David Bowie’s final album ‘Blackstar’ has been nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize. The annual award recognises the best album made by artists from Ireland and Great Britain.

Bowie is in the running to win the award alongside 11 other artists who have made the short list. Bowie was previously nominated for his album ‘The Next Day’ in 2013.

Other musicians making the cut include transgender artist Anohni, who won the prize back in 2005 as the lead singer of Antony and The Johnsons. Anohni’s solo album ‘Hopelessness’ has been a critics’ favourite.

Radiohead, who have made the short list with four previous albums but have never won the prize, have been nominated for a ‘A Moon Shaped Pool’. Lead singer Thom Yorke’s solo album ‘The Eraser’ was also on the short list a decade ago, but lost to the Artic Monkey’s debut record.

Also in contention for the award which can propel record sales into the stratosphere is Bat for Lashes with ‘The Bride’, Jamie Woon with ‘Making Time’, Laura Mvula with ‘The Dreaming Room’, Michael Kiwanuka with ‘Love and Hate’, The 1975 with ‘I like it when you sleep, for you are beautiful yet so unaware of it’ and The Comet is Coming with ‘Chanel the Spirits’.

Two artists from the UK’s popular grime music scene are also included in the short list, Skepta with the album ‘Konnichiwa’ and Kano with ‘Made in the Mannor’.

All woman band Savages round out the short list with their sophomore album ‘Adore Life’. Guitarist Gemma Thompson spoke to OUTinPerth ahead of the albums release last year and described it as a record about change.

The awards which began in 1992 have honoured some of the great records of the last two 25 years, but have also at time picked unexpected winners.

Primal Scream’s ‘Screamadelica’ was the inaugural winner, following in the footsteps of the Scottish psychedelic band have been M People, Suede, Portihead, Pulp, Badly Drawn Boy, Gomez, Talvin Singh, PJ Harvey (the only person to win the award twice), Dizzee Rascal, Franz Ferdinand, Kalxons, Artic Monkeys, Elbow, The xx, Young Fathers, Alt-J, Speech DeBelle and Benjamin Clementine.

While PJ Harvey is the only person to win the award twice, many critics have been surprised that her recent album “The Hope Six Demolition Project’ didn’t make the short list for 2016.

OIP Staff