Raye leaves Mercury Awards in her slippers as she proudly shows off her gong following big win alongside fellow nominee Jade Thirlwall

Raye made a triumphant exit from the 2026 Mercury Prize ceremony with her gong in hand after winning the coveted album prize.

The singer, 28, swapped her heels for a pair of cosy slippers as she left the awards at Newcastle's Utilita Arena alongside fellow nominee Jade Thirlwall.

Raye covered her green gown in a cosy brown faux fur coat as she showed off her award after being left stunned by the coveted win.

Hosted by Lauren Laverne, this marks the second consecutive year the prestigious music event has left London for Newcastle. Lauren, 48, has hosted several of the Prize's celebrated nights over the years.

The night saw live performances from Dove Ellis, Florence + The Machine, JADE, Knats, Kojey Radical, Nia Archives, Olivia and RAYE.

Raye was awarded the coveted Mercury Prize for her sophomore album This Music May Contain Hope.

Raye made a triumphant exit from the 2026 Mercury Prize ceremony with her gong in hand after winning the coveted album prize

The singer swapped her heels for a pair of cosy slippers as she left the awards at Newcastle's Utilita Arena alongside fellow nominee Jade Thirlwall

Raye was awarded the coveted Mercury Prize for her sophmore album This Music May Contain Hope, and earned a raucous reception when she was announced as the winner

In her speech, she said: 'I cannot tell you how grateful I am to be holding this. I'm shaking, I'm jet-lagged, I'm tired, I'm grateful!'

Raye also alluded to the challenges she faced under her former record label before making the decision to go independent, saying: 'Albums are so important, and not to be bitter – because I feel like I'm mostly at peace with my past – but to come from a place where it's all about singles and chasing the next thing, I just feel so grateful to be recognised.

'Hope is a very cheesy word, especially for us British people, we don't do that deep stuff like that, but hope is something we all need… so I hope that message comes across to anyone who needs it.'

Raye said she was 'speechless' as she spoke to the BBC after her win was announced. 'Not many words right now,' she said, 'just gratitude.'

Despite missing out on the Mercury Prize, Jade was still in high spirits as she departed the ceremony, before posing for a photo with a group of delighted fans. 

Jade's night out in her hometown comes after earlier on Thursday she joked that 'not all angels walk the runway... some of us have got to hold it down in Newcastle' as she basked in the glory of her song Angel Of My Dreams.

The singer has gone viral after Kylie Jenner walked the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on Sunday to her debut single in the iconic $50million fantasy bra. 

Now Jade has hit incredible streaming figures as fans have recreated the moment in videos online and Spotify has seen a 4,300 per cent global increase for Angel Of My Dreams and a 760 per cent increase in streams for JADE globally.

Raye was stunned as she learned she had received the award, and in her speech, she alluded to the difficulties she faced with her former record label

In her speech, she said: 'I cannot tell you how grateful I am to be holding this. I'm shaking, I'm jet-lagged, I'm tired, I'm grateful!'

Raye covered her green gown in a cosy brown faux fur coat as she showed off her award after being left stunned by the coveted win

The Where Is My Husband hitmaker opted for cosy cream slippers as she made her exit

Despite missing out on the top prize, Mercury Prize nominee Jade Thirlwall was still in high spirits as she headed home after the awards

The star didn't seem too downcast by her loss as she stopped to pose with fans outside the arena in Newcastle

Jade offered a glimpse of her racy look which included a tiny brown mini dress and tights

Nia Archives was also in high spirits having been shortlisted for the award

Florence Welch also jumped into a waiting car to make her exit following the ceremony

The former Little Mix star has been enjoying the success as she shared fun TikTok videos including one wearing a Newcastle football shirt joking she is the 'angel of the north'. 

Another saw the star posing up a storm and strutting in a rehearsal studio as she wrote: 'Just imagine I'm wearing angel wings and the fantasy bra.' 

Jade also shared a chaotic video looking panicked and said she is busy 'promoting my debut single from two years ago because it got played at the VS fashion show'. 

She added that she is trying to give the track, which was released in July 2024, 'its well deserved moment' but is also busy 'writing new music at the same time'. 

And ahead of Thursday's Mercury Awards, Jade shared a fun video trying to decide what song she should perform.

Dressed in a long denim skirt and a sports shirt, she held up the sheet music for Angel Of My Dreams.

'My deciding what to perform at the Mercurys after this week,' she wrote. 

Jade, who found fame in the UK on the X Factor with Little Mix in 2011, first broke her silence on the iconic Victoria's Secret moment as she travelled around London on the tube.

Looking around the underground, she penned: 'Nobody on this tube knows that my debut single was playing while Kylie Jenner wore the fantasy bra at the VS fashion show.'

Kylie wowed the audience and viewers as she strutted the catwalk in the famous $50million fantasy bra with Angel Of My Dreams playing. 

Jade sings in the chorus, 'Angel of my dreams / I will always love you and hate you, it's not fair / It's so bittersweet / I will always want you and need you, you don't care / You don't.'