The 2022 Mercury Prize with FREE NOW ‘Albums of the Year’ were announced on Tuesday 26 July.
The 2022 Mercury Prize with FREE NOW ‘Albums of the Year’ are:
Fergus McCreadie: ‘Forest Floor’
Gwenno: ‘Tresor’
Harry Styles: ‘Harry’s House’
Jessie Buckley & Bernard Butler: ‘For All Our Days That Tear the Heart’
Joy Crookes: ‘Skin’
Kojey Radical: ‘Reason to Smile’
Little Simz: ‘Sometimes I Might be Introvert’
Nova Twins: ‘Supernova’
Sam Fender: ‘Seventeen Going Under’
Self Esteem: ‘Prioritise Pleasure’
Wet Leg: ‘Wet Leg’
Yard Act: ‘The Overload’
The Mercury Prize with FREE NOW ‘Albums of the Year’ celebrate and promote the best of British & Irish music recognising artistic achievement across a range of contemporary music genres. The shortlist was chosen by an independent judging panel and was revealed at a launch event, hosted by BBC Music’s Huw Stephens on Tuesday, 26 July 2022.
The shortlist was also announced live at 11am by Nemone on BBC Radio 6 Music as part of a 2022 Mercury Prize shortlist special.
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’.
The 2022 Awards Show will take place on Thursday 8 September at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith. The event will feature live performances from many of the shortlisted artists and the evening will culminate in the announcement of the overall winner of the 2022 Mercury Prize with FREE NOW ‘Album of the Year’. Tickets are available from www.eventimapollo.com
The Prize’s broadcast partner, BBC Music, will be providing coverage of the event across BBC TV, BBC Radio 6 Music, online & social media.
FREE NOW, the Mobility Super App, with the largest vehicle choice for consumers across Europe, is the new headline sponsor of the Mercury Prize. The sponsorship is part of a multi-year commitment from FREE NOW to support British music.
Amazon Music are the digital music partner of the 2022 Mercury Prize. The music streaming service, which gives music fans access to over 90 million songs alongside podcasts, livestreamed events and exclusive editorial content, will be supporting the Mercury Prize shortlisted artists with playlists and programming from the launch of the shortlist until the Awards Show.
As part of its long-term commitment to supporting UK recorded music, renowned British premium audio brand, Bowers & Wilkins, continues as the official audio partner of the Mercury Prize. At the forefront of music creation for over 40 years, it is uniquely placed to help the Mercury Prize celebrate the album format and the shortlisted artists’ creative achievements.