Nominee's announced for 2024 Mercury Prize

It's that time of year again. When the 12 best albums of the British music scene's past year get selected by a panel of judges and fight it out to earn one of the most respected and coveted awards in the country. Yes, that's right, the 2024 Mercury Prize nominees have been announced and there are some serious decisions to be made about who takes it, and this year it's going to be a really tough one. 

The big news is that this year, eight of the 12 shortlisted artists are women or female-fronted bands, which is a record high for the awards. Scroll down and check out who the names include!

Image: Mercury Prize on Facebook

Among those names, 'brat' summer continues to take over with Charli XCX's album earning a nomination for brat, her second following one in 2020 for her lockdown album, How I’m Feeling Now. Irish country star CMAT earns a nomination for Crazymad, For Me; Junglist icon Nia Archives for Silence Is Loud; the psychedelic opus of Leeds singer-songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae, Black Rainbows, her fourth album; the soaring pop of Cat Burns for her debut early twenties; And Beth Gibbons for her debut solo album, Lives Outgrown, 29 years after winning the Mercury Prize with her band Portishead.

All female, and female-led bands also feature, with the cinematic and enchanting pop debut, Prelude To Ecstacy, from The Last Dinner Party, and the experimental debut thrill-ride This Could Be Texas, from Leeds outfit English Teacher. 

Elsewhere London rappers Ghetts (his second nomination) and BERWYN have both been nominated for their respective records On Purpose, With Purpose and WHO AM I. Also, the Scots get some names on the board with both Edinburgh-based producer Barry Can't Swim gaining a nomination with his effervescent record, When Will We Land?, and corto.alto gaining the Mercury’s infamous “token” jazz nomination for his full-length debut, Bad With Names.

So yeah, it's as we said, absolutely impossible to choose! So we're glad it isn't up to us.

The 2024 Awards Show will take place in September at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith. As always, the Mercury Prize will be a spectacle to watch, with live performances from many of the shortlisted artists, and the evening culminating in the announcement of the overall winner of the 2024 Mercury Prize with ‘Album of the Year’.

Check out the full list below:

Barry Can't Swim - When Will We Land?

BERWYN - WHO AM I

Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown

Cat Burns - early twenties

Corinne Bailey Rae - Black Rainbows

Charli XCX - BRAT

CMAT - Crazymad, For Me

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

Check out our What's On Guide to discover more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.

Header Image: Mercury Prize on Facebook