See the 2016 Shortlist

The 2016 Hyundai Mercury Prize ‘Albums of the Year’ have been revealed

They are: 

Anohni - 'Hopelessness'
Bat For Lashes - 'The Bride'
David Bowie - 'Blackstar'
Jamie Woon - 'Making Time'
Kano - 'Made in the Manor'
Laura Mvula - 'The Dreaming Room'
Michael Kiwanuka -  'Love & Hate'
Radiohead - 'A Moon Shaped Pool'
Savages - 'Adore Life'
Skepta - 'Konnichiwa'
The 1975 - 'I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it'
The Comet Is Coming - 'Channel the Spirits'

Listen to the shortlisted albums on Apple Music now

Speaking about the shortlist, the judging panel said “This is music to make sense of our unsettling times - heartfelt, angry, thoughtful and thrilling. The 2016 Hyundai Mercury Prize ‘Albums of the Year’ are marked by their musical ambitions, unexpected instrumentation and breathtaking arrangements.”

The Hyundai Mercury Prize ‘Albums of the Year’ celebrate and promote the best of UK music, recognising artistic achievement across an eclectic range of contemporary music genres. The shortlist was revealed at a Launch event, hosted by 6 Music’s Shaun Keaveny on 4 August. It was also announced live on Lauren Laverne’s show on BBC Radio 6 Music.

For the first time, an online vote will enable music fans to select the first of six 2016 finalists from the 12 ‘Albums of the Year’. This opens at midday on Thursday 4th August. 

The shortlist, five remaining finalists and overall winner will all be chosen by the Hyundai Mercury Prize Judging Panel, based solely on artistic merit. 

All six finalists and the overall winner will be announced as part of the 2016 Awards Show, which will take place on Thursday 15 September at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith. The event will feature live performances from the shortlisted artists and will culminate in the announcement of the overall winner of the 2016 Hyundai Mercury Prize for ‘Album of the Year’. 

For the second year BBC Music is the official UK broadcast partner and will be providing live television and radio coverage of the event on BBC Four and BBC Radio 6 Music with additional content at bbc.co.uk/music and via the BBC Music app.