While She Sleeps champions community with their win at the Heavy Music Awards

The Sheffield outfit made their way to the 2022 Heavy Music Awards as presenters and walked away with one of the only Heavy Music Award trophies not determined by the fans.

Earning the inaugural Innovation Award, While She Sleeps was celebrated for their efforts in spearheading their revolutionary direct-to-fan platform in the Sleeps Society. With the onset the pandemic forcing many artists to find new ways to not only maintain their livelihood but also connect with their base of supporters in the absence of live music, outside the box thinking was not only encouraged, it was vital.

Taking the concept of community to the next level, the band cultivated their Sleeps Society as a means of integrating the voice of the fans into their creative process in a way that no other artist has. Offering unprecedented access to their supporters, the barriers that typically exist in the fan to band relationship were all dismantled - with the newly galvanized family celebrated in the form of the band's album that bared with it the same Sleeps Society name and ethos.

Connecting with our own Alicia Atout following their hugely important win, the band spoke to the "House of Sleeps" that the award symbolized and how the honor was as much about the fans as it was for the band. Heaving praise on the community that has obviously shown their support in spades, the band shared their score with the punk rock and metal diehards that have welcomed them in with open arms. Going one further, the band confided that the Sleeps Society is what collectively "saved" the band during the darkest times of the pandemic pause.

While She Sleeps joked that they might melt down the hardware to figure out a way to best share the award with the fans that have been such an important part of the newest and most pivotal chapter of their career thus far.

The Heavy Music Awards Highlight Show airs exclusively on the Knotfest Youtube Channel on Thursday June 16th at 8pm BST / 3pm EDT. Catch all the winners, the reaction and performances from Beartooth, Holding Absence, Meet Me At the Altar and Static Dress.