# Raye wins the Mercury Prize with This Music May Contain Hope

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/raye-wins-the-mercury-prize-with-this-music-may-contain-hope/
- Published: 2026-10-23T00:04:25+00:00
- Original publisher: BBC Entertainment (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cw073mj02v72o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- Topics: Art, Celebrity, Culture, Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Raye won the 2026 Mercury Prize for her second album.
- It is the first pop winner since 1994.
- The 17-track record features more than 100 musicians.

## Summary

Raye has won the 2026 Mercury Prize for her second album, *This Music May Contain Hope*, beating nominees including Paul McCartney, Olivia Dean and Jade. The award recognises the best British or Irish album of the past year, and this is the first time a pop album has won since M People’s *Elegant Slumming* in 1994.

Released in March, the 17-track album runs for 73 minutes and features the hit “Where Is My Husband?”, four orchestras and more than 100 musicians. It reached the top of the UK chart and follows a cinematic story of heartbreak and resilience; work on it was delayed for almost a year after Raye’s car, notebooks and demos were stolen and later recovered.

## Coverage

- [BBC Entertainment: Raye wins the Mercury Prize with This Music May Contain Hope](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cw073mj02v72o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss)
- [NME: Raye on the “best birthday present” of her Mercury Prize win: “I just feel seriously seen”](https://www.nme.com/news/music/raye-mercury-prize-interview-winners-room-music-hope-birthday-royal-albert-hall-3973906?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=raye-mercury-prize-interview-winners-room-music-hope-birthday-royal-albert-hall)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.