Nia Archives becomes first jungle artist to earn Mercury Prize nomination in 26 years
'Silence is Loud' is the first album from the genre to be included in the prestigious prize's shortlist since Roni Size's 'New Form' took home the award in 1997
Nia Archives' 'Silence is Loud' has made history as the first jungle album to be nominated for the Mercury Prize in 26 years.
The Bradford-born singer recieved the nomination yesterday (26 July), the first jungle artist to do so since Roni Size took home the prize in 1997 for 'New Forms'.
The nomination marks a monumental achievement for both Nia and dance music as a whole, joining a number handful of other electronic artsits who have made the prestigious shortlist — including Burial, Jon Hopkins and Shygirl, as well as fellow 2024 nominee Barry Can’t Swim.
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‘Silence is Loud’ has received glowing reviews since its April release, acclaimed for Nia’s daring approach to blending Brit-pop and alt-rock influences with classic ‘90s jungle breaks — with the artist herself describing the project as “more song-focussed” than her other work.
The shortlist for 2024 also includes Charli XCX with her club-pop masterpiece ‘BRAT’, Ghetts with his introspective fourth studio album ‘On Purpose, With Purpose’, and Berwyn’s emotionally mature ‘Who Am I’.
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The list of nominees was decided by a panel of industry experts, which this year includes BBC 6 Music’s Jamz Supernova, music critic for The Times Will Hodgkinson, BBC Radio 2’s Jeff Smith, and Capital Dance’s Mistajam.
Check out the full list of nominations below:
Barry Can’t Swim - ‘When Will We Land?’
BERWYN - ‘Who Am I’
Beth Gibbons - ‘Lives Outgrown’
Cat Burns - ‘early twenties’
Charli XCX - ‘BRAT’
CMAT - ‘Crazymad, for Me’
Corinne Bailey Rae - ‘Black Rainbows’
corto.alto - ‘Bad with Names’
English Teacher - ‘This Could Be Texas’
Ghetts - ‘On Purpose, With Purpose’
Nia Archives - ‘Silence Is Loud’
The Last Dinner Party - ‘Prelude to Ecstasy’
Jamaal Johnson is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow him on Instagram