Ezra Collective have been announced tonight, Thursday 7 September 2023, as the overall winner of the 2023 Mercury Prize for their album ‘Where I’m Meant To Be’.
The ceremony was hosted by BBC Music’s Lauren Laverne, with guest presenter Jamz Supernova announcing the overall winner on behalf of the judges. The event took place at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith.
Ezra Collective collected the winner’s trophy and £25,000 cheque before performing a song from their winning album ‘Where I’m Meant To Be’.
The show featured live performances from many of the 2023 Albums of the Year finalists, including Ezra Collective, J Hus, Jessie Ware, Jockstrap, Lankum, Loyle Carner, Olivia Dean, RAYE, Shygirl and Young Fathers. A filmed live performance was shown to celebrate the albums of Arctic Monkeys and Fred Again… as they are currently on tour.
The Prize’s broadcast partner, BBC Music, provided live television and radio coverage of the event, as well as online and social media coverage.
BBC Four broadcast ‘Mercury Prize 2023 Album of the Year’ on Thursday, September 7, 2023 from 9pm to 10.15pm.
BBC Radio 6 Music also covered the Awards Show for listeners from 7pm to 12am on Thursday, September 7. The program was presented by Tom Ravenscroft and Deb Grant, with Matt Everitt reporting from the ceremony and interviewing the shortlisted artists. The show also included the announcement of the overall winning album. The album was then played in full on air.
Also available on BBC Sounds is a Mercury Prize 2023 Collection, which features Matt Everitt’s 3 x 60 pocket guides to all 12 shortlisted albums, along with two playlists – one celebrating this year’s shortlisted artists and another celebrating previous Mercury Prize winners.
