FEATURE:
The Digital Mixtape
IN THIS PHOTO: Corinne Bailey Rae
The Mercury Prize 2024 Shortlist
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EVEN though the shortlist…
IN THIS PHOTO: Cat Burns
was announced last month, I wanted to spotlight the twelve albums in contention for this year’s Mercury Prize. I did predict a few a while back, though I am surprised the likes of Nadine Shah (for Filthy Underneath) was not shortlisted. Also, I did not think Charli XCX’s album, BRAT, would be in contention, as it was released very recently. Though the record label would have submitted the album before it was released to get her in the mix. It might stand as the favourite. Before making a prediction and deciding the top-five, here is some more detail about the artists and albums who will compete for the Mercury Prize:
“The Mercury Prize has announced its 2024 nominees. The panel’s selections for the best British or Irish album of the year include Charli XCX, Beth Gibbons, Nia Archives, Berwyn, the Last Dinner Party, Barry Can’t Swim, Corinne Bailey Rae, and Ghetts, among others. Check out the full shortlist below. The winner will be announced in September, but the public ceremony has been scrapped for the first time in the award’s 32-year history.
After hearing the news, Charli XCX took to social media to share her thoughts on the nomination, writing, “brat has been shortlisted for the mercury prize and i really am so honored. its so nice to see this body of work get so much love, it truly means the world and watching it take on a life of its own has just been so wild and quite fucking crazy..”
IN THIS PHOTO: Barry Can’t Swim
This year’s panel of judges—chaired by the head of BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music, Jeff Smith—includes the Jamie Cullum, Mistajam, Jamz Supernova, and journalists such as Phil Alexander, Will Hodgkinson, and Sophie Williams. Last year’s Mercury Prize winner were Ezra Collective, who became the first jazz artist to win the award.
Mercury Prize 2024 Shortlist
Barry Can’t Swim - When Will We Land?
Berwyn - Who Am I
Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown
Cat Burns - Early Twenties
Charli XCX - Brat
CMAT - Crazymad, for Me
Corinne Bailey Rae - Black Rainbows
Corto.Alto - Bad With Names
English Teacher - This Could Be Texas
Ghetts - On Purpose, With Purpose
Nia Archives - Silence Is Loud
The Last Dinner Party - Prelude to Ecstasy”.
I am confused as to why there is not a public ceremony. How things are going to go down. It does feel unexpected and unjustified to cancel that side of things. The performances on the night and the excitement of the ceremony together is a big reason to watch and pay attention to the Mercury Prize. I hope it loses none of its lure and wonder. And I hope that the public ceremony comes back next year. Despite that error of judgement, there are twelve diverse and great albums in contention. Few precited Ezra Collective would beat the favourites last year, so you cannot bet against Corta.Alto, Nia Archives or Barry Can’t Swim winning. It would be great for Beth Gibbons to win, though she might also be seen as an outside bet. In reality, there are five artists who will be seen as favourites. I think BERWYN, Cat Burns, Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Corinne Bailey Rae are the top-five. With CMAT not far behind. Being the Mercury Prize, this could all change, though personally I would like to see either Cat Burns or Corinne Bailey Rae win this year. We shall see. Next month, one of these amazing twelve albums will win the Mercury Prize. They are all deserving. To end, I have compiled a mixtape of the twelve artists shortlisted and two tracks from each album. It goes to show that the 2024 shortlist is one of the strongest…
IN recent years.