Mercury Prize 2026

• PRIZE
• Albums of the year
• CELEBRATING
• THE BEST OF UK
• AND IRISH MUSIC
• ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

A SNAPSHOT OF THE YEAR IN MUSIC

• RECOGNISING
• ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT
• ACROSS AN ECLECTIC
• RANGE OF CONTEMPORARY
• MUSIC GENRES

• 01 — Dave
• 02 — Dove Ellis
• 03 — Florence + the Machine
• 04 — Jade
• 05 — Knats
• 06 — Kojey Radical
• THE BOY WHO PLAYED THE HARP
• BLIZZARD
• EVERYBODY SCREAM
• THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY!
• A GREAT DAY IN NEWCASTLE
• DON'T LOOK DOWN

• 08 — Olivia Dean
• 09 — Paul McCartney
• 10 — RAYE
• 11 — Suede
• 12 — War Child
• EMOTIONAL JUNGLIST
• THE ART OF LOVING
• THE BOYS FROM DUNGEON LANE
• THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE
• ANTIDEPRESSANTS
• HELP(2)

PLAYED THE HARP

DAVE

THE BOY WHO

It's more biblical than it is religious... to show the parallels between two people.

‘The Boy Who Played the Harp’ is the third album from Dave. It was released in October 2025 on Neighbourhood Recordings and debuted at Number 1 in the UK Album Charts. The singles include ‘History’, ‘Chapter 16’, ‘Raindance’ and ‘No Weapons’.

• DOVE ELLIS
• ZARD
• BLIZ

Love is not the antidote to all your problems, but it might be your last chance.

‘Blizzard’ is the debut album from Galway-born Dove Ellis. It was released in December 2025 on Black Butter Records/AMF Records. The album was produced by Dove Ellis and includes the singles ‘To The Sandals’ and ‘Pale Song/Love Is’.

SCREAM

• FLORENCE +
• THE MACHINE
• EVERYBODY

I felt so out of control of my body, it was interesting. I looked into themes of witchcraft, and mysticism...

Florence + the Machine released her sixth album ‘Everybody Scream’ in October 2025 on Polydor Records. The album debuted at Number 1 in the UK Album Charts and includes the singles ‘Everybody Scream’, ‘One of the Greats’, ‘Sympathy Magic’ and ‘Buckle’.

• JADE
• THAT'S SHO
• WBIZ BABY!

This album is me taking the wheel and having fun with the chaos of the industry.

JADE from South Shields released her debut solo album ‘That’s Showbiz Baby!’ in September 2025 on RCA/Sony Music. It debuted at Number 3 in the UK Album Charts and includes the singles ‘Angel of My Dreams’, ‘Midnight Cowboy’, ‘Fantasy’, ‘IT Girl’ and ‘Unconditional’.

KNATS

IN NEWCASTLE

A GREAT DAY

It’s a musical documentation of the North East working-class experience...

‘A Great Day In Newcastle’ is the second album from Newcastle band Knats. It was released in May 2026 on Fontana Records. The album was produced by Geordie Greep and includes the singles ‘Wor Jackie’ and ‘Never Gonna Be A Boxer’.

KOJEY RADICAL

DON'T LO OK DOWN

Don't Look Down is a thank you. Not just for listening, but for seeing me before the world caught up.

‘Don’t Look Down’ is the second album from Kojey Radical. The album was released in September 2025 on Atlantic Records and includes the singles ‘Rule One’, ‘Conversation’, ‘Expensive’, ‘Everyday’, ‘Baby Boy’ and ‘Drinking My Water’.

EMOTIONAL

JUNGLIST

Jungle music has always been deeply personal to me, and this record is about bringing total vulnerability to the dancefloor."

‘Emotional Junglist’ is the second album from Bradford-born, Leeds-raised Nia Archives. The album was released in July 2026 on Island Records and includes the singles ‘Danger’, ‘Boys in Blue’, ‘Vertical’ and ‘Get Me Down (feat. Jorja Smith)’.

• OLIVIA DEAN
• THE ART
• OF LOVING

‘The Art of Loving’ is the second album from Olivia Dean. It was released in September 2025 on Capitol Records and debuted at Number 1 in the UK Album Charts. The singles include ‘Nice To Each Other’, ‘Lady Lady’, ‘Man I Need’, ‘So Easy (To Fall in Love)’, ‘A Couple Minutes’ and ‘Let Alone The One You Love’.

Love's never wasted when it's shared.

THE BOYS FROM "

DUNGEON LANE

There are lots of sort of lovely memories about these places... nobody had any money, but we didn't know any better, and it was cool.

Paul McCartney released his nineteenth solo studio album ‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane’ in May 2026 on EMI Records and it debuted at Number 1 in the UK Album Charts. The album was co-produced by Paul McCartney and Andrew Watt and includes the singles ‘Days We Left Behind’ and ‘Home to Us’.

• RAYE
• THIS MUSIC MAY
• CONTAIN HOPE

It's my most honest work yet. It’s about accountability, healing, and choosing joy...

RAYE released her second album ‘THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE.’ in March 2026 on the Human Re Sources label. It debuted at Number 1 in the UK Album Charts. The singles include ‘WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!’, ‘Nightingale Lane’, ‘Click Clack Symphony (feat. Hans Zimmer)’ and ‘I Know You’re Hurting’.

• SUEDE
• ANTIDEPR
• ESSANTS

We wanted to strip away the polish. It sounds raw and uncomfortable because that’s how living in this era feels.

‘Antidepressants’ is the tenth studio album by Suede. It was released in September 2025 on BMG and debuted at Number 2 in the UK Album Charts. The album was produced by Ed Buller and includes the singles ‘Disintegrate’, ‘Trance State’ and ‘Dancing With The Europeans’.

WAR CHILD

LP(2)

HELP(2) represents hope for children whose lives have been torn apart by war... Because no child should be part of war. Ever.

HELP(2)’ was released in March 2026 on War Child Records and is a follow up to the first ‘HELP’ album released in 1995. ‘HELP(2)’ includes 15 original songs by British & Irish artists as well as other tracks. It was executive produced by James Ford and mainly recorded at Abbey Road Studios.

• SIAN
• ELERI
• WILL HOD
• WILLIAMS
• GKINSON
• LEA STO
• NHILL
• JEFF
• SMITH
• JAMIE
• CULLUM

• XANDER
• MISTA
• JAM
• DANIE
• LLE PERRY
• AFRODE
• UTSCHE

RAYE

RAYE has been crowned the winner of the 2026 Mercury Prize for her second studio album, THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE. Announced on October 22 in Newcastle, the victory celebrates a bold, deeply personal record blending jazz, soul, pop, and orchestral sounds. Beating a shortlist that included Olivia Dean, Paul McCartney, and Florence + The Machine, RAYE took home one of British and Irish music’s most prestigious awards, marking another milestone in her remarkable career.

WIN

NER

Photo: JMEnternational.com

• AWARD SHOW
• PERFOR
• MANCES

Photo: JMEnternational.com