British artiste Rachel Agatha Keen, popularly known as Raye, has won the 2026 Mercury Prize with her album ‘This Music May Contain Hope’, scooping a cash prize of £25,000, about $33,495 or N45 million.
The 17-track, 73-minute album is Raye’s second studio album, and it beat other nominees like veteran Paul McCartney, Olivia Dean, JADE, and others to scoop the highly coveted award.
“Hope is a very cheesy word … but hope is just something that we all need,” the 28-year-old singer said in her acceptance speech on Thursday. “Music is medicine, so I just hope as well that message comes across to anyone who needs it.”
The ceremony was held at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena.
The award jury praised Raye’s hit single ‘Where Is My Husband’ on the album, which tells a “story about a young woman navigating the everyday trials of life and love, on an album that is joyous and indeed hopeful”.
“RAYE displays real imagination and scope in showing what an album can be, going beyond any one style or genre to realise her vision,” the jury said in a statement. “The judges agreed that RAYE’S’s superb album will serve as a huge inspiration for years to come.”
In 2024, Raye’s car was stolen. Her songwriting notes were in the vehicle when it was stolen. She posted on Instagram that her second album was on hold.
“It’s my birthday, and my car got stolen with all my songwriting books in the boot, so no second album any time soon. Love you bye,” Raye wrote on Instagram in October 2024.
She recovered the book, but it delayed the album by one year. Speaking to the BBC backstage, she said the delay worked out for the best.
“I was distraught. I was very worried, but you know, it all turned out great,” she said. “Every little slip, every little accident, every little thing, it creates the path that you take. And it’s easy to spend time wishing things were the other way. But right now, I certainly do not.”
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