Is this really happening?” Raye asked as Newcastle’s Utilita Arena announced her name last Thursday. It was. The Tooting-born singer-songwriter has won the 2026 Mercury Prize for her second album, This Music May Contain Hope, two days before turning 29. She called it the “best birthday present” she could have asked for. With the album on my bedroom wall, I couldn’t be happier.
From my first listen, I just knew. The record debuted at number one and carries the chart-topping Where Is My Husband!, but it’s the whole album that floored me. Raye’s wordplay is sharp and intelligent, and her voice is so soulful it stops you in your tracks. This is music built around hope, and honestly, it’s what we need right now. The judges agreed, praising its “scale, structure, ambition and sheer charm”.
The album’s final track lists every musician who played on it, and Raye thanked 317 people, including Hans Zimmer and Al Green. She says there are “about four orchestras’ worth” of musicians on the record, and you can hear every one: sweeping strings and brass make each song feel cinematic.
If My 21st Century Blues was her breakthrough, this is her coronation. Backed by a big band, she delivered the jazzy, vulnerable I Hate The Way I Look Today to a standing ovation. In a tearful speech she admitted hope is “a very cheesy word” for Brits, before insisting “music is medicine.”
She beat a stacked shortlist. Olivia Dean was the bookmakers’ favourite for The Art of Loving, which had already been named album of the year at the Brits and MOBOs. Paul McCartney earned his first ever nomination at 84, while Jade became the first X Factor winner to receive a Mercury nod. Dave, Florence + The Machine, Suede, Nia Archives, Kojey Radical, Dove Ellis, Knats and War Child’s Help(2) completed the list.
The next night, Raye played the album in full at the Royal Albert Hall with her band, the Heritage Orchestra and the Flames Collective choir. She follows Sam Fender, who donated his winnings to grassroots venues. Whatever she does with hers, this music definitely contains hope, and it deserves every bit of this win.
_(53120163026).jpg){kind=link}