The twelve shortlisted nominees for the Hyundai Mercury Prize 2017 have been revealed.
Unsurprisingly, leading the pack is Ed Sheeran and his record-breaking album ÷. Also nominated is Stormzy for his number one album Gang Signs & Prayer. He will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of last year’s winner, fellow grime artist Skepta.
Alt-J, Blossoms, Dinosaur, The xx, and Glass Animals have also been nominated, whilst J Hus, Kate Tempest, The Big Moon, Loyle Carner and Sampha round off the list.
Hyundai Mercury Prize 2017 Nominees
Alt-J – Relaxer
Blossoms – Blossoms
Dinosaur – Together, As One
Ed Sheeran – ÷
Glass Animals – How To Be A Human Being
J Hus – Common Sense
Kate Tempest – Let The Eat Chaos
Loyle Carner – Yesterday’s Gone
Sampha – Process
Stormzy – Gang Signs & Prayer
The Big Moon – Love In The 4th Dimension
The xx – I See You
This year’s nominees were chosen by a judging panel featuring the likes of Clara Amfo, MistaJam, and Ella Eyre. Speaking about the nominees, the judges said: “This year’s Hyundai Mercury Prize shortlist celebrates the remarkable power of British music. What these artists have in common is an infectious pleasure in music making and an arresting sense of urgency about the music they make. They delight in exploring musical possibilities and refusing to be pinned down by genre conventions.”
The Hyundai Mercury Prize 2017 awards show will take place on Thursday September 14 at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith. Tickets for the event are on-sale now. The evening will feature live performances from many of the shortlisted acts before the winner is revealed. BBC Music will be providing live TV and radio coverage of the evening on BBC Four and BBC Radio 6 Music.