Little Simz wins the 2022 Mercury Prize with FREE NOW Album Of The Year
18 October 2022, 22:26 | Updated: 18 October 2022, 22:51
The prestigious awards ceremony, which celebrates the best British and Irish albums, took place on Tuesday. Find out who was shortlisted here.
Sometimes I Might Be Introvert by Little Simz has won the title of 2022 Mercury Prize with FREE NOW Album Of The Year.
Receiving the award, Simz - aka Simbiatu Abisola Abiola Ajikawo - said: "I'm very very overwhelmed, and very very grateful."
She thanked her collaborator, Inflo, who co-produced this, her fourth album, adding: "We created this album together. I didn't know if I was going to finish this record, going through all the emotions, but he stuck by me."
The judging panel said: "In a year that has, to put it mildly, presented rather a lot of challenges, British and Irish music has thrived more than ever. That made it extremely hard for the judges to choose an overall winner from the 12 Albums Of The Year on the 2022 Mercury Prize with FREE NOW shortlist, simply because all of them had so much to offer.
"When it came down to it, the judges were so impressed by Sometimes I Might Be Introvert by Little Simz that everyone could get behind it. This accomplished and complex yet entirely accessible album is the work of someone striving constantly to push herself.
"It deals with themes both personal and political while putting them against music that is as sophisticated as it is varied. The Mercury Prize is all about shining a light on albums of lasting value and real artistry. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert has both."
The prestigious ceremony, which took place tonight (Tuesday 18th October) at the Hammersmith Eventim Apollo, saw performances from Simz, Fergus McCreadie, Gwenno, Jessie Buckley and Bernard Butler, Joy Crookes, Kojey Radical, Nova Twins, Sam Fender, Self Esteem, Wet Leg and Yard Act.
The event celebrated the best British and Irish albums of the past year, and Harry Styles who is currently on a US tour, provided a filmed live performance instead. The ceremony was due to take place last month, but was postponed after the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Little Simz beat out stiff competition from the likes of Wet Leg, for their self-titled debut album, Sam Fender's chart-topping second outing, Seventeen Going Under and LPs from Self Esteem, Yard Act, Harry Styles and funk-metal duo Nova Twins.
Simz joins last year's winner Arlo Parks and the likes of Wolf Alice, Arctic Monkeys and PJ Harvey to be given the award.
READ MORE: 21 albums that incredibly didn't win the Mercury Prize
Who won the 2022 Mercury Prize?
Little Simz has been awarded the 2022 Mercury Prize with FREE NOW Album Of The Year for Sometimes I Might Be An Introvert.
Who was on the Mercury Prize 2022 shortlist?
The 2022 Mercury Prize with FREE NOW Albums Of The Year shortlist was:
- Fergus McCreadie - Forest Floor
- Gwenno - Tresor
- Harry Styles - Harry’s House
- Jessie Buckley & 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 performed at the 2022 Mercury Prize?
Fergus McCreadie, Gwenno, Jessie Buckley and Bernard Butler, Joy Crookes, Kojey Radical, Little Simz, Nova Twins, Sam Fender, Self Esteem, Wet Leg and Yard Act. performed at the ceremony.
A filmed live performance from Harry Styles was also shown.
Who won the Mercury Prize in 2021?
2021's winner was Arlo Parks for her debut album Collapsed In Sunbeams.
Who has previously won the Mercury Prize?
- 1992: Primal Scream - Screamadelica
- 1993: Suede – Suede
- 1994: M People - Elegant Slumming
- 1995: Portishead - Dummy
- 1996: Pulp - Different Class
- 1997: Roni Size Reprazent - New Forms
- 1998: Gomez - Bring It On
- 1999: Tavin Singh - OK
- 2000: Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour Of Bewilderbeast
- 2001: PJ Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
- 2002: Ms Dynamite - A Little Deeper
- 2003: Dizzee Rascal - Boy In Da Corner
- 2004: Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
- 2005: Antony & The Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now
- 2006: Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not
- 2007: Klaxons - Myths Of The Near Future
- 2008: Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
- 2009: Speech Debelle - Speech Therapy
- 2010: The xx - xx
- 2011: PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
- 2012: Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
- 2013: James Blake - Overgrown
- 2014: Young Fathers - Dead
- 2015: Benjamin Clementine - At Least For Now
- 2016: Skepta - Konnichiwa
- 2017: Sampha - Process
- 2018: Wolf Alice - Visions Of A Life
- 2019: Dave - Psychodrama
- 2020: Michael Kiwuanuka - Kiwanuka
- 2021: Arlo Parks - Collapsed In Sunbeams
