The coveted annual award marking the best British album of the year has made a decision: Michael Kiwanuka‘s 2019 studio effort, Kiwanuka. The record topped releases from Charli XCX, Stormzy, Dua Lipa, Laura Marling, and others.
“I’m over the moon, so so excited,” Kiwanuka told The Guardian. “This [prize] is for art, for music, for albums—it’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do, so to win a Mercury is a dream come true… It’s blown my mind.”
Kiwanuka went on to shout out the producers that made the record with him, Danger Mouse and Inflo, calling them “some of the best musicians, artists, creatives around, they’ve really helped me grow.”
As for the artist’s third album being self-titled, Kiwanuka said that it was public affirmation of self after a bout of “imposter syndrome,” he explained. “It was taking things away from the experience of doing my dream job. So I made a decision when I was making this album that I wanted to be myself, enjoy it, and not hold back, and show myself as clear as I can be.”
