Celeste and Arlo Parks lead stars shortlisted for Hyundai Mercury Prize’s Album Of The Year award

The shortlist for the Hyundai Mercury Prize for Album Of The Year was revealed on Thursday on BBC Radio 6 Music.

And Celeste, Arlo Parks, and Wolf Alice lead the musicians in contention for the prestigious accolade which promotes the best of British and Irish music, with 12 albums named in total.

Alongside the trio, Berwyn, Black Country, New Road, Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra, Ghetts, Hannah Peel, Laura Mvula, Mogwai, Nubya Garcia, and SAULT’s latest releases have also been nominated.

Celeste’s debut album Not Your Muse and Arlo’s debut Collapsed in Sunbeams are among the nominees, with Wolf Alice’s Blue Weekend also shortlisted.

Laura Mvula also secures her third nomination with Pink Noise, for which she eschewed her classical influences in favour of 1980s soul and pop.

All three of her studio albums have been shortlisted for the Mercury Prize but she is yet to win.

The shortlist also sees Scottish post-rock group Mogwai score their first nomination, more than 25 years after they were founded in Glasgow. 

As The Love Continues, their 10th record, also earned them their first number one in February this year.

Their previous chart peak had come in 2017 when they reached number six with Every Country’s Sun.

Prior to that only one of their records had cracked the top 10.

Both post-rock band Black Country, New Road and jazz saxophonist Nubya Garcia both also earn nominations for their debut albums

Trinidad-born singer and rapper Berwyn’s Demotape/Vega also features among the nominees, after he claimed third place in the BBC Music Sound of 2021 poll.

Wolf Alice won the 2018 Mercury Prize with their second album Visions Of A Life, while their 2015 debut My Love Is Cool was also tapped.

Singer-songwriter PJ Harvey remains the only act to have won the Mercury Prize twice for 2001’s Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea and 2011’s Let England Shake.

The shortlist recognises artistic achievements across all genres of music, and it was selected by an independent judging panel.

On the judging panel is Anna Calvi, Annie Mac,  Danielle Perry, Gemma Cairney, Hazel Wilde, Jamie Cullum, Jeff Smith, Michael Kiwanuka, Mike Walsh, Phil Alexander, Tshepo Mokoena, Will Hodgkinson, and Jeff Smith.  

Following the nominations, the judges said in a statement: ‘It is testament to the strength of British music that, during a year which saw musicians face the toughest challenges of their lives, so many remarkable albums came out nonetheless.

‘There was an embarrassment of riches for this year’s Hyundai Mercury Prize judges to choose from, but the final 12 show how diverse, vibrant and far-reaching British music continues to be.

‘Choosing one winner out of 12 albums that bring so much hope for the future will be a challenge indeed.’

Michael Kiwanuka won last year’s Mercury Prize with his third album Kiwanuka, fending off competition from Stormzy, Laura Marling and Dua Lipa, he is now a new addition to the judging panel.

The ceremony – which features live performances from a selection of the shortlisted acts – is set to take place on September 9 at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith.