Fraser T. Smith, the British multi-platinum producer and award-winning songwriter behind some hits by Adele, Craig David and more, is set to receive the BMI President’s Award at the 2025 BMI London Awards on September 29.
The awarding ceremony, which will be held at The Dorchester, will honor Smith alongside other British and European songwriters and publishers whose work dominated US streaming, radio, film, television and visual media over the past year. BMI President Mike O’Neill and the org’s EVP, Chief Revenue & Creative Officer, Mike Steinberg, will host the private event.
The President’s Award recognizes Smith’s career producing and songwriting hits for Adele, Craig David, Drake, Florence and the Machine, Gorillaz, Kano, Stormzy, Sam Smith, Snow Patrol and more over three decades.
O’Neill said: “Fraser T. Smith is widely recognized as one of the UK’s most influential and sought-after producers and songwriters, whose musical contributions and ability to span genres created some of the most impactful songs of our generation.”
Smith’s career started in the 1990s when he worked as a a session guitarist playing on more than 200 recordings before moving to production. In 1999, he met a then-unknown Craig David, spending five years as the singer’s guitarist before producing three of David’s albums, including Born to Do It, Slicker Than Your Average and Trust Me.
“Fraser T. Smith is widely recognized as one of the UK’s most influential and sought-after producers and songwriters, whose musical contributions and ability to span genres created some of the most impactful songs of our generation.”
Mike O’Neill, BMI
Smith has co-written, mixed and produced seven No. 1 singles in the UK, two Billboard chart-topping hits in the US, and 18 No. 1 albums. In 2011, Smith won a Grammy for his work on Adele’s 21. He earned another Grammy nomination in 2015 for Sam Smith’s In the Lonely Hour, and won a Latin Grammy for his collaboration with Mexican duo Jesse & Joy on Un Besito Más.
In 2016, he was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, and was nominated for a Brit Award in 2017. He also won Best Album at the MOBO Awards for his collaboration with Kano on the album Made in the Manor, and was recognized for Stormzy’s Brit and Ivor Novello-winning debut album, Gang Signs & Prayer.
Recent projects include producing Snow Patrol’s The Forest Is The Path, the band’s first No. 1 album in 18 years, as well as producing Kae Tempest’s 2025 album called Self-Titled.
In addition to producing music for other artists, Smith has also spent time as a sole artist under the moniker Future Utopia. In 2020, he debuted with 12 Questions, which featured collaborations with actors, poets, and musicians including Stormzy, Dave, Kano, Ghetts, Bastille, Es Devlin, Simon Armitage and Idris Elba. Smith won his second Ivor Novello Award in 2021 for Future Utopia’s single, Children of the Internet, a collaboration with rapper Dave. The first was in 2018 for Dave’s Question Time.
This year, Future Utopia released two singles: the disco-influenced Don’t Try This At Home and The Pleasure Trap, featuring Lava La Rue.
Smith joins other BMI President’s Award honorees over the previous years including Taylor Swift, Benny Blanco, Noel Gallagher, P!nk, Luis Fonsi, Ellie Goulding, Imagine Dragons, Jay Kay of Jamiroquai, Ludacris, Willie Nelson, Pitbull, T-Pain, Brian Wilson, and Dwight Yoakam.
O’Neill said: “We’re thrilled to commemorate [Smith’s] illustrious career as an acclaimed collaborator and a solo artist with the BMI President’s Award. We’re also excited to celebrate our BMI family of award-winning songwriters and composers and recognize their musical achievements over the last year.”
The recognition comes as BMI now manages performance rights for over 22.4 million musical works and represents 1.4 million creators globally.
The London ceremony will also present the BMI London Song of the Year award, Million-Air Awards, and awards for Pop, Film, Television and Cable Television Music.
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