Jessie Ware, RAYE and Arctic Monkeys have been nominated for this year’s Mercury Prize.
Announced this week, the shortlist sees Free Yourself hitmaker Jessie return after 11 years with her disco-tastic fifth album, ‘That! Feels Good!’, alongside the Arctics, who are nominated for the fifth time with ‘The Car’.
It ties the Fluorescent Adolescent hitmakers with Radiohead as the most-nominated act in the award’s 32-year history; but while the Creep rockers have yet to win the prize, Alex Turner and co. won in 2006 with their debut LP, ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’.
Other returning nominees include J Hus for ‘Beautiful And Brutal Yard’, Loyle Carner for ‘Hugo’ and Young Fathers for ‘Heavy Heavy’, who also won in 2014 with their debut album, ‘Dead’.
Meanwhile, Escapism signer RAYE lands her first Mercury nomination with her debut LP, ‘My 21st Century Blues’, which was released earlier this year following a battle with her former record label.
It appears alongside releases from Ezra Collective (‘Where I’m Meant to Be’), Fred Again (‘Actual Life 3’), Jockstrap (‘I Love You Jennifer B’), Lankum (‘False Lankum’), Olivia Dean (‘Messy’) and Shygirl (‘Nymph’).
Last year’s prize was won by Little Simz for ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’, with the 2023 Awards taking place at London’s Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith on September 7.
The full shortlist is below.
Shygirl – Nymph
RAYE – My 21st Century Blues
Olivia Dean – Messy
Young Fathers – Heavy Heavy
Lankum – False Lankum
Fred Again – Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022)
Loyle Carner – hugo
Jockstrap – I Love You Jennifer B
J Hus – Beautiful and Brutal Year
Jessie Ware – That! Feels Good!
Ezra Collective – Where I’m Meant To Be
Arctic Monkeys – The Car
