English Teacher revealed as winner of Mercury Prize 2024 with This Could Be Texas | Ents & Arts News

English Teacher have been announced the winners of this year’s Mercury Prize, with their debut album This Could Be Texas.

The Leeds indie foursome – Douglas Frost, Lily Fontaine, Nicholas Eden and Lewis Whiting – were emotional as they collected the prestigious award, beating competition from the likes of Charli XCX’s Brat, Irish singer CMAT, rapper Ghetts, rising star Cat Burns, and indie outfit The Last Dinner Party.

Fontaine thanked her mum, who created the artwork for the album, during the band’s acceptance speech. “I can’t put it into words, really,” she told Sky News after stepping off stage. “I keep forgetting that it’s real.”

“It’s absolutely unbelievable,” added Whiting.

This year’s Mercury Prize ceremony took place for the first time at Abbey Road Studios in London, a move from the Hammersmith Apollo.

It is the prize all British and Irish music artists want to win, because it is “purely about the quality of the music”, Fontaine said.

“When we’re making an album, it’s everything to us, the project is our whole life. When [an award] is so focused on the quality of the thing you’ve created, to an artist, that’s really special.”

If people can feel moved by the album, “that would be amazing”, she added.

“We crammed quite a lot into it,” said Frost. “So I really love the idea of people relistening to it, kind of discovering something else they like, and there’s always a new favourite song.”

Judges said all 12 shortlisted albums were “so reflective of our diverse and rich musical landscape,” making the decision a tough one – but in the end, they all felt This Could Be Texas stood out “for its originality and character”.

They described it as “a winning lyrical mix of surrealism and social observation” with “a subtle way of wearing its musical innovations lightly”, and “a fresh approach to the traditional guitar band format”.

It “reveals new depths on every listen – the mark of a future classic”, they added.

This year’s shortlist included eight debut albums, including Cat Burns’ Early Twenties, Nia Archives’ Silence Is Loud, Barry Can’t Swim’s When Will We Land?, Last Dinner Party’s Prelude To Ecstasy and corto.alto’s Bad With Names, as well as This Could Be Texas.

Former Portishead singer Beth Gibbons, who picked up the prize with the trip hop act’s debut album Dummy back in 1994, was also nominated for the first time in her own name, for her debut solo album Lives Outgrown, while Berwyn received his second nomination but only his first for an album – after becoming the first artist “ever in history” to be shortlisted for a mix tape in 2021.

Berwyn, who moved to London from Trinidad as a child, said it felt “rewarding and reassuring” to make the list for the second time with Who Am I, which he described as “a documentary, not an album”.

Other nominees included CMAT, who was shorlisted for the first time for her second album, Crazymad, For Me, while this year saw second nominations for Charli XCX, Ghetts and Corinne Bailey Rae.

English Teacher follow in the footsteps of Ezra Collective in 2023, as well as other recent honourees including Little Simz, Arlo Parks, Michael Kiwanuka, Dave and Wolf Alice.

First won by Primal Scream’s Screamadelica in 1992, the award celebrates music by British and Irish acts, from veteran stars to newcomers – recognising the 12 best albums of the year and potentially putting artists who are not huge names on the map.

Pulp’s Different Class, Dizzee Rascal’s Boy In Da Corner, and Arctic Monkeys’ Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not are some of the biggest albums to have been recognised over the years.

Radiohead and Arctic Monkeys are the most shortlisted acts, with both featuring on five different occasions – although only Arctic Monkeys have a win. Both the band’s frontmen have also been nominated on separate occasions; Alex Turner with The Last Shadow Puppets, and Thom Yorke for his solo debut.

PJ Harvey is the only artist to date with two wins, from four nominations.

The 2024 ceremony was hosted by broadcaster and author Annie Mac and BBC Radio 6 Music presenter Huw Stephens, while judges included broadcaster and writer Danielle Perry, musician and BBC Radio 2 broadcaster Jamie Cullum, DJ and BBC Radio 6 Music broadcaster Jamz Supernova, DJ and broadcaster MistaJam, and The Times’ rock and pop critic Will Hodgkinson.

Albums with a UK release date between 15 July 2023 and 12 July 2024 were eligible this year.