Who are the Mercury Prize 2020 nominees? From Stormzy to Dua Lipa
THE prestigious Mercury Prize 2020 will be announced this evening on the BBC’s The One show.
The prize, which recognises the best British or Irish album of the year, was awarded to Dave last year for his album Psychodrama – and there are twelve nominees in the running to bag the award this year.
Who are the Mercury Prize 2020 nominees?
Anna Meredith – Fibs
Anna Meredith is a Scottish composer and electronica musician.
A former composer-in-residence with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Anna was appointed MBE in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to music.
Fibs, released on October 25 2019, is an ecclectic synth album with a mixture of vocal and non-vocal tracks.
Charli XCX – How I’m Feeling Now
Charli XCX, birth name Charlotte Emma Aitchison is an English singer and songwriter.
Charli sang the chorus to best-selling single Fancy by rapper Iggy Azalea, which was nominated for two Grammy Awards.
How I’m Feeling Now was recorded during the coronavirus lockdown, and written and recorded over only six weeks.
Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia
Dua Lipa is an English pop singer and songwriter famous for her hit track New Rules.
In 2018, Lipa won the Brit Award for British Female Solo Artist.
Future Nostalgia’s lead single Don’t Start Now peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard top 100.
Georgia – Seeking Thrills
Georgia Barnes, professionally known as Georgia, is a British pop singer.
She is also the daughter of Neil Barnes from the ’90s electronic duo Leftfield.
Her album Seeking Thrills is a mixture of classic pop hooks and house drum sounds.
Kano – Hoodies All Summer
Kano is a British rapper and songwriter from London.
He is one of the leaders of the grime music movement and has also tried his hand at acting, playing Sully in Top Boy.
Kano has been nominated for the Mercury award once before for his fifth album Made in the Manor.
Lanterns On The Lake – Spook The Herd
Lanterns on the Lake are a five person indie rock band from Newcastle.
Their guitarist, Paul Gregory said: “It’s bizarre to see our band name alongside Dua Lipa or Stormzy”.
Spook The Herd is a highly political album, focusing on politics, social media, addiction and climate change.
Laura Marling – Song For Our Daughter
Laura Marling is a British folk singer and songwriter.
Laura won the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist back in 2011, and has been nominated on four other occassions.
Song For Our Daughter is a mostly acoustic album and was inspired by Maya Angelou’s book Letter to My Daughter
Michael Kiwanuka – Kiwanuka
Kiwanuka is a singer and songwriter who previously worked as a session guitarist, working with artists like Chipmunk and Bashy.
He also supported Adele on her 2011 tour.
The Guardian has written that his album Kiwanuka is a “bold, expansive, heartfelt, sublime album” and one of the best of the decade.
Moses Boyd – Dark Matter
Moses Boyd is a British jazz musician.
Boyd was part of the jazz duo Binker and Moses, who won a Mobo for best jazz act in 2015.
Dark Matter is his debut solo studio album and is a mainly jazz record with influences of afro-pop and afrobeats.
Porridge Radio – Every Bad
Brighton-formed quartet Porridge Radio is an all-female Indie-rock group. Every Bad is their second album
Porridge Radio’s frontwoman Dana Margolin told the Guardian: “This is the first time we’ve felt acknowledged by the wider music industry.
“It feels like a really big step up – it does feel quite validating.”
Sports Team – Deep Down Happy
Sports Team is an English alternative rock band.
They are a six-man band who met whilst studying at the University of Cambridge.
NME have described their debut album as “full of hedonism, tribalism and untamed energy.”
Most read in TV
Stormzy – Heavy Is The Head
British grime artist Stormzy is a heavyweight in the music industry.
His debut album won multiple Brit awards and landed saw him headlining Glastonbury.
Heavy Is The Head features Vossi Bop, Stormzy’s first number-one song on the UK Singles Chart