Little Simz has scooped up the Mercury Prize 2022, beating off stiff competition.

Date published: 19th Oct 2022

Last night, the delayed Mercury Prize ceremony went ahead and we found out that Little Simz was the winner for her album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. This year's list was as diverse as ever and anyone could have won it but it has felt like a long time coming for one of the UK's most underrated rappers.

There were other favourites to win the award including Self Esteem for her album Prioritise Pleasure, Yard Act for their album The Overload and Nova Twins for their album Supernova. This wasn't Little Simz's first nomination as she had also been nominated in 2019 for her album Grey Area.

Yet it was Sometimes I Might Be Introvert which took the grand prize this year, an album that has set apart Simz as one of the most unique modern UK rappers. The album sees her wrestling with ideas of identity, race, community and womanhood. It is rare that an artist can balance the personal and political so eloquently on a singular album.

Little Simz may be an experienced artist but it still feels as though she's going to have a lasting impact on the music industry for years to come. It is only now that she is getting real recognition for her work and in her acceptance speech, Simz described feeling overwhelmed and grateful.

She also praised the other nominees highlighting that "we all changed people's lives with our music, and that's the most important thing." She has taken home a much-deserved prize of £25,000. We cannot wait to hear even more music from her in the future and there was no more deserving of the 2022 Mercury Prize.

 

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