Written by Harry Taylor
Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
Little Simz released her ground-breaking album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (SIMBI) in September 2021, seeing her receive the second Mercury Prize nomination of her career. After she finally broke into the consciousness of music fans with her 5th album Grey Area in 2019, SIMBI sees her express similar themes through a wider variety of sounds and personal experiences. By far her most ambitious project, the album is a 19 song, 65-minute journey through her socio-political views, her experiences as a woman, her inner struggles with introversion, a warm embrace of her Nigerian heritage, as well as brutally honest songs regarding family. Cinematic in sound, illuminating in content, the North-London born rapper makes a strong claim to the award, producing arguably her best album to date. The 28-year-old has excelled into new realms of creativity on SIMBI, continuing to break boundaries as her value to music and recognition as an artist simply skyrockets with every release.  
The Mercury Prize rightly has a reputation for rewarding the work of seminal artists, and they cannot miss their chance with Little Simz, who has paved the way as one of the most influential voices in British hip-hop that this generation has to offer. 
Harry Styles – Harry’s House
Alongside Little Simz, Harry Styles was also shortlisted this year for the Mercury Prize Award. Styles has gone from pop sensation to pop icon with his latest album, HarryÔÇÖs House, which saw him receive his first Mercury Prize nomination in a year that just keeps on getting better for the former One Directioner. Styles has reached further across the music scene than he ever has before, firmly grasping the ears of people who refused to accept they liked his music up until this point. Yet it is testament to the introspection of this fantastic album that he has wooed fans and non-fans alike. The track list starts euphorically with the opening track ÔÇÿMusic for a Sushi RestaurantÔÇÖ, where unusual instrumentation fades into angelic melodies, then pouring into a catchy, funk-filled song which really sets the tone for the album. Added to this are the synth-heavy tracks such as ÔÇÿLate Night TalkingÔÇÖ and ÔÇÿDaylightÔÇÖ, the slow-starting, but mesmerizingly catchy chorused song ÔÇÿSatelliteÔÇÖ, as well as the lead single, ÔÇÿAs It WasÔÇÖ. These songs produce Harry StylesÔÇÖ most experimental and stylistically diverse album, as noted by his Mercury Prize Award nomination, and is a progression which many fans welcome and are excited by as his solo career launches him to self-made super-stardom.