Noel Gallagher will receive the Godlike Genius prize at this year’s NME Awards, the publication has announced.
“I would like to thank NME for bestowing upon me such a great accolade,” Gallagher has said on receiving the prize. “I have dreamt of this moment since I was 43 years old. I accept that I am now a genius, just like God.”
While NME editor Krissi Murison has paid tribute to Gallagher’s longevity: “For the best part of two decades, the voice of one man has dominated the pages of NME more than any other. That man is Noel Gallagher. Opinionated, intelligent, passionate and always hilarious – Noel walks and talks it better than any other musician out there, and it’s just one of the reasons why the British public loves him so dearly.”
“That he keeps pushing boundaries as a solo artist proves that there’s a long way to go in the story of one of the most talented musicians Britain has ever produced.”
After spearheading Oasis‘ rapid rise to world-wide superstardom in the mid-90s, Noel Gallagher left the band in August 2009 following a final row with brother Liam in Paris. Last October, his debut solo album ‘Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds‘ was released, and proved to be an undoubted success. It was recently confirmed as the second highest selling UK album in the rock genre of 2011, after shifting close to half a million copies.
Previous winners of the NME Godlike Genius award include Paul Weller, Manic Street Preachers and last year’s winner Dave Grohl.
