Nominees for the 2023 Mercury Prize were announced on Thursday (July 27) and the artist list does not disappoint. Some of the most prominent nominees include the Arctic Monkeys, J Hus, RAYE, Fred Again.., Jessie Ware and Shygirl.
Videos by American Songwriter
Additional nominees are Ezra Collective, Jockstrap, Lankum, Loyle Carner, Olivia Dean and Young Fathers. The Mercury Prize promotes the best of U.K. and Irish music. The award celebrates 12 “Albums of the Year,” and recognizes “artistic achievement across a range of contemporary music genres,” according to the Mercury Prize website.
[RELATED: Paul Simon Gives Update on Hearing Loss]
This year’s nominees are more than qualified, as the Arctic Monkeys were recognized for their 2022 album The Car, which landed on countless “Best Albums of 2022” lists. Furthermore, RAYE’s album My 21st Century Blues debuted at No. 2 on the British charts and reached No. 58 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart.
All the nominees are spread across all genres of music. Lankum is an Irish folk band, Fred Again.. covers EDM, Young Fathers represents soul, and Ezra Collective is a British jazz quintet. Indie, rock, rap, and pop acts are also recognized among the nominees. Judges of the Mercury Prize include Anna Calvi, Jamie Cullum, Hannah Peel, journalist Will Hodgkinson, broadcaster Sian Eleri and music programming consultant Lea Stonhill.
Debut Mercury Prize nominees are Jockstrap, RAYE, Shygirl, and Olivia Dean. Additionally, another decision from the judges that incidentally gifted a band another accolade is the nominee given to the Arctic Monkeys. The nomination marks the group’s fifth Mercury Award nod, which ties them to the artist nominated the most times alongside Radiohead. Though the Arctic Monkeys beat Radiohead with their 2006 win with their debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. In contrast, Radiohead has never won the award despite its five nominations.
The Mercury Prize ceremony will be held on September 7 at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, London. Tickets are available to purchase HERE.
The complete list of the 2023 Mercury Prize nominees follows:
Arctic Monkeys – The Car
Ezra Collective – Where I’m Meant to Be
Fred Again – Actual Life 3
J Hus – Beautiful and Brutal Yard
Jessie Ware – That! Feels Good!
Jockstrap – I Love You Jennifer B
Lankum – False Lankum
Loyle Carner – Hugo
Olivia Dean – Messy
Raye – My 21st Century Blues
Shygirl – Nymph
Young Fathers – Heavy Heavy
(Photo Credit: Zackery Michael / The Oriel)
