Raye wins 2026 Mercury Prize for album This Music May Contain Hope
British singer Raye has won the Mercury Prize, awarded for the best British or Irish album of the year. She took it for her second studio album, This Music May Contain Hope.
British singer Raye has been named the winner of the 2026 Mercury Prize, an annual award for the best album by a British or Irish act, decided by a panel of music industry figures. The winner receives £25,000. Raye won for her second studio album, This Music May Contain Hope.
The record runs for 73 minutes and covers big band jazz, power ballads, funk and other styles. It topped the UK albums chart and includes the global hit single Where Is My Husband!, which reached No 1 in the UK and No 6 in the US.
The judges said Raye shows imagination and scope in demonstrating what an album can be, going beyond any single style or genre to realise her vision. They described it as a source of inspiration for years to come. Reviews were not uniformly positive: the Guardian's pop critic Alexis Petridis said it had flaws but paid off more often than it failed.
A return after a difficult period
Raye is 28 and was born Rachel Keen in west London. In 2021 she publicly criticised her then record label for not letting her release a studio album. After leaving the label, she released My 21st Century Blues, which won six Brit awards, a record for a single Brits ceremony.
The other nominees
Paul McCartney missed out in the first year he was nominated. Suede, who won in 1993, and rapper Dave, the 2019 winner, also failed to add a second victory. Florence + the Machine now share the record for most nominations without a win, with five, level with Radiohead.
The ceremony moved to Newcastle in 2025, when local artist Sam Fender won. Some observers feel the prize is becoming more commercial and less distinct from the Brit awards.
