Sam Fender "couldn't breathe" when he won Ivor Novello for Seventeen Going Under

20 May 2022, 14:18 | Updated: 20 May 2022, 14:21

Sam Fender at The Ivor Novello Awards 2022. Picture: Dave J Hogan/Dave J. Hogan/Getty Images

The North Shields singer-songwriter took home the prestigious gong for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for his Seventeen Going Under single.

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Sam Fender has shared his reaction to winning his first ever Ivor Novello Award.

The Geordie singer-songwriter attended the prestigious awards ceremony on Thursday 19th May and picked up the Best Song Musically and Lyrically gong for his Seventeen Going Under single.

Taking to Instagram after the event, he wrote: "Just won a f***ing @ivorsacademy award," adding: "I couldn’t breathe."

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A post shared by Sam Fender (@sam_fender)

After his BRIT Awards win, Fender headed back to his hometown and used the award to smash a pinata of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Asked if he had similar plans for his Ivor Novello, he joked in the PA news agency winner’s room: “Ah yes, Keir Starmer, we’re going to smash his face in as well.”

It's no surprise that Fender has had success with Seventeen Going Under, which comes from his UK No.1 album of the same name.

Not only did his Seventeen Going Under single become a viral TikTok trend, but it was also named Radio X's Best of British with Greggs 2022.

Reacting to the news, he told George Godfrey: "I mean, it's it's lovely that people are voting for it. But there's definitely a bit of imposter syndrome that comes with it! Thank you very much to all the fans out there who voted for us."

After being told that he'd beaten iconic songs from the likes of Oasis, Arctic Monkeys, David Bowie and Queen to top this year's chart, he added: "That's mad. I can actually hear people right now, in their cars, going WHAT!? WHAT!? 'He's an industry plant!' What was what we have is an industry plant! I can hear that right now.

"I'm sure I'll reciprocate in the comments sections at some point. But you know what, the more haters there are, that's normally a sign that things are going alright."

Sam Fender wins Radio X Best Of British with Greggs

It's clear that Fender's Seventeen Going Under album and its title track has marked a significant moment in his areer and this month even saw the rocker get a surprise tattoo to prove it.

In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment on his "no context photo dump," the Get You Down rocker can be seen standing in the mirror with a tiny tat bearing the number "17".

See the tattoo on the fifth slide of his Instagram post below: