2022 Mercury Prize: Who Will Win The Famed Award?

The Mercury prize is one of Britain’s most celebrated awards in music. Each year, a handful of the most ground-breaking and critically acclaimed albums get shortlisted for the prestigious prize, which gives incredible exposure to artists. But, with some of the big names on this year’s list, it doesn’t seem like exposure is something that is needed.

This year’s nominees are a diverse bunch. The most well-known is undoubtedly Harry Styles, who is arguably one of the planet’s biggest stars at the moment. This is quite an unexpected achievement for Harry – despite his level of fame – as the Mercury Prize notoriously prioritizes smaller and more niche acts. However, Harry’s album, Harry House, is a wonderful record, with high-quality writing and retro sounds, which fits the brief for a nominee.

Another edition on the list is Little Simz, a British rapper, singer, and actress from Islington, London. This is Little Simz’s second appearance on the Mercury Prize List – a rare achievement for many artists. Her first appearance on the list was with the album Grey Area back in 2019. Although it lost out to Dave with Psychodrama, the nomination helped boost Little Simz’s career, which is gaining traction in the states. Her latest album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, is a huge hit, leading to bookings at some of Europe’s biggest festivals – including Glastonbury. Little Simz is one of seven female nominees on the list, out of a total of 12 albums.

What is the full list of Mercury Prize nominees?

Fergus McCreadie – Forest Floor

Gwenno – Tresor

Harry Styles – Harry’s House

Jessie Buckley & Bernard Butler – For All Our Days That Tear The Heart

Joy Crookes – Skin

Kojey Radical – Reason To Smile

Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

Nova Twins – Supernova

Self-Esteem – Prioritise Pleasure

Sam Fender – Seventeen Going Under

Wet Leg – Wet Leg

Yard Act – The Overload

Who are previous winners of the Mercury Prize?

The first Mercury Prize was announced back in 1992, with C picking up the win with Screamadelica. Since then, the prize has been given to a variety of artists, from a variety of different genres, including Pulp (Different Class), Ms Dynamite (A Little Deeper), Franz Ferdinand (Franz Ferdinand), and more recently, Arlo Parks (Collapsed in Sunbeams) in 2021.

When will we find out the winner?

Each year, the nominees assemble in London for the annual award show. This year’s event will take place on Thursday 8^th September at the Hammersmith Apollo in West London. All nominees will perform stand-out tracks from their nominated albums, with the winner being given a platform at the forthcoming Brit Awards in early 2023.