Raye Claims 2026 Mercury Prize for Ambitious Second Album ‘This Music May Contain Hope’

Raye has won the 2026 Mercury Prize for her second studio album, This Music May Contain Hope.

The prize recognizes a sprawling 73-minute record that spans big band jazz, power balladry, funk, and more. The victory caps an ongoing renaissance for a British singer who once hit a low point, publicly calling out her record label for preventing the release of a studio album.

Since that setback in 2021, Raye split from her former label and achieved major success with two studio albums: My 21st Century Blues, which earned her six Brit Awards—the record for a single Brits ceremony—and This Music May Contain Hope, which topped the UK charts and contains the global hit Where Is My Husband?.

The judging panel said: “Raye displays real imagination and scope in showing what an album can be, going beyond any one style or genre to realise her vision. The judges agreed that Raye’s superb album will serve as a huge inspiration for years to come.”

Presented annually to the best British or Irish album as voted for by a panel of music industry figures, the award comes with a £25,000 prize.

Elsewhere on the shortlist, Paul McCartney missed out in the first year he was nominated for the prize, for his reflective album The Boys of Dungeon Lane. In a video message, he said he was “chuffed” and “surprised” to be nominated alongside “such a group of really amazing artists”.

Suede, who opened the ceremony by performing their stridently pro-European anthem Dancing With the Europeans, were unable to add a second Mercury win to their trophy cabinet after winning for their self-titled debut in 1993, the second year the award ran. Dave, who won for his debut album Psychodrama in 2019, also missed out; he and McCartney were the only artists not to perform at the ceremony.

Pulp, the 1996 winners, performed for the second year in a row: last year for their nominated album More, and this year representing the all-star compilation album Help, created to raise funds for the charity War Child.

There has been some consternation that the prize’s focus is becoming more commercial than in the past—and not distinct enough from the Brit Awards.

In 2025, seven of the 12 nominated albums reached the UK Top 3, while this year six nominations reached number one and another two were Top 3 hits. All but two of the albums (Suede’s Antidepressants and the Help charity compilation) were released by or in partnership with the three major labels: Universal, Warner, and Sony. Previously, the UK’s independent music scene was better represented, including in winners such as Arctic Monkeys, Dizzee Rascal, Sampha, and Ezra Collective.

This year’s judging panel featured musicians, broadcasters, journalists, and consultants: Afrodeutsche, Danielle Perry, Jamie Cullum, Lea Stonhill, Mistajam, Phil Alexander, Sian Eleri, Sophie Williams, and Will Hodgkinson, with Jeff Smith as chair.

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