Mercury Prize 2024 Winner Reveal Date and Ceremony Details Announced

The organisers of the Mercury Prize have announced that the winner for this year will be revealed on Thursday, 5 September.

Twelve albums by British and Irish artists have been shortlisted for this prestigious annual music award. Among the contenders are Charli XCX’s critically acclaimed album “Brat” and “This Could Be Texas” by the indie-rock band English Teacher.

The shortlist was unveiled in July, alongside the announcement that there would be no live ceremony this year for the first time since the award’s inception. Instead, the prize will be filmed and broadcast live from Abbey Road Studios in London. This broadcast will air on BBC Four from 8 pm to 9:15 pm.

In addition, BBC Radio 6 Music will host a broadcast presented by Tom Ravenscroft and Deb Grant from 7 pm to 11 pm. During this segment, Matt Everitt will interview each of the 12 artists before the winner is announced.

The overall winner will be revealed at around 9 pm. All the shortlisted artists have been invited to Abbey Road to watch the broadcast, which will feature recent recorded performances from across the BBC.

This year’s Mercury Prize is notable for its impressive gender balance, equaling 2020 as the best in the award’s history. Eight of the 12 shortlisted acts are either female or female-fronted.

Corinne Bailey Rae has earned her first Mercury Prize nomination in 14 years for her critically renowned fourth album, “Black Rainbows,” inspired by an exhibition on Black history she visited in Chicago. Corinne was initially shortlisted in 2010 for her second album, “The Sea.”

Beth Gibbons, known for her work with Portishead, also received her first solo nomination with her debut album, “Lives Outgrown.” The album, written over a decade, addresses themes such as motherhood, menopause, and mortality. Gibbons’ band, Portishead, won the Mercury Prize in 1995 for their debut album “Dummy.” Charli XCX, also known as Charlotte Aitchison, was previously shortlisted in 2020 for her fourth album, “How I’m Feeling Now.”

Last year’s Mercury Prize went to the British jazz quintet Ezra Collective for their second album, “Where I’m Meant to Be.” This followed recent wins by rapper Little Simz in 2022, singer-songwriter Arlo Parks in 2021, soul singer Michael Kiwanuka in 2020, and rapper Dave in 2019.

The full shortlist for the 2024 Mercury Prize is:

Barry Can’t Swim – “When Will We Land?”

BERWYN – “Who Am I”

Beth Gibbons – “Lives Outgrown”

Cat Burns – “early twenties”

Charli XCX – “Brat”

CMAT – “Crazymad, for Me”

Corinne Bailey Rae – “Black Rainbows”

corto.alto – “Bad with Names”

English Teacher – “This Could Be Texas”

Ghetts – “On Purpose, With Purpose”

Nia Archives – “Silence Is Loud”

The Last Dinner Party – “Prelude to Ecstasy”

Source: BBC News, Mercury Prize