Joan Armatrading

CBE, BA (Open), Hon DMus (Birmingham), Hon DLitt (Aston), Hon DMus (RSAMD), DUniv (Open), Hon DLitt (West Indies), Hon DMus (St Andrews)

College roles

Honorary Fellow (2021)

Biography

Joan Armatrading CBE was born in St Kitts in 1950, and moved to England aged seven, where she discovered her talent for music while playing her mother’s piano. She learnt to play the guitar and then started writing songs at the age of 14, before releasing her debut album “Whatever’s For Us” in 1972 to critical acclaim. Later that decade she became the first UK female singer/songwriter to gain international success.
 
In a career spanning five decades, Joan has earned her reputation for being one of the world’s leading female singer/songwriters. In 1973 she was named Outstanding New Artist in Music Week. Three times Grammy nominated, two times Brit nominated, winner of an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contemporary Song Collection, and winner of the BASCA Gold Badge Award in 2012, it is a recognition that continues to this day. 2012 saw Joan receive the British Folk Festival Award, 2016 Radio 2’s Folk Award for Lifetime Achievement and, the same year, the MMF’s Artist’s Artist Award.

In 2022 she received the MPG Outstanding Contribution Award to UK music in recognition of her writing and producing skills.  Today she has 22 albums to her credit, and her music has touched millions of people all over the world.  Her most recent album, “Consequences”, was released in 2021 and became a top 10 album in the UK Albums chart.

Her contribution as an artist was recognised in 2001 with an MBE from the Queen, and a CBE in 2020 for services to music, charity and equal rights.