Following an exciting ceremony at The Tower Hill Hotel in London, The Music Producers Guild has now announced the complete list of winners for the 2022 awards. Now in its 14th year, the annual event has become a benchmark for recognising early talent in the industry, who later go on to lead it.
The top accolade of UK Producer Of The Year was won by Marta Salogni, who’s talent was first recognised in 2018 when she won Breakthrough Engineer of The Year, and again in 2020 when she won Breakthrough Producer of The Year. Manon Grandjean was awarded Mix Engineer of the Year by multi-award-winning songwriter, Kamille, for an astonishing year of work with artists including Noa, AJ Tracy & Lxandra. Manon was first recognised in the 2017 MPG Awards, when she won Breakthrough Engineer of The Year and then Engineer of the Year in 2018.
Olga FitzRoy MPG Executive Director said "It's wonderful to see the career-progression of some of our winners this year - it shows that progress and longevity are possible in this industry, and that the MPG Awards, voted on by working professionals, really are among the most meaningful of music awards."
Inflo was once again awarded for his amazing work, taking home Writer-Producer Of The Year for a second year running. He also produced the Album Of The Year - Little Simz: ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’. Fiona Cruickshank also took home two awards – Breakthrough Producer Of The Year and Recording Engineer Of The Year.
Another notable recipient was the singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer, Joan Armatrading who received the PPL present The MPG Outstanding Contribution To UK Music award. During an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Women’s Hour, the three-time Grammy Award nominee said, It was “absolutely fantastic” and a “big compliment” to receive the award.
This year saw the return of the Unsung Hero Award, the only category open to anyone in the industry, which was won by #BrokenRecord campaigner Tom Gray.
There were two new categories this year, Vocal Producer of the Year, which was presented by Ellie Goulding to Lorna Blackwood for her work with Dua Lipa, & Calum Scott and the Rising Star Award, which replaces the previous Breakthrough Engineer category to include early-career recording, mix and mastering engineers, in an effort to highlight more of the new talent rising up through the industry.
This award was presented to Matt Taylor who said “This month marks exactly 10 years since I left the care system, so to be recognised in this way by my industry is surreal, and an honour. This is a brutal industry for a careleaver, where having no family or financial support makes it nearly impossible. I hope that my success will now begin to shift the tides so more people like me can survive and thrive in recording. I may be the first careleaver to win an MPG Award, but I’m gonna make sure I’m not the last!”
The Music Producers Guild Awards featured a total of 15 categories, each designed to recognise and celebrate the best and brightest stars of music production, along with the industry’s new talent. The event was hosted by tastemaker and broadcaster Abbie McCarthy, with Max Hardcastle, Coco Cole and Matt Puffett (from FBA, UNKLE) providing the afterparty music.
MPG Award winners and sponsors:
Producer of the Year, sponsored by Flare Audio
Marta Salogni
Writer-Producer of the Year, sponsored by Session
Inflo
Breakthrough Producer of the Year, sponsored by Sonnox
Fiona Cruickshank
Self-Producing Artist, sponsored by Shure
Lau.ra
Recording Engineer of the Year, sponsored by AMS Neve
Fiona Cruickshank
Rising Star, sponsored by JUCE
Matt Taylor
Mix Engineer of the Year, sponsored by Miloco
Manon Grandjean
Mastering Engineer of the Year, sponsored by Solid State Logic
Kevin Tuffy
Vocal Producer of the Year, sponsored by Synchro Arts
Lorna Blackwood
Unsung Hero, sponsored by Musicians’ Union
Tom Gray
Studio of the Year, sponsored by Dolby
Abbey Road Studios
Original Score Recording of the Year
‘Lisey’s Story (Apple TV+ Original Series Soundtrack)’
Composed & Produced by Clark (aka Chris Clark), Engineered and Mixed by Tom Bailey
Album of the Year, sponsored by Avid
Little Simz: ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’
Produced by Inflo (1-19), Co-produced with Miles James (track 10), Co-produced with Jakwob (track 12), Engineered by Ben Baptie and Richard Woodcraft, Mixed by Ben Baptie and Richard Woodcraft
The MPG 2022 Awards categories in the gift of the MPG are:
The MPG Inspiration Award, sponsored by Audio Note, was awarded to Linda Perry
PPL Present The MPG Award For Outstanding Contribution To UK Music, sponsored by PPL and awarded to Joan Armatrading.
