Little Simz has received the 2022 Mercury Prize for her album Generally I Would possibly Be Introvert.
The London rapper was favorite to take the prize and beat off competitors from fellow favourites Self Esteem and Moist Leg at a reside ceremony on the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith Tuesday night time (October 18).
Accepting the trophy, she stated: “Wow, I’m very, very overwhelmed. I’m very grateful, glory to God. God thanks a lot.”
She additionally paid tribute to producer Inflo who labored on her album and stated there have been instances within the studio when “I didn’t know if I used to be gonna end this document. I used to be feeling all of the feelings and actually going by way of it and he [producer Inflo] caught by me and pushed me to ship this album for you guys.”
The rapper earlier carried out a reside rendition of “How Did You Get Right here” and bought up for a second time to sing the monitor after accepting the award.
Together with Self Esteem’s Prioritise Pleasure and Moist Leg’s self-titled debut album, different nominees on the night time included Sam Fender‘s Seventeen Going Below, Yard Act’s The Overload, Kojey Radical’s Cause To Smile, Gwenno’s Tresor, Harry Kinds’ Harry’s Home, Nova Twins’ Supernova, Jessie Buckley & Bernard Butler’s For All Our Days That Tear The Coronary heart, Pleasure Crookes’s Pores and skin and Fergus McCreadie’s Forest Flooring.
The judging panel stated: “In a 12 months that has, to place it mildly, introduced moderately quite a lot of challenges, British and Irish music has thrived greater than ever. When it got here all the way down to it, the judges had been so impressed by Generally I Would possibly Be Introvert by Little Simz that everybody might get behind it. This completed and sophisticated but completely accessible album is the work of somebody striving continually to push herself. The Mercury Prize is all about shining a lightweight on albums of lasting worth and actual artistry. Generally I Would possibly Be Introvert has each.”
Eleven of the 12 nominees had been just lately confirmed to carry out reside at tonight’s ceremony with every artist performing one monitor from their shortlisted album. Solely Harry Kinds was unable to attend, and as an alternative pre-recorded a particular reside efficiency of “As It Was”.
Moist Leg kicked off the ceremony with a reside rendition of their hit “Chaise Longue”, earlier than Pleasure Crookes carried out “Toes Don’t Fail Me Now” and Yard Act performed a raucous “100% Endurance”. Kojey Radical in the meantime carried out with a string part for his rendition of “Gangsta”.
Elsewhere, Self Esteem was flanked by backing singers for “I Do This All The Time” whereas Jessie Buckley & Bernard Butler performed a stirring model of “Footnotes On The Map”. Nova Twins kicked off a raucous efficiency of “Antagonist” earlier than Sam Fender carried out a rousing rendition of “Seventeen Going Below”.
The complete record of nominated albums for the 2022 Mercury Prize had been as follows:
Fergus McCreadie – Forest Flooring
Gwenno – Tresor
Harry Kinds – Harry’s Home
Jessie Buckley & Bernard Butler – For All Our Days That Tear The Coronary heart
Pleasure Crookes – Pores and skin
Kojey Radical – Cause To Smile
Little Simz – Generally I Would possibly Be Introvert
Nova Twins – Supernova
Sam Fender – Seventeen Going Below
Self Esteem – Prioritise Pleasure
Moist Leg – Moist Leg
Yard Act – The Overload
The occasion was purported to go forward final month, however the ceremony was known as off on the night time (September 8) following the dying of the Queen.
Following final month’s cancelled Mercury Prize ceremony, nominee Self Esteem helped donate unused meals from the occasion to the homeless.
