Kano, Stormzy, Moses Boyd Among Nominees For 2020 Mercury Music Prize

This year’s shortlist for the Mercury Music Prize has been announced to the usual mix of approval and criticism. 

Kano, Stormzy, Michael Kiwanuka and Moses Boyd are all up for the award alongside Dua Lipa, Charli XCX, Laura Marling and others. While many are happy with the list, some have criticised the lack of more experimental music in the list that also includes Porridge Radio, Sports Team, Anna Meredith, Georgia, and Lanterns On The Lake.

Last year, Dave won the award for his Psychodrama LP, beating out albums from Little Simz, slowthai, The 1975, Nao, Foals, Cate Le Bon, Idles, Anna Calvi, black midi, Fontaines D.C., and SEED Ensemble. And this year will be another tight race; both Kano’s Hoodies All Summer and Stormzy’s Heavy Is The Head were landmark releases that won huge praise from both fans and critics alike, and they’re not the only ones on the list with staunch supporters. Laura Marling, Charli XCX and Idles—to name just three—have all released highly successful projects since the July 20, 2019 cut-off date.

The 2020 #HyundaiMercuryPrize Shortlist has been revealed! Let’s take a deeper look at the 12 incredible albums that make up a snapshot in music over the past twelve months… pic.twitter.com/2xuP1WtMWG

— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) July 23, 2020

The award is tentatively expected to be handed out at a ceremony at London’s Hammersmith Apollo on September 10; however, this is of course dependent on the government’s guidelines surrounding COVID-19.