Annie Lennox, Tom Morello, Desmond Child & More Honored at 2026 SONA Awards:’The Songwriter Prom’

“I come from humble beginnings, like many of us,” said Lennox, a four-time Grammy winner, Oscar winner and inductee into both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. “There wasn’t much money going around back then in the 1950s in my corner of Scotland, but I loved singing and music. So, my parents decided to put away enough to pay for piano and flute lessons.

“We didn’t have a sound system, but I had a tiny little transistor radio that played the latest top 40 hits every morning, and I soaked every song up like a sponge. Back in the early ’60s, all the incredible bands and artists of the day were releasing their first singles and albums. I suppose some of you remember that: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Carole King, the Beach Boys, the Mamas and Papas, Tamla/Motown and Stax all filled everyone’s lives around the world with their signature sounds that made everyone’s days more colorful, meaningful and exciting. So, without realizing, I had a phenomenal jukebox playing in my head, which still travels with me wherever I go. I just have to shut my eyes; it’s there.

“So, at the tender age of 17, I passed an audition to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London. I had hoped that I might end up playing in an orchestra, but that idea was not to be. So, I was faced with trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. It was a troubling dilemma until one day, after three years of soul-searching, the realization came to me that I was actually meant to be a singer-songwriter.

“That was the moment when all the puzzle pieces joined together, and I knew that was going to be what I was going to do, one way or the other. Not long afterwards, I met someone who became my partner in crime, Dave Stewart. So, we soon headed into a creative adventure that taught me everything I know in terms of how to become a real-deal artist, genuine artist. So, I have to thank Dave for all those years in the school of rough knocks and of making music to the very best of your ability, even when it seems impossible.”

Lennox also addressed the topic of AI, as did several speakers at the event.

“From my perspective, you can never substitute a real person with AI. We’re the real deal, creative human beings with real lives that we’ve lived, real lived experiences. We’re the originators, not robots with artificial souls. There is a difference, and that difference must be protected, not only for writers like us, but for the future of all humanity and every generation that comes after us, it’s down to us to make that difference.”

The award was presented by fellow Scottish singer Shirley Manson, 22 years Lennox’s junior and someone who was deeply inspired by her. “It is a surreal and thrilling thing to be standing here tonight in your presence, as your eternal student,” Manson said. “Growing up in Scotland, we had few famous figures and even fewer female role models to look up to. It’s easy sometimes to forget just how much of a pioneer you are, now that we’re all so far down the road. But you have made it all look so easy. You’ve inspired multiple generations that have trailed in your wake.

“I vividly remember seeing you for the first time. I was 14 years old and huddled round the TV with my two sisters on a Thursday night, watching Top of the Pops, the UK’s most iconic music show. There you were, in all your glory, singing, ‘I Only Want To Be With You’ with your Scottish band, The Tourists. I remember feeling as though you had been beamed down from outer space. I’d never seen a woman that looked and sounded like you before, and you were utterly mesmerizing. Clad in black leather from top to toe, black jacket, black skirt, red lipstick, short, boyish, bleached blonde hair, just casually subverting all the societal norms that had been established for women preceding the early ’80s. A few years later, you even transitioned to fully dressing in a man’s suit and tie, whilst wielding a rather suggestive and mildly sinister riding crop.

“Back then, this art of power-dressing was entirely radical. Unlike so many of your peers, you appear to offer no concession to people-pleasing or appealing to the male gaze. You broke the mold of both the feminine and the masculine and helped pry open the door for artists to express themselves free of gender expectations. Throughout your career, I found in you both a muse and a catalyst. I was just a girl seeking thrills and deliverance from what I considered a hideously boring and humdrum existence. I reveled in your ice cool, divinely feminine warrior force, and I was deeply inspired. You always led me wanting to know more, see more, and be more. Of course, I’m no different from your legions of other fans. You continue to demonstrate to all of us that artistic excellence, coupled with killer style and a beautiful heart is the road to an exemplary life. Thank you for who you are and what you do.”