The English Teacher wins the Mercury Prize for her debut album ‘This Could Be Texas’

The four members of the band – singer Lily Fontaine, guitarist Lewis Whiting, bassist Nicholas Eden and drummer Douglas Frost – were clearly stunned when they took to the stage at London’s Abbey Road Studios to collect the award.

“We thought we’d form a band,” Fontaine told the audience, before he and his band mates offered their thanks.

The Leeds group, formed in 2020, released “This Could Be Texas” in April to critical acclaim. Judges said the record stood out for “its originality and character”, describing it as “a lyrical blend of surrealism and social observation … taking on new depth and texture every time you listen”.

First awarded in 1992 to rockers Primal Scream, the annual Mercury Prize recognises up to 12 albums released by British and Irish artists in the United Kingdom over the past year, and awards £25,000 to the winner.

Considered less mainstream than Britain’s pop music honors, the Mercury Prize is open to all music genres.

This year, eight of the nominated titles were debut albums, including “Prelude to Ecstasy” by indie rock band The Last Dinner Party, “Early Twenties” by British-Liberian singer Kat Burns and “When Will We Land?” by Scottish electronic producer and DJ Barry Can’t Swim.

Other contenders included Ghetts’ fourth studio album “On Purpose, With Purpose” and Charli XCX’s “Brat,” which inspired a cultural phenomenon over the summer and was considered the favorite to win Thursday’s ceremony.

The album’s green cover look was used by US presidential candidate Kamala Harris for her “Kamala HQ” social media account after the singer mentioned her in a post in July.

Last year, Ezra Collective won the award for “Where I’m Meant to Be,” the first jazz album to win the prize. Previous winners include rapper Little Simz, singer Arlo Parks and rockers Arctic Monkeys.

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