Recently the Mercury Prize has swung between rewarding artists who are virtually unknown and recognizing obvious frontrunners, and honoring major chart-toppers, as happened last year with Sam Fender.
This time, one of the great protagonists of the nominations is Olivia Dean, who places ‘The Art of Loving’ among the 12 finalists. Although the most striking headline may be Paul McCartney’s first Mercury Prize nomination, thanks to his recent ‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane‘.
Among the year’s most celebrated records stand out ‘THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE.’ by RAYE, ‘THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY!’ by JADE and ‘Emotional Junglist‘ by Nia Archives, an album that narrowly made the cut by meeting the requirement of having been released before July 17.
The representation of rap is led by Dave with ‘The Boy Who Played the Harp’, while Suede bring the veteran presence with ‘Antidepressants’. The big curiosity is the inclusion of ‘HELP(2)‘, the collaborative album propelled by War Child Records.
As the list rounds out with other titles such as Florence + The Machine, what stands out is the absence of ‘West End Girl‘ by Lily Allen, undoubtedly one of the British albums most talked about and acclaimed of the last year. Even more so considering that her previous album did manage a Mercury nomination despite having far less impact.
The omissions of Harry Styles or the wonderful ‘Essex Honey‘ by Blood Orange could also be debated, but the absence of ‘West End Girl’ is the most inexplicable. In any case, congrats to the nominated artists and may the best one win.
Mercury Prize Nominees 2026
Dave – ‘The Boy Who Played the Harp’
Dove Ellis – ‘Blizzard’
Florence + The Machine – ‘Everybody Scream’
JADE – ‘THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY!’
Knats – ‘A Great Day In Newcastle’
Kojey Radical – ‘Don’t Look Down’
Nia Archives – ‘Emotional Junglist’
Olivia Dean – ‘The Art of Loving’
Paul McCartney – ‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane’
RAYE – ‘THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE.’
Suede – ‘Antidepressants’
War Child Records – ‘HELP(2)’
