Mercury Prize 2022 nominees revealed

The Mercury Prize 2022 nominee shortlist has been announced today (26th July) and once again it features an eclectic array of artists.

Records vying for the prestigious ‘Album of the Year’ title include Sam Fender’s ‘Seventeen Going Under’, Wet Leg’s self-titled ‘Wet Leg’, Jessie Buckley and Bernard Butler’s ‘For All Our Days That Tear The Heart’, Self Esteem’s ‘Prioritise Pleasure’, Harry Styles’ ‘Harry's House’ and Little Simz’ ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert.’

Other acts on the shortlist include Fergus McCreadie, Kojey Radical, Joy Crookes, Gweno, Nova Twins and Yard Act.

Check out the full Mercury Prize 2022 shortlist:

To be eligible for the awards, the albums have to have been released between July 2021 and July 2022 by British or Irish artists.

Out of the 12 shortlisted names, 5 of the artists have received the nomination for their debut album. This year's shortlist is also a female majority.

The prize, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, will be decided by an independent judging panel, made up of key figures from the British and Irish music industries, including Absolute Radio’s very own Danielle Perry.

London-based singer-songwriter Arlo Parks was the recipient of the Mercury Prize 2021 for her alternative debut album ‘Collapsed In Sunbeams’. The intimate and soulful album touches upon a variety of themes, including mental health, sexuality and hope.

Since its inception as the Mercury Music Prize in 1992 when Primal Scream’s seminal masterpiece ‘Screamadelica’ won, albums by Suede (‘Suede’), Portishead (‘Dummy’), Pulp (‘Different Class’), Badly Drawn Boy (‘The Hour of Bewilderbeast’) PJ Harvey (‘Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea’ and ‘Let England Shake’), Dizzee Rascal (‘Boy in da Corner’), Franz Ferdinand (‘Franz Ferdinand’), Arctic Monkeys (‘Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not’), The xx (‘The xx’), Elbow (‘Seldom Seen Kid’), Dave (‘Psychodrama’) and Michael Kiwanuka ('Kiwanuka') have all triumphed over the past 30 years.

Radiohead have appeared on the shortlist a record five times, yet, despite being one of the most critically acclaimed acts of the past 25 years, they have failed to scoop a single Mercury Prize win.

The Mercury Prize is compared to the Turner Prize and Booker Prize for the British music industry.

The Prize is designed to celebrate and recognise both established and emerging artists from across the British music industry.

The Mercury Prize 2022 ceremony will take place on Thursday 8th September at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, London.

The 2022 Mercury Prize with FREE NOW judges are:

Anna Calvi – Musician & Songwriter

Annie MacManus – Broadcaster & DJ

Danielle Perry – Broadcaster & Writer

Hazel Wilde (from Lanterns on the Lake) - Musician & Songwriter

Jamie Cullum - Musician & Broadcaster

Jamz Supernova – Broadcaster & DJ

Jeff Smith - Head of Music, 6 Music & Radio 2

Lea Stonhill – Music Programmer, Radio X

Loyle Carner – Musician & Songwriter

Phil Alexander – Creative Director, Kerrang!/Contributing Editor, Mojo

Tshepo Mokoena – Music Writer & Author

Will Hodgkinson - Chief Rock & Pop Critic, The Times

The Chair of the judging panel is Jeff Smith

The judges said “Getting down to 12 albums this year was not easy, simply because there were so many remarkable ones to choose from. That serves as proof that British & Irish music thrives during unsettled periods in history, with the albums chosen covering everything from imaginative pop to pioneering rap to Cornish language folk-rock. We feel that these 12 amazing albums each have something to say artistically and socially, all in their own unique, enriching ways. Now comes the really hard part... choosing only one overall winner.”

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