CMAT was announced as the winner of Irish album of the year 2022 at this year’s Choice Music Prize ceremony at Vicar Street last night hosted by RTÉ 2FM’s Tracy Clifford.
There was a clear winner in the room and from the 11 judges who deliberated at a room in BIMM Dublin chaired by Jim Carroll, while the live show took place last night down the road.
CMAT’s debut album If My Wife New I’d Be Dead won the €10,000 prize, ahead of the other shortlisted albums from Fontaines D.C., The Mary Wallopers, Sorcha Richardson, Aoife Nessa Frances, Thumper, Dermot Kennedy, Just Mustard, Anna-Mieke and Pillow Queens.
In her absence due to touring, CMAT sent “Aldi CMAT” aka drag queen Lavender to accept the award from last year’s winner Dave Balfe (aka For Those I Love).
.@cmatbaby winning the @choiceprize and sending out Lavender to read out her speech was perfect example of superlative speech acceptance 👏 pic.twitter.com/201oO1g5DU
— Nialler9 (@Nialler9) March 9, 2023
In a well-written speech, read by Lavender, underscoring Ciary Mary Alice Thompson’s gift for words, she wrote “the word ‘genius’ gets thrown around a lot these days, but I think this finally proves that I am one. If you had told me three years ago working in Bewley’s that I would win the Choice Music Prize, I would have believed you, because I am delusional.”
Eoghan The Point Of Everything posted the text in full, and it’s worth a read.
Anna Mieke, Aoife Nessa Frances, Just Mustard, Pillow Queens and Thumper performed on the night. It is the awards’ eighteenth year.
Sinéad O’Connor was also honoured with the inaugural Classic Irish album award for 1990 album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, which she accepted by dedicating the award to all refugees seeking asylum or refuge in Ireland.
Fontaines D.C. won Irish Artist of the Year 2022 award (for which I was a judge), Cian Ducrot won Irish Breakthrough Artist of the Year 2022 and Moncrieff won the public vote Irish Song of the Year for ‘Warm’.
RTÉ2 will broadcast a one-hour TV programme of the RTÉ Choice Music Prize, featuring performances from the five acts, along with interviews by Bláthnaid Treacy on Thursday 16th March at 22.30.
The winning Album of the Year act receive €10,000, a prize fund which has been provided by The Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) and The Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA). All shortlisted acts received a specially commissioned award.
RAAP, Culture Ireland, FMC, the BAI and Minding Creative Minds are also official project partners of the RTE Choice Music Prize.
Through its funding of the Music From Ireland programme, Culture Ireland’s support of the RTÉ Choice Music Prize will be directed towards shortlisted artists, as well as assisting the RTÉ Choice Music Prize Conversations.
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.
