Mercury Prize: Self Esteem and Little Simz lead race for album of the year
Rap star Little Simz and art-pop singer Self Esteem are favourites to win the Mercury Prize for album of the year.
Self Esteem, aka Rotherham-born Rebecca Lucy Taylor, is the bookmakers’ tip for her razor sharp second album, Prioritise Pleasure.
Little Simz is a close second for Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, a hip-hop coming-of-age tale delivered with a cinematic sweep.
The winner will be announced at a ceremony in London on Thursday.
Other nominees for the prestigious award include Harry Styles, Sam Fender and indie newcomers Wet Leg, alongside lesser-known names like jazz musician Fergus McCreadie and rock duo Nova Twins.
Welsh singer Gwenno is recognised for Tresor, an album sung almost entirely in Cornish, which reflects on her experiences of motherhood.
The shortlist is completed by soul singer Joy Crookes, postmodern punks Yard Act, London rapper Kojey Radical and actress Jessie Buckley, who is nominated for a collaborative album with former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler.
All the acts will perform at the prize ceremony, with the exception of Styles, who is in the middle of a sold-out US tour. However, a filmed live performance will be shown to celebrate his number one album, Harry’s House.
The ceremony will be broadcast on BBC Four and BBC 6 Music, with the winner announced shortly before 22:00 BST. 6 Music will also play the winner’s album in full on Thursday night.
Judges for this year’s prize include such musicians as Jamie Cullum, Anna Calvi, Loyle Carner and Lanterns On The Lake’s Hazel Wilde, alongside a panel of broadcasters and critics. Jeff Smith, head of music at Radio 2 and 6 Music, will chair the deliberations.
Rock critic Will Hodgkinson, who is one of this year’s judges, took the unusual step of making public arguments for and against each album in Tuesday’s edition of The Times
He said Styles’ album was delivered with “real sophistication and flair” but was unlikely to win the £25,000 prize “because he’s such a big star that [it] won’t mean a great deal”.
Sam Fender’s “literary sensibility” works in his favour, he added, but his “resolutely traditional” songwriting is likely to deter judges. Self Esteem is more aligned with the Mercury Prize’s ethos, thanks to her “clever, arty” compositions.
“The self-obsession and synthetic pop production could prove a bit of a barrier,” he added.
Hodgkinson will have to argue those points with his fellow judges on Thursday, with deliberations taking place during the ceremony itself.
Until then, here’s all you need to know about this year’s nominees.