English Teacher wins Mercury Prize with debut album

The band English Teacher has clinched this year’s Mercury Prize with their debut album, *This Could Be Texas*. The Leeds-based indie group, comprised of Douglas Frost, Lily Fontaine, Nicholas Eden, and Lewis Whiting, expressed deep emotion upon receiving the accolade. They triumphed over strong contenders such as Charli XCX’s *Brat*, Irish artist CMAT, rapper Ghetts, rising star Cat Burns, and indie band The Last Dinner Party.

Fontaine paid tribute to her mother, the creator of the album’s artwork, during the acceptance speech. “I can’t put it into words, really,” she remarked to a news agency after leaving the stage. “I keep forgetting that it’s real.” Whiting echoed her sentiments, saying, “It’s absolutely unbelievable.”

For the first time, the Mercury Prize ceremony was held at Abbey Road Studios in London, moving from its previous venue at the Hammersmith Apollo. The prize is highly coveted among British and Irish musicians, focusing solely on the quality of the music. “When we’re making an album, it’s everything to us,” Fontaine stated. “When an award is so focused on the quality of what you’ve created, it means a lot to an artist.”

Batshit ✍️ phenom ✍️ mercurial ✍️ @Englishteac_her on what it’s like to be the winners of the Mercury Prize 2024 #MercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/PoKVgkP0M6

— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) September 5, 2024

Frost expressed hope that listeners would find new favourites with each listen. “We crammed quite a lot into it,” he said. Judges praised the album for its originality and character, describing it as “a winning lyrical mix of surrealism and social observation” and “a fresh approach to the traditional guitar band format.” They added, “It reveals new depths on every listen—the mark of a future classic.”

This year’s shortlist included eight debut albums, such as Cat Burns’ *Early Twenties*, Nia Archives’ *Silence Is Loud*, Barry Can’t Swim’s *When Will We Land?*, The Last Dinner Party’s *Prelude To Ecstasy*, and corto.alto’s *Bad With Names*. Former Portishead singer Beth Gibbons, nominated for her solo debut *Lives Outgrown*, and Berwyn, who was shortlisted for *Who Am I*, also featured on the list. Other nominees included CMAT with her second album *Crazymad, For Me*, and second-time nominees Charli XCX, Ghetts, and Corinne Bailey Rae.

English Teacher follows in the footsteps of recent winners like Ezra Collective, Little Simz, Arlo Parks, Michael Kiwanuka, Dave, and Wolf Alice. The award, first won by Primal Scream’s *Screamadelica* in 1992, recognises the best albums by British and Irish acts, from newcomers to veterans, highlighting the top 12 albums each year.

Notable past winners include Pulp’s *Different Class*, Dizzee Rascal’s *Boy In Da Corner*, and Arctic Monkeys’ *Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not*. Radiohead and Arctic Monkeys hold the record for the most shortlistings, each appearing five times, though only Arctic Monkeys have won. PJ Harvey remains the only artist with two wins from four nominations.

The 2024 ceremony was hosted by broadcaster and author Annie Mac and BBC Radio 6 Music presenter Huw Stephens, with judges including broadcaster Danielle Perry, musician Jamie Cullum, DJ Jamz Supernova, DJ MistaJam, and rock critic Will Hodgkinson. Albums released in the UK between 15 July 2023 and 12 July 2024 were eligible for this year’s prize.