Raye Wins 2026 Mercury Prize for This Music May Contain Hope

Raye won the 2026 Mercury Prize for This Music May Contain Hope, which reached number one on the UK charts. The nomination marked her second time being shortlisted for the award. She said winning made her feel that the work she put into the album had been recognised.

On October 23, Raye will perform the album from beginning to end with an orchestra at Royal Albert Hall. She said the album contains enough musicians to fill approximately four orchestras and that she plans to sleep rather than celebrate before the performance.

Raye said she was particularly proud of the idea of listing everyone involved in the album's final track or of the song I Know You’re Hurting, which she wrote with her band. She also said that progressing through the music industry as an independent artist was not easy. In 2024, she set a record at the BRIT Awards by winning six awards in one year.

As of October 23, 2026, Rein Me In by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean ranked number five on the Apple Music UK songs chart, while Man I Need by Olivia Dean ranked number six.