Raye wins 2026 Mercury prize for This Music May Contain Hope

The story

Source: The Guardian World · NewTimes editorial text based on the source feed.

Singer who previously had record-breaking Brit awards success adds to her haul thanks to massively ambitious big-band album Raye is the winner of the 2026 Mercury prize, for her second studio album, This Music May Contain Hope.

Her win – for a hugely ambitious 73-minute record that spanned big band jazz, power balladry, funk and more – caps an ongoing renaissance for a British singer who at one point was in the doldrums, lashing out publicly at her record label for not letting her release a studio album.