Raye wins Mercury Prize as Music May Contain Hope triumphs

Raye takes the award

Raye became the 35th winner of the Mercury Prize, collecting the award at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena. She said she was grateful, while describing herself as tired, jet-lagged and shaking.

After the ceremony, she told the BBC that she had put everything she had into the album. The record includes the global hit Where Is My Husband? and several songs lasting seven minutes.

Raye performed I Hate The Way I Look Today, a big band number, during the ceremony. The album also features both of her grandparents, soul legend Al Green, four orchestras and more than 100 musicians.

An ambitious album’s path

The album nearly did not come together. Two years earlier, Raye’s car was stolen, taking her songwriting notebooks and demos with it. Reflecting on setbacks, she said that small accidents and slips can shape the path a person takes.

The prize and shortlist

Founded in 1992, the Mercury Prize was designed to honour albums that move music forward, rather than reward fashion or commercial success. It is often wrongly thought to be an award for debut albums, but this year’s shortlist included only two first records.

Those debut albums were Dove Ellis’s Blizzard and Jade’s That’s Showbiz, Baby. Olivia Dean had been the bookmakers’ favourite with her second album, The Art of Loving. The shortlist also featured Help (2), a charity compilation supporting War Child. Its contributors included Olivia Rodrigo, Damon Albarn, Depeche Mode and The Last Dinner Party.

What happened last year

Newcastle singer-songwriter Sam Fender won the prize last year. He gave his £25,000 winnings to grassroots music venues, supporting emerging songwriters around the UK.