Benjamin Clementine has been announced as the winner of the Barclaycard Mercury Prize ‘Album of the Year,’ for his album, At Least For Now.
Among those also nominated were Wolf Alice, Jamie xx, Florence + the Machine, SOAK, Ghostpoet, Slaves, Roisin Murphy, ESKA, Gaz Coombes (who performed at Southampton’s Independence Festival last weekend), C Duncan, and Aphex Twin. Jamie xx was the bookies’ favourite in the run up to the ceremony, with 4/1 odds for In Colour.
The awards show, broadcasted on BBC4 and Radio 6 Music, and available now on iPlayer, was hosted by Lauren Laverne, and saw some of the nominees give a performance of a track from their nominated album. All of the performances can be accessed via the BBC Mercury Prize website.
The show also contained interviews with the judging panel, as well as comments on exactly why this year’s albums were shortlisted. It also looked back on past winners- showing the judges’ flair for picking the underdogs, with big names like Radiohead, Oasis, and David Bowie going home empty-handed in previous years.
The judging panel this year included Corinne Bailey-Rae, Nick Mulvey, Mistajam, and a stream of music journalists.
At Least For Now is Clementine’s fourth studio album, marrying beautiful piano melodies with his gospel voice. Upon winning the prize, Clementine said, “I don’t know what to say,” before thanking music for the prize.
Listen to the award-winner’s track, ‘Cornerstone’, in the video below.
