UK singer-songwriter Raye wins Mercury Prize for second album

Raye won the UK’s coveted Mercury Prize on Thursday for her album “This Music May Contain Hope”, triumphing over fellow singer-songwriter Olivia Dean and 10 other acts including Beatles icon Paul McCartney.

The ceremony was held for the second consecutive year in the northeast English city of Newcastle, and fans inside its Utilita Arena went wild as 28-year-old Raye took to the stage to accept the award.

“I’m just so grateful,” the performer, who blends pop, jazz, dance, R&B, and soul, told the cheering crowd, draped in a feather bolero.

“Hope is a very cheesy word – especially for us British people,” she added. “But hope is just something that we all need, and I think music is that… music is medicine,” she said.

Real name Rachel Agatha Keen, the chart-topper from Tooting, south London, has enjoyed soaring success in recent years, scoring a record six wins at the 2024 Brit Awards and bagging a Grammy in January.

The judges said the “scale, structure, ambition, and sheer charm” of her second studio album made it “the right choice”.

A dozen acts were nominated for this year’s prize, which rewards the best British or Irish album of the past 12 months.

Dean was among the favourites after winning big earlier this year at the Brits, when she claimed four awards including album of the year for “The Art of Loving”.

That came weeks after the 27-year-old also won the best new artist Grammy.

Both Raye and Dean were among the many nominees to perform at Thursday’s ceremony, with indie-pop legends Pulp – shortlisted last year – also playing on behalf of the nominated “Help(2)” compilation album which they feature on.

‘Chuffed’

McCartney – shortlisted for his latest solo studio album “The Boys of Dungeon Lane” – and rapper and 2019 winner Dave were the only two not present.

McCartney’s inclusion, for his nostalgia-laden record deeply rooted in his post-war childhood in Liverpool, was a first for the 84-year-old.

“I’m sorry I can’t be there – but just to tell you I’m really chuffed to be included on this list,” he said in a video message played. “I was kind of surprised, tell you the truth,” he added.

Other nominees included alternative rockers Florence + The Machine, Britpop band and 1993 winner Suede and Newcastle jazz fusion collective Knats.

Kojey Radical — whose music spans rap, jazz, spoken word and funk — and Nia Archives, who fuses jungle, breakbeats and intimate songwriting, were also shortlisted.

The contender list is curated by an independent judging team of music industry professionals and invariably spans various musical genres, with the final decision on the winner made on the night.

Created in 1992 as an alternative to the more mainstream Brits – held in March – the Mercury Prize is seen as a seal of critical approval and, for lesser known acts, a springboard to wider fame.

The winner also takes home £25,000 (US$33,500).

Past winners include post-punk band English Teacher, jazz fusion act Ezra Collective, as well as the Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand and Primal Scream.

PJ Harvey is the only performer to have won twice: in 2001 and again a decade later.

Traditionally hosted in London, it switched to Newcastle in 2025 for the first time, when local favourite Sam Fender won.

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