The View from V2 – ‘Proper songs’ are back in fashion! - By V2 Radio’s Paul Williams
We’re just a couple of days away from one of the biggest nights in the music industry calendar! The Brit Awards take place this Saturday evening in Manchester – the first time the event has been staged outside of London in its 48-year history.
Back in 1997, I was in the extremely privileged position of attending the awards at Earls Court, with access to the ‘pit area’ right up at the front of the stage. That night, I saw the likes of The Spice Girls, Prince, the Bee Gees and the Manic Street Preachers properly up close. Mark Morrison (of ‘Return Of The Mack’ fame) did a stage dive and nearly landed on my head!
Because of my rapidly advancing age, many of the more recent ceremonies have felt less of a ‘who’s who’ of the music industry and more of a ‘who’s that?’ An increasing number of nominees and performers were unfamiliar to me and, to my eyes and ears at least, rewarding success and song craft was being shoved to the side in favour of what was perceived to be cool in that moment.
2026 seems different. It genuinely feels to me that, over the past couple of years, a strong movement of ‘singer/songwriters’ have come to prominence, meaning melody is at the fore again and has become more important than a ‘groove’ or an ‘attitude’. To me, the world sounds so much better for it!
The last few years have seen the rise of some great British talent like Sam Fender, Olivia Dean, Raye, Lola Young and Myles Smith, who have found fame alongside more established artists like Ed Sheeran and Lewis Capaldi. The connection between them all is the ability to craft songs with interesting lyrics and infectious melodies that stick in your head. It’s the same story internationally, with names like Alex Warren, Teddy Swims, Chappell Roan and Gracie Abrams coming to prominence alongside older ‘stalwarts’ like Taylor Swift (believe it or not, her first UK hit was seventeen years ago this month - eeek!!)
I can also feel the shift when I flick around the radio dial in the car with my youngest daughter. Inevitably, she picks one of the cooler, younger stations but, nowadays, I am hearing more and more ‘proper songs’ and it fills my heart with joy! There seems to be far fewer ‘flashes in the pan’ and many more tracks that arrive as the ‘song of the moment’, but stay around in the public’s consciousness because of the sheer quality of the product! A good song never dies!
This year’s list of Brits nominees feels the most familiar to me in years and I am more enthusiastic about watching it than I have been in a long time!
All hail the resurgence of the ‘proper song’! Long may it continue!
V2 Radio’s Paul Williams can be heard every Saturday from 11 am to 3 pm on DAB – ONLINE - APP