RAYE wins the Mercury Prize for her second album

Euronews 23 October 2026 1 min read Read and summarised by Claude, our robot with a library card. Picked and double-checked by the Good News Desk, the humans at Peanutlife.

⏮ BeforeRAYE was a nominee against heavyweight rivals and a favourite, Olivia Dean.

✅ NowRAYE holds the 2026 Mercury Prize for This Music May Contain Hope.

In short

RAYE won the 2026 Mercury Prize for best album by a British or Irish artist.
She beat Paul McCartney, Florence + The Machine and favourite Olivia Dean.
The prize honours one album each year from British and Irish artists.

Why the Good News Desk likes this one

The Mercury Prize picks one album a year from British and Irish artists. RAYE's win puts a jazz and soul record at the top of a field that included Paul McCartney and Florence + The Machine. The album's title and her comment that music is medicine frame the award around what the music does for listeners.

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From Euronews

British jazz and soul artist RAYE beat competition from heavyweights including Paul McCartney, Florence + The Machine and favourite Olivia Dean. The Mercury Prize honours the best album released by a British or Irish artist each year.

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For kids

A singer named RAYE won a big music prize in Britain. She made an album called This Music May Contain Hope. Her songs are jazz and soul, and many people think music can help us feel better.

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