Raye beats Paul McCartney, Olivia Dean to win Mercury Prize

British singer-songwriter Raye has won the Mercury Prize for her album This Music May Contain Hope.

She beat fellow nominees including Paul McCartney, Jade and Olivia Dean, CE Report quotes ANA-MPA.

The singer's second album, released in March, debuted at number one on the charts and features the singles Click Clack Symphony, featuring Hans Zimmer, I Know You're Hurting, Nightingale Lane and Where Is My Husband!

The 28-year-old singer, whose real name is Rachel Keen, also competed against rapper Dave and bands Florence + the Machine and Suede.

The winner was announced at a ceremony in Newcastle, which hosted the event for the second consecutive year.

According to Wikipedia, Rachel Agatha Keen (born 24 October 1997), known professionally as Raye (/reɪ/ RAY), is a British singer-songwriter and record producer. Her music blends elements of jazz, pop, dance, R&B, and soul, and her lyrics address personal experiences and contemporary issues. She has contributed as a songwriter to music by numerous other artists.

She signed with Polydor Records in 2014 and gained recognition in 2016 through collaborations on Jonas Blue's "By Your Side"—her first entry on the UK Singles Chart—and Jax Jones's "You Don't Know Me", which reached the UK top three. Raye later released several extended plays, as well as the project Euphoric Sad Songs (2020), which spawned the UK top-ten single "Secrets", a collaboration with Regard. In 2021, she collaborated with Joel Corry and David Guetta on the UK top-three entry "Bed", and departed Polydor, citing the label's refusal to release her debut studio album.

Raye signed with Human Re Sources in 2022 and independently released her debut studio album, My 21st Century Blues (2023), to critical acclaim. Its third single, "Escapism", became her first UK chart-topper. She also collaborated with Cassö and D-Block Europe on the UK top-two single "Prada". Raye's second studio album, This Music May Contain Hope (2026), received critical acclaim and became her first number-one album on the UK Albums Chart. Its lead single, "Where Is My Husband!", became her second UK chart-topper and her highest-charting release on the Billboard Global 200.

The first female recipient of the Brit Award for Songwriter of the Year, Raye has won seven Brit Awards and two Ivor Novello Awards, in addition to awards from the Recording Academy and the Songwriters Hall of Fame and nominations for two Mercury Prizes and three Grammy Awards. Her six wins at the Brit Awards 2024 set the record for the most awards received by an artist in a single year.

In 2026, Raye won the Mercury Prize for her album This Music May Contain Hope.

Photo Instagram/raye