LONDON (CelebrityAccess) — Organizers of The Mercury Prize, sponsored by European mobility service provider Free Now, have announced the shortlist of nominees for the 2022 album of the year.
Recognizing artistic achievement of British and Irish artists across a range of contemporary music genres, shortlist nominees are chosen by an independent panel of judges based solely on merit, without considering factors such as sales data.
The nominees for 2022 are:
Fergus McCreadie: ‘Forest Floor’
Gwenno: ‘Tresor’
Harry Styles: ‘Harry’s House’
Jessie Buckley & Bernard Butler: ‘For All Our Days That Tear the Heart’
Joy Crookes: ‘Skin’
Kojey Radical: ‘Reason to Smile’
Little Simz: ‘Sometimes I Might be Introvert’
Nova Twins: ‘Supernova’
Sam Fender: ‘Seventeen Going Under’
Self Esteem: ‘Prioritise Pleasure’
Wet Leg: ‘Wet Leg’
Yard Act: ‘The Overload’
“Getting down to 12 albums this year was not easy, simply because there were so many remarkable ones to choose from. That serves as proof that British & Irish music thrives during unsettled periods in history, with the albums chosen covering everything from imaginative pop to pioneering rap to Cornish language folk-rock. We feel that these 12 amazing albums each have something to say artistically and socially, all in their own unique, enriching ways. Now comes the really hard part… choosing only one overall winner,” the panel of 2022 judges said in a joint statement.
The judges for 2022: Anna Calvi – Musician & Songwriter; Annie MacManus – Broadcaster & DJ; Danielle Perry – Broadcaster & Writer; Hazel Wilde (from Lanterns on the Lake) – Musician & Songwriter; Jamie Cullum – Musician & Broadcaster; Jamz Supernova – Broadcaster & DJ; Jeff Smith – Head of Music, 6 Music & Radio 2; Lea Stonhill – Music Programmer, Radio X; Loyle Carner – Musician & Songwriter; Phil Alexander – Creative Director, Kerrang!/Contributing Editor, Mojo; Tshepo Mokoena – Music Writer & Author; Will Hodgkinson – Chief Rock & Pop Critic, The Times. The Chair of the judging panel is Jeff Smith.
The 2022 Awards Show will take place on Thursday 8 September at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith. The event will feature live performances from many of the shortlisted artists and the evening will culminate in the announcement of the overall winner of the 2022 Mercury Prize with FREE NOW ‘Album of the Year’.
