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British singer-songwriter Sam Fender has won the Mercury Prize<\/strong><\/a>2025 for his third album, \u2018People Watching\u2019.<\/p>\n The 31-year-old artist was previously nominated in 2022 and beat stiff competition this year from the likes of Pulp<\/strong><\/a>, FKA twigs<\/strong><\/a>, CMAT<\/strong><\/a>, Wolf Alice<\/strong><\/a> and our favourite to win, Fontaines D.C<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n The judging panel said of Fender: \u201cThis 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\u2026more challenging than ever.”<\/p>\n \u201cAfter 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. \u2018People Watching\u2019 by Sam Fender is both melody-rich and expansive, marrying heartland rock with the realities of everyday life and the importance of community.\u201d<\/p>\n Accepting the award, Fender said: \u201cWe didn\u2019t expect this at all\u2026 I can\u2019t think!\u201d<\/p>\n The award ceremony took place at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle last night, Fender\u2019s hometown, marking the event’s debut outside of its traditional home in London.<\/p>\n Fender shouted out Newcastle in his speech, saying: \u201cThis region is the best region in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n Related<\/b><\/p>\n Last year\u2019s award was won by indie quartet English Teacher for their album ‘This Could Be Texas\u2019<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Other recent winners include Michael Kiwanuka<\/strong><\/a> in 2020 for his stunning album ‘Kiwanuka’; Arlo Parks in 2021 for ‘Collapsed in Sunbeams’; Little Simz<\/strong><\/a> in 2022 for the unmissable ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’<\/strong><\/a>; and Ezra Collective<\/strong><\/a> in 2023 for ‘Where I\u2019m Meant To Be’ \u2013 the first jazz act to win the Mercury<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n