Who would’ve thought Harry Styles would receive a Mercury Prize nomination back when he was belting out ‘That’s What Makes You Beautiful’?. While those days as a fresh-faced teen are gone, Styles is still making pop music albeit with a newfound level of maturity and artistic integrity.
His album Harry’s House is one of 12 records that was announced this morning as a nominee with the coveted award ceremony taking place this September.
This year’s entries feature one of the most eclectic mixes of genres to date, spanning Indie, Cornish folk-rock, rap and more. The mesmerising Little Simz receives her second nomination for her phenomenal album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, meanwhile, British rock’s working-class hero, Sam Fender received his first nomination for his sophomore effort, Seventeen Going Under.
This year, it’s mostly first-time nominees who make up the list with no less than 10 debuts. Rock duo Nova Twins are up for their second album, Supernova, while UK rap trailblazer Kojey Radical is shortlisted for his first full-length record, Reasons To Smile. Joy Crookes continues her upward trajectory with her debut, Skin also making the cut. Debut albums from indie bands Yard Act and Wet Leg have also been included.
On the more obscure side of music is Tresor, an album recorded almost entirely in Cornish, from singer-songwriter Gwenno who received a nomination along with Scottish pianist Fergus McCreadie’s Forest Floor, and For All Our Days That Tear the Heart, a collaborative project between Irish actor-singer Jessie Buckley and musician Bernard Butler.
“Getting down to 12 albums this year was not easy, simply because there were so many remarkable ones to choose from,” the Mercury Prize judges said in a statement.
“That serves as proof that British and 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.”
See the full shortlist below:
Forest Floor – Fergus McCreadie
Tresor – Gwenno
Harry’s House – Harry Styles
For All Our Days That Tear the Heart – Jessie Buckley & Bernard Butler
Skin – Joy Crookes
Reason to Smile – Kojey Radical
Sometimes I Might be Introvert – Little Simz
Supernova – Nova Twins
Seventeen Going Under – Sam Fender
Prioritise Pleasure – Self Esteem
Wet Leg – Wet Leg
The Overload – Yard Act
