Harry Styles has been nominated for his album Harry’s House and will perform remotely
(Picture: John Phillips/Getty Images)The 2022 Mercury Prize ceremony will take place on Tuesday, October 18 at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith.
The awards ceremony, which celebrates the best UK and Irish albums of the year, was due to take place on Thursday, September 8, but was postponed because of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Tickets have sold out but viewers can watch at home on BBC4 from 9pm to 10.15pm in a show hosted by Lauren Laverne.
Here’s what you need to know about the ceremony, including who the 12 nominated artists are.
When is the Mercury Prize 2022?
The rescheduled date for the 2022 Mercury Prize ceremony is Tuesday, October 18.
Featuring live performances from most of the shortlisted artists, the event will culminate in the announcement of the winner. Only Harry Styles, who is on tour, will not be there but will instead show a filmed live performance.
Who is nominated for the Mercury Prize 2022?
The full shortlist of nominees is:
- Fergus McCreadie – Forest Floor
- Gwenno – Tresor
- Harry Styles – Harry’s House
- Jessie Buckley and 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
Who will be performing?
Almost all artists who have been nominated for this year’s Mercury Prize will be performing at the ceremony, it has been announced.
Novas, along with Fergus McCreadie, Gwenno, Jessie Buckley and Bernard Butler, Joy Crookes, Kojey Radical, Little Simz, Sam Fender, Self Esteem, Wet Leg and Yard Act, will all play a song each from their respective shortlisted albums.
Who are the judges for the Mercury Prize 2022?
Alongside the chair of the judging panel, Jeff Smith, the 2022 Mercury Prize judges are:
- Anna Calvi – musician and songwriter
- Annie Mac – broadcaster and DJ
- Danielle Perry – broadcaster and writer
- Hazel Wilde (from Lanterns on the Lake) – musician and songwriter
- Jamie Cullum – musician and broadcaster
- Jamz Supernova – broadcaster and DJ
- Jeff Smith – head of music, 6 Music and Radio
- Lea Stonhill – music programmer, Radio X
- Loyle Carner – musician and songwriter
- Phil Alexander – creative director, Kerrang!/contributing editor, Mojo
- Tshepo Mokoena – music writer and author
- Will Hodgkinson – chief rock and pop critic at the Times
“Getting down to 12 albums this year was not easy, simply because there were so many remarkable ones to choose from,” said the judges in a collective statement. “That serves as proof that British and 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.”
What are the bookies’ odds for the winner of the 2022 Mercury Prize?
According to bookies’ odds, Little Simz, Self Esteem, and Wet Leg are among the favourites.
Prioritise Pleasure by Self Esteem and Sometimes I Might Be Introvert by Little Simz are favourites to take home the prize on aggregate bookies website Oddschecker, with odds of 9-10 and 10-11 respectively, closely followed by Wet Leg’s self-titled debut album with odds of 5-1.
Gwenno’s Tresor is further back at 20-1, while Yard Act’s The Overload is 16-1. Supernova by Nova Twins has been tipped at 25-1, as has Styles’s Harry’s House, and Kojey Radical‘s Reason to Smile.
These are closely followed by albums by Sam Fender and Jessie Buckley and Bernard Butler, at the time of writing.
