British singer-songwriter Sam Fender has won the Mercury Prize2025 for his third album, ‘People Watching’.
The 31-year-old artist was previously nominated in 2022 and beat stiff competition this year from the likes of Pulp, FKA twigs, CMAT, Wolf Alice and our favourite to win, Fontaines D.C.
The judging panel said of Fender: “This year proved that the album remains the format of choice for artists to best present a body of work. That, however, made our job as judges of the 2025 Mercury Prize for Album of the Year…more challenging than ever.”
“After much discussion, however, we all decided on one album that stood out for its cohesion, character and ambition. It felt like a classic album, which will take pride of place in record collections for years to come. ‘People Watching’ by Sam Fender is both melody-rich and expansive, marrying heartland rock with the realities of everyday life and the importance of community.”
Accepting the award, Fender said: “We didn’t expect this at all… I can’t think!”
The award ceremony took place at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle last night, Fender’s hometown, marking the event’s debut outside of its traditional home in London.
Fender shouted out Newcastle in his speech, saying: “This region is the best region in the country.”
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Last year’s award was won by indie quartet English Teacher for their album ‘This Could Be Texas’.
Other recent winners include Michael Kiwanuka in 2020 for his stunning album ‘Kiwanuka’; Arlo Parks in 2021 for ‘Collapsed in Sunbeams’; Little Simz in 2022 for the unmissable ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’; and Ezra Collective in 2023 for ‘Where I’m Meant To Be’ – the first jazz act to win the Mercury.
To this date, PJ Harvey is the only artist with two Mercury Prize wins, for ‘Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea’ in 2001 – one of our favourite European Albums of the 21st Century – and ‘Let England Shake’ in 2011.
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