Johnny McDaid receives BMI President’s Award in London

Songwriter, producer, and Snow Patrol member Johnny McDaid received the BMI President’s Award at the 2026 BMI London Awards held at The Dorchester on September 28. The ceremony, hosted by BMI CEO Mike O’Neill and EVP Mike Steinberg, honored UK and European creators whose works achieved high performance levels in the United States across streaming, radio, film, and television.

In his acceptance speech, McDaid reflected on the connection between songwriters and listeners, stating, “We make a song, the song goes into the world. It finds someone out there, another childhood, another way of understanding love or loss.” He noted that through songwriting, “someone we have never met feels understood.”

McDaid also earned multiple Million-Air Awards during the event for his collaborations with Ed Sheeran. These included recognition for eight million U.S. performances of “Shape of You” and six million performances of “Bad Habits.” Additionally, he received an award for co-writing “Azizam,” which was among the most-performed pop songs of the previous year. These honors bring McDaid’s career total to 18 BMI Awards.