The Hyundai Mercury Prize for the year’s best British album has revealed its 2022 shortlist. Harry Styles’ Harry’s House, Little Simz’s Sometimes I Might be Introvert, Wet Leg’s self-titled album, Yard Act’s The Overload, Sam Fender’s Seventeen Going Under, and Self Esteem’s Prioritise Pleasure are among the albums nominated for the prestigious prize. First-time nominees make up the majority of this year’s nominees, which also include Kojey Radical, Nova Twins, and Joy Crookes. Find the full list of nominees below.
It was announced yesterday that the judging panel for the 2022 prize included musicians Anna Calvi, Lanterns on the Lake’s Hazel Wilde, Loyle Carner, and Jamie Cullum.
“Getting down to 12 albums this year was not easy, simply because there were so many remarkable ones to choose from,” the 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. 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.”
Last year, Arlo Parks took home the 2021 Mercury Prize for her debut album Collapsed in Sunbeams, beating out records by Wolf Alice, Mogwai, and more. The 2022 Mercury Prize will take place on Thursday, September 8 at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, London.
Mercury Prize 2022 Shortlist:
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