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Lauren Laverne presents the 2025 Mercury Prize Album of the Year from the Utilita Arena in Newcastle.

The shortlisted artists are: CMAT, Emma-Jean Thackray, FKA twigs, Fontaines D.C., Jacob Alon, Joe Webb, Martin Carthy, Pa Salieu, PinkPantheress, Pulp, Sam Fender and Wolf Alice. Their albums reflect the diverse nature of British and Irish music over the past year and cover a wide range of contemporary genres.

All the 12 shortlisted albums will be celebrated through live performance, culminating in the announcement of 2025’s overall winner, as selected by an esteemed panel of judges comprised of broadcasters, musicians and industry tastemakers.

Here’s a closer look at the shortlist:

Euro-Country from Irish alt-popstar Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, aka CMAT, explores identity and politics through a personal lens and is her second Mercury nod.

Jazz star Emma-Jean Thackray recorded and produced her second album, Weirdo, entirely herself in response to the tragic passing of her long-time partner. She says that making the album saved her life.

Eusexua is the third album from boundary-pushing artist FKA twigs, who was influenced by the techno scene in Prague, where she felt everyone was liberated to move freely and organically together.

Dublin’s Fontaines D.C. released their fourth album, Romance, in 2024, produced by James Ford. It’s been heralded their most ambitious record yet and leans into their love of nu-metal whilst exploring themes of love, desire and delusion.

Fife-born Jacob Alon released their tender debut album, In Limerence, in 2025, with vulnerable musings on obsession decorated by mesmerising guitar tunings and fingerstyle.

Welsh pianist Joe Webb is shortlisted for his debut, Hamstrings & Hurricanes, recorded as a trio at a farm in Wales over the space of a few days, with influences spanning Oscar Peterson and Oasis.

Folk hero Martin Carthy is the oldest artist to ever be shortlisted, with his Transform Me Then into a Fish, which includes songs originally performed by Martin 60 years ago. He joins his daughter Eliza Carthy and late wife Norma Waterson in their Mercury recognition.

Coventry’s Pa Salieu is shortlisted with mixtape Afrikan Alien, which was written during tough times in prison and celebrates freedom in spite of hardship. The British-Gambian rapper said, 'These bars were born in a cell and completed when I was released.'

Bath-born PinkPantheress is shortlisted for her mixtape Fancy That, which transcends conventions with short tracks and a wide range of samples. It fuses pop, DnB and electronica to create a unique sound, spearheaded by Pink’s light voice.

Pulp reunited in the studio for the first time in 24 years with their eighth album, More, recorded over a period of only three weeks in east London and dedicated to their late bass player Steve Mackey. The group could join PJ Harvey as the only acts to have won the Prize twice, having previously won in 1996.

ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½town hero Sam Fender is shortlisted for a second time with his chart-topping third album, People Watching, an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish. Sam explores the stories and lives of everyday people through personal vignettes of his own community and beyond.

Completing the list are previous winners Wolf Alice, who return to the shortlist with The Clearing, their fourth album and fourth Mercury nod, making them the only artist to have ever achieved this feat. The band say this record was about ‘allowing a song to be still and just let the songwriting speak for itself’.

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