Raye wins Mercury Prize for This Music May Contain Hope

Summarised from 3 outlets · 5 reports · Updated 22 Oct, 23:58 · Archive

Raye has won the Mercury Prize for her second album This Music May Contain Hope, beating nominees including Sir Paul McCartney, Suede and Jade.

Raye has won the 2026 Mercury Prize for her album This Music May Contain Hope. The award was presented at a ceremony in Newcastle's Utilita Arena, the second successive year the prize has been held in the city. She beat fellow nominees including Sir Paul McCartney, Suede, Jade, Olivia Dean, Florence + the Machine and rapper Dave.

The 28-year-old singer's second album was released in March and debuted at number one in the UK charts. It is a 73-minute record spanning big band jazz, power balladry and funk, featuring the global hit single Where Is My Husband? along with Click Clack Symphony (featuring Hans Zimmer), I Know You're Hurting and Nightingale Lane. According to the BBC, the album features both of Raye's grandparents, soul legend Al Green, four separate orchestras and more than 100 musicians across 17 tracks.

In an emotional acceptance speech, Raye said: 'I've always banged on about how much I believe in albums. I wanted to go to a big band section there, and do strings there, and, like, just be really indulgent.' She described the album's title as significant, saying: 'Hope is a very cheesy word, you know, especially for us British people. We don't do that kind of deep stuff like that, but hope is just something that we all need, and music is medicine.'

The Mercury Prize, established in 1992, is awarded annually to the best album by an artist from the UK or Ireland based on musical merit, regardless of commercial success. The BBC reports this is the first pop album to win since M People's Elegant Slumming in 1994. The award comes with a £25,000 prize. Sam Fender won last year's prize for his album People Watching.

Raye's win caps what the Guardian describes as an ongoing renaissance for the singer. She previously won six Brit Awards for her debut album My 21st Century Blues, a record for a single Brits ceremony. The award comes ahead of a one-off performance at the Royal Albert Hall.

How it is being reported

• Raye wins the Mercury Prize with This Music May Contain HopeThe pop star beat artists like Paul McCartney, Suede and Jade Thirlwall to lift the £25,000 prize.BBC News · 22 Oct, 23:33
• Raye wins Mercury Prize for her album This Music May Contain HopeThe 28-year-old singer won the prize for her second album, which came out in March, and debuted at number one in the charts.Evening Standard · 22 Oct, 23:15
• Raye wins Mercury Prize for her album This Music May Contain HopeThe 28-year-old singer won the prize for her second album, which came out in March, and debuted at number one in the charts.Evening Standard · 22 Oct, 22:51
• Raye wins 2026 Mercury prize for This Music May Contain HopeSinger who previously had record-breaking Brit awards success adds to her haul thanks to massively ambitious big-band album Raye is the winner of the 2026 Mercury prize, for her second studio album, This Music May Contain Hope. Rewarded for a hugely ambitious 73-minute record that spanned big band jazz, power balladry, funk and more, her win caps an ongoing renaissance for a British singer who at one point was in the doldrums, lashing out publicly at her record label for not letting her release a studio album. Continue reading...Guardian World · 22 Oct, 22:24
• Raye wins Mercury Prize for her album This Music May Contain HopeHer second album came out in March..Evening Standard · 22 Oct, 22:19

In this story: Raye · Sir Paul McCartney · Suede · Jade · Olivia Dean · Florence + the Machine · Newcastle · Mercury Prize

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