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Jul 23, 2020 By Christopher Roberts Photography by Michael Kiwanuka, Anna Meredith, Laura Marling, Porridge Radio Sports Team

This year’s Mercury Prize nominees have been announced and they include the latest albums by Anna Meredith, Laura Marling, Porridge Radio, Charli XCX, Michael Kiwanuka, Dua Lipa, Lanterns on the Lake, Stormzy, Georgia, Sports Team, and more. This makes Kiwanuka a three-time nominee. The full list is below.

Since 1992 the Mercury Prize has been awarded to the best British album of the year, meaning an album created by a citizen of the U.K. and Ireland. It’s become one of the biggest honors a British musician can receive and can also boost an album’s sales in the U.K., especially if it wins.

Some potential snubs this year include Sorry, Jessie Ware, JARV IS…, Lianne La Havas, Baxter Dury, and no doubt others we’re not thinking of.

British rapper Dave won last year. Wolf Alice deservedly won in 2019. In 2017 Sampha won, the year before it was Skepta, and the year before that it was Benjamin Clementine. The Mercury Prize started out strong with Primal Scream’s Screamadelica winning in 1992 and Suede’s self-titled debut winning in 1993. There have been lots of great artists who have also won since, including PJ Harvey (the only artist to win it twice), Pulp, Elbow, Portishead, Franz Ferdinand, and others. Although they don’t always get it right and there have been some forgettable winners as well.

We’ll have to wait until the September 10th ceremony to see who the winner is.

Mercury Prize 2019 Nominees:

Anna Meredith: Fibs

Charli XCX: How I’m Feeling Now
Dua Lipa: Future Nostalgia
Georgia: Seeking Thrills
Kano: Hoodies All Summer
Lanterns on the Lake: Spook the Herd
Laura Marling: Song for Our Daughter
Michael Kiwanuka: Kiwanuka
Moses Boyd: Dark Matter
Porridge Radio: Every Bad
Sports Team: Deep Down Happy
Stormzy: Heavy is the Head

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