The nominations for this year’s Mercury Prize have been announced.
This year’s shortlist features some standout records, including Dork faves Wet Leg, Yard Act, Little Simz, Sam Fender and Self Esteem. There’s also pop powerhouse Harry Styles, genre-splicing rock firebrands Nova Twins, Joy Crookes, Kojey Radical and more.
Created to celebrate the best albums made by UK and Irish musicians over the last twelve months, the award is described as the musical equivalent of literature’s Booker Prize or the Turner Prize for art.
The twelve shortlisted ‘albums of the year’ were selected by a judging panel, to create a shortlist that will be slimmed down to a single winner on the night of an awards show, set to take place on 8th September at London’s Eventim Apollo.
The full list reads:
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
Sam Fender – Seventeen Going Under
Self Esteem – Prioritise Pleasure
Wet Leg – Wet Leg
Yard Act – The Overload
The Shortlist for the 2022 Mercury Prize with @FreeNow_UK has been revealed! 🏆⚡️@fergusmccreadie@gwennosaunders@Harry_Styles@buckleyxbutler@JoyCrookes@KojeyRadical@LittleSimz@NovaTwinsMusic@SamFenderMusic@SELFESTEEM___ @wetlegband@YardActBand#MercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/VbIV8nubON
— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) July 26, 2022