Mercury Prize 2022: Harry Styles is nominated for the first time ever and will battle it out with Sam Fender and Joy Crookes for the prestigious gong
Harry Styles has been nominated for his first ever Mercury Prize.
The former One Direction star’s third solo album, Harry’s House, has been shortlisted for the prestigious music prize, making its top 10 Albums of the Year list.
The As It Was’ hitmaker, 28, will compete with the likes of Sam Fender’s Seventeen Going Under and Little Simz’ Sometimes I Might Be Introvert to be crowned the overall winner of the prize.
Exciting announcement: Harry Styles (pictured) has been nominated for his first ever Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the UK by a British or Irish act.
The awards ceremony will be held on September 8 at London’s Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith.
Self Esteem, Joy Crookes, Fergus McCreadie, Gwenno, Jessie Buckley and Bernard Butler, Kojey Radical, Nova Twins, Wet Leg, and Yard Act also made the shortlist.
The judging panel – which includes musicians Anna Calvi, Jamie Cullum and Loyle Carner, and is chaired by Head of Music, 6 Music and Radio 2 Jeff Smith commented: ‘Getting down to 12 albums this year was not easy, simply because there were so many remarkable ones to choose from.
Competition: The hitmaker, 28, will compete with the likes of Sam Fender’s Seventeen Going Under to win the prize (Sam is pictured)
‘That serves as proof that British and Irish music thrives during unsettled periods in history, with the albums chosen covering everything from imaginative pop to pioneering rap to Cornish language folk-rock.
‘We feel that these 12 amazing albums each have something to say artistically and socially, all in their own unique, enriching ways.
‘Now comes the really hard part… choosing only one overall winner.’
Well done: Harry Styles will also compete with Little Simz’ Sometimes I Might Be Introvert to be crowned the overall winner (Little Simz is pictured)
Stars: Gwenno (left) and Kojey Radical (right) are also nominated for the prize and are pictured at the shortlist event on Tuesday
The 2022 Awards Show will feature live performances from many of the shortlisted artists and the evening will culminate in the announcement of the overall winner of the 2022 Mercury Prize with FREE NOW Album of the Year.
Mercury Prize 2022: Nominations
The top 10 Albums of the Year:
Fergus McCreadie – Forest Floor
Gwenno – Tresor
Harry Styles – Harry’s House
Jessie Buckley and Bernard Butler – For All Our Days That Tear the Heart
Joy Crookes – Skin
Kojey Radical – Reason to Smile
Little Simz – Sometimes I Might be Introvert
Nova Twins – Supernova
Sam Fender – Seventeen Going Under
Self Esteem – Prioritise Pleasure
Wet Leg – Wet Leg
Yard Act – The Overload
It comes after last week it was revealed that icon Harry is set to become the subject of a university module, after Texas State University confirmed students would be offered the subject in Spring 2023.
The college’s Associate Professor of Digital History, Dr Louie Dean Valenica, shared the news on Twitter, joking: ‘This is what tenure looks like.’
The course, titled Harry Styles And The Cult Of Celebrity: Identity, The Internet And European Pop Culture, will see students study the hitmaker and his impact on the industry in relation to ‘questions of gender and sexuality.’
In his tweet, Dr Louis shared an image of the course’s poster, alongside an email from the Honours College confirming the module would be available for students next year.
The module’s poster notes it will focus ‘on British musician Harry Styles and popular European culture to understand the cultural and political development of the modern celebrity as related to questions of gender and sexuality, race, class, nation and globalism, media, fashion, fan culture, internet culture, and consumerism.’
The module will count towards Honors Studies, History (European or World) and International Studies at Texas State University.
Students taking European Studies, Popular Cultural Studies, Diversity Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies courses will also be able to take the module.
Discussing his decision to propose the course, Dr Valencia told KXAN: ‘The way I like to describe the class is that it’s really about the history of the last 12 years or so.
Hopefuls: Jessie Buckley and Bernard Buckley who are also nominated posed together at the shortlist event
Nominees: Self Esteem (left) and The Nova Twins (right) all looked in good spirits at the shortlist event
Anticipated: The 2022 Awards Show will feature live performances from many of the shortlisted artists and the evening will culminate in the announcement of the overall winner (Harry is pictured)
Trio: Jay Russell, Sam Shipstone and Ryan Needham of Yard Act attended the shortlist event together too
‘So, it is about Harry Styles in the same way that some classes are about the Beatles. You might take a class like that to learn about, ”What were the ’60s like?”
It comes as Harry has recently been compared to late Queen star Freddie Mercury after his ‘mesmerising’ string of gigs.
He has been wowing audiences across the world with his Love On Tour show – with former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan among the faces in the crowd at his recent London show.
Some concertgoers compared him to music legend Freddie, who was known for his flamboyant performances before his tragic death in 1991.
Wow: It comes after last week it was revealed that icon Harry is set to become the subject of a university module, after Texas State University confirmed students would be offered the subject in Spring 2023
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