Rapper Little Simz has been declared the overall winner of the 2022 Mercury Prize, with Album of the Year Sometimes I Might be Introvert.
The Awards Show at the Apollo, Hammersmith was hosted by Lauren Laverne, and guest presenter, Jamz Supernova announced the overall winner on behalf of the judging panel.
Little Simz collected the winner’s trophy and cheque for £25,000 and then performed a song from the winning album.
The judging panel said ‘In a year that has, to put it mildly, presented rather a lot of challenges, British and Irish music has thrived more than ever. That made it extremely hard for the judges to choose an overall winner from the 12 ‘Albums of the Year’ on the 2022 Mercury Prize shortlist, simply because all of them had so much to offer. When it came down to it, the judges were so impressed by Sometimes I Might Be Introvert by Little Simz that everyone could get behind it. This accomplished and complex yet entirely accessible album is the work of someone striving constantly to push herself. It deals with themes both personal and political while putting them against music that is as sophisticated as it is varied. The Mercury Prize is all about shining a light on albums of lasting value and real artistry. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert has both.’
Performances
The show featured live performances from 11 of the 2022 shortlisted ‘Albums of the Year’: Fergus McCreadie, Gwenno, Jessie Buckley & Bernard Butler, Joy Crookes, Kojey Radical, Little Simz, Nova Twins, Sam Fender, Self Esteem, Wet Leg, and Yard Act. A filmed live performance was shown to celebrate Harry Styles’ album, as he is currently on a major US tour.
The Prize’s broadcast partner, BBC Music, provided live television and radio coverage of the event. BBC Four broadcast from 9 -10.15pm and Tom Ravenscroft hosted a special show, Mercury Prize 2022 Live, from 7pm – 12am on BBC Radio 6 Music.
The full list of Mercury Prize nominated albums:
Jessie Buckley & Bernard Butler – For All Our Days That Tear The Heart
Joy Crookes – Skin
Sam Fender – Seventeen Going Under
Gwenno – Tresor
Kojey Radical – Reason To Smile
Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
Fergus McCreadie – Forest Floor
Nova Twins – Supernova
Self Esteem – Prioritise Pleasure
Harry Styles – Harry’s House
Wet Leg – Wet Leg (they should have won it, of course – Ed.)
Yard Act – The Overload
Little Simz
Simbiatu “Simbi” Abisola Abiola Ajikawo, born in 1994), better known by her stage name Little Simz, is a British rapper, singer and actress. She rose to prominence with the independent release of her first three albums, A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons (2015), Stillness in Wonderland (2016) and Grey Area (2019), the latter of which was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and won the awards for Best Album at both the Ivor Novello Awards and the NME Awards. Her fourth album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (2021) received widespread critical acclaim, with several publications deeming it the best album of 2021. As well as winning the 2022 Mercury Prize, it also earned her the 2022 Brit Award for Best New Artist and the Libera Award for Best Hip-Hop/Rap Record.
Simz’ acting career began with the role of Vicky in the BBC children’s series Spirit Warriors, originally broadcast in 2010, and as Meleka in the E4 television series, Youngers. She was narrator for the television series, Afrofuturism, and played Shelley in Netflix’s third series of Top Boy which premiered in autumn 2019. She appeared as herself in the Sony/Marvel film Venom – Let There Be Carnage, singing her song Venom in a nightclub.
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