Sampha was announced tonight, Thursday, 14 September 2017, as the overall winner of the 2017 Hyundai Mercury Prize for Album of the Year.
The Awards Show was hosted by BBC Music’s Lauren Laverne and guest presenter, Idris Elba announced the overall winner. The event was held at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith.
On collecting the winner’s trophy and cheque for £25,000, Sampha proclaimed his triumph as ‘incredible’, thanking the judges and dedicating the award to his parents and his brothers. He then performed a second rendition of the song ‘(Nobody Knows Me) Like The Piano’ to a standing ovation from the audience.
The judging panel said “Sampha’s ‘Process’ is a beautifully intimate record. With its unique creativity, rich musicality, depth and vulnerability, it resonates emotionally and speaks to the heart. When you discover this record you’ll want to live with it, share it and celebrate it”.
The Show featured live performances from the 2017 shortlisted ‘Albums of the Year’ including Alt-J, Blossoms, Dinosaur, Glass Animals, J Hus, Kate Tempest, Loyle Carner, Sampha, Stormzy, The Big Moon and The xx. The 2016 winner of the Prize, Skepta also gave a special performance of ‘Man’ at the Show.
The Prize’s broadcast partner BBC Music broadcast the show on BBC Four from 9pm.
BBC Radio 6 Music provided live coverage of the event from 7pm. Both programmes are available on BBC iPlayer.
The Prize’s digital music partner, Apple Music, has promoted the Mercury Prize from the shortlist announcement through to the Awards Show. Apple Music will also help music fans discover new music with dedicated playlists featuring the shortlisted artists, albums and more. Visit Mercury Prize on Apple Music here: Mercury Prize 2017
The 2017 Hyundai Mercury Prize Albums of the Year:
alt-j Relaxer
Blossoms Blossoms
Dinosaur Together, As One
Ed Sheeran Divide
Glass Animals How to be a Human Being
J Hus Common Sense
Kate Tempest Let Them Eat Chaos
Loyle Carner Yesterday’s Gone
Sampha Process
Stormzy Gang Signs & Prayer
The Big Moon Love in the 4th Dimension
The xx I See You
The twelve 2017 Hyundai Mercury Prize judges are: Phil Alexander – Editor-in-Chief, Mojo and Q; Clara Amfo – Broadcaster; Jamie Cullum – Musician and Broadcaster; Ella Eyre – Musician and Songwriter; Harriet Gibsone – Music News Editor, The Guardian/TheGuardian.com; Lianne La Havas – Musician and Songwriter; Will Hodgkinson – Chief Rock & Pop Critic The Times; MistaJam – DJ and Broadcaster; Marcus Mumford – Musician and Songwriter; Jeff Smith – Head of Music, 6 Music and Radio 2; Jessie Ware – Musician and Songwriter; and Mike Walsh – Head of Music, Radio X. The Chair of the judging panel is the music executive, Tony Wadsworth.
