Singer Sam Fender takes out the Mercury Prize 2025 for album ‘People Watching’

Rocker Sam Fender wins the Mercury Prize 2025 for his third album ‘People Watching’ on Thursday, in a ceremony held in his hometown, Newcastle upon Tyne, England. This was the first time the award ceremony took place outside London.

Albums by the British and Irish artists with a release date between July 13, 2024, and August 29, 2025, were eligible for the Mercury Prize ceremony 2025. 

‘People Watching’ is the third studio album of Fender, and it is the second to be nominated for the prize after 2021’s Seventeen Going Under. The ‘People Watching’ was released back in February and scored an opening-week debut of 110,000 copies. This stat is the highest for a British solo singer since Harry Styles in 2022.

Broadcaster and 6music host Lauren Laverne hosted this ceremony, featuring live performances from nine of the shortlisted acts. Singer Sam Fender performed the title track of the Mercury Prize ceremony.

With Fender’s victory, he won a cash prize of 25,000 pounds ($33,400), and the singer looked stunned when his name was announced on the show. As he came off stage, he told to BBC that he didn’t know what was going to happen at all. Further, he added, “I’ve spent the last 10 minutes crying”.

Fender significantly beat the likes of Pulp and Wolf Alice; they were both the former winners of the 25,000 pounds prize for the best British or Irish album of the year. 

Fender experienced a deafening cheer from his hometown crowd, who were singing every word with him as he performed the title track of the prize-winning album.

Mercury Prize judges called this record “melody-rich and expansive”. When declaring the prize, Sian Eleri said, “It felt like a classic”.

While taking to the stage, Fender dedicated this award to his late mentor Annie Orwin. Fender previously described him as “a sugggate mother in a lot of ways”.

The British singer told to BBC that he was honoured and lucky enough to be with her in the last week of her life. Further, he added that the title track is about her and about grief.

He opened up about the album by adding that the rest of the album is very much related to local stories, little pictures of Shields, and the people he had grown up with.

Winning the Mercury prize on his home soil in Newcastle was as poetic as it was perfectly deserved. Eton John said about Sam Fender a couple of years ago, “He is a British rock ‘n’ roll artist, who is the best rock ‘n’ roll artist there is.”

The chief executive of the BPI, who organized the ceremony, said, “Talent is everywhere, but opportunity isn’t”.