Singer Raye won the Mercury Prize for her second studio album "This Music May Contain Hope" on Thursday, beating the likes of veteran Paul McCartney, rock band Suede and rapper Dave for the British music award.
Judges praised the "scale, structure, ambition and sheer charm" of the 28-year-old chart-topper's 73-minute record, which blends jazz, orchestral pop, funk and other genres.
"Hope is a very cheesy word ... but hope is just something that we all need," Raye said while accepting the award at the ceremony held in the northern English city of Newcastle.
"Music is medicine, so I just hope as well that message comes across to anyone who needs it."
First handed out to rockers Primal Scream in 1992, the annual £25,000 ($33,495) Mercury Prize shortlists 12 albums released by British and Irish acts in the United Kingdom in the past year. It is considered less mainstream than the BRIT Awards, Britain's pop music honours, and is open to all music genres.
This year's contenders included McCartney, who was nominated for his album "The Boys of Dungeon Lane", and past winners Suede and Dave, who were shortlisted for their respective records "Antidepressants" and "The Boy Who Played The Harp".
The nominees also included singer Olivia Dean for "The Art of Loving", former Little Mix star Jade for "That’s Showbiz Baby!", and producer Nia Archives, who was recognised for "Emotional Junglist".
Band Knats, musicians Kojey Radical and Dove Ellis were also in the running for their respective records "A Great Day In Newcastle", "Don't Look Down" and "Blizzard".
Florence + the Machine's "Everybody Scream" and "Help (2)", a compilation album by various artists for War Child, completed the list.
Rocker Sam Fender won the prize last year for his third album "People Watching".
($1 = £0.7464)