to day role. Passing the California Bar is no small feat and Russells are incredibly proud of her.
Huge congratulations Melissa, a wonderful milestone and very well deserved!
BAFTA Game Awards – Winners: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Huge congratulations to Kepler Interactive and the team behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
The game won three BAFTA Games Awards, including the prestigious Best Game award, alongside:
- Debut Game
- Lead Performance
The awards were presented on Friday 17th April 2026 at the Southbank Centre in London, hosted by Elz the Witch.
Image and further info: https://gagadget.com/clair-obscur-expedition-33-shocks-industry-dominates-bafta-games-awards-2026-with-record-wins/
Ivor Novello Awards 2026 – Nominations
We’re thrilled to congratulate the following writers on their nominations for this year’s Ivor Novello Awards:
Best album
- CMAT – Euro Country
- Joff Oddie and Ellie Rowsell from Wolf Alice – The Clearing
Best contemporary song
- Kae Tempest – I Stand on the Line
- Kae Tempest – Know Yourself
- Miles Clinton James for his work on the Little Simz song – Free
Best song musically and lyrically
- Florence + The Machine – Everybody Scream
- Ellie Rowsell from Wolf Alice – The Sofa
PRS for music most performed work
- Lola Young – Messy
- Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Chris Martin from Coldplay – Viva la Vida
Best original film score
- Jerskin Fendrix – Bugonia
This year marks the 71st Ivor Novello Awards and a ceremony will be held in London on 21 May where the winners will be announced.
Good luck everyone!
Image and further info: https://ivorsacademy.com/ivors-nominations-2026
Russells Promotions
We are delighted to congratulate Liv Lyons, Eliot Leggo, Jai Poon Tip and Lewis Lawrence who will all be promoted in April 2026.
Liv will be joining the equity partnership, and Eliot, Jai and Lewis will all become partners.
These promotions reflect their outstanding contribution to the firm, their commitment to our clients, and the strength of talent across our teams.
We look forward to seeing them continue to play an important role in the firm’s future.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – BAFTA Games Awards nominations
We are delighted to congratulate Kepler Interactive as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads this year’s BAFTA Games Awards with 12 nominations, including Best Game, Best Music, and Best Narrative.
A brilliant achievement – wishing the team the very best at the awards.
Photo and further info: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/clairobscurbafta2026
Sam’s single Rein Me In, featuring Olivia Dean, has now become the longest-running Number 1 single in UK chart history. After spending a 19th non-consecutive week at the top of the Official Singles Chart, it has overtaken Frankie Laine’s I Believe, ending a record that had stood since 1953.
An extraordinary achievement and a moment of music history. Huge congratulations to Sam and everyone else involved in this incredible success.
Image and further reading
HERE.