Fender, visibly stunned and tearful upon hearing the announcement, told the BBC backstage, “I didn’t think that was going to happen at all. I’ve spent the last 10 minutes crying.” His victory, which included a £25,000 prize, was met with a deafening cheer from the local audience, who had earlier sung along to every word of his performance of the title track.
The 31-year-old artist beat a diverse shortlist that included former winners Pulp and Wolf Alice, as well as bookmakers’ favorite, Irish singer CMAT. People Watching was a massive commercial success upon its February release, selling 107,000 copies and becoming the fastest-selling British artist album since Harry Styles’ 2022 record.
Fender dedicated the award to his late mentor, Annie Orwin, stating that the title track was written about her and about grief. He described the rest of the album as capturing the essence of his local community: “The rest of the album is very much local stories, little pictures of Shields, and the people I’ve grown up with.”
The relocation of the Mercury Prize ceremony from London to Newcastle this year was part of a music industry initiative towards decentralization. Fender embraced the shift, noting that Newcastle had always felt like “an isolated bubble” from the music industry, making the recognition even more significant. Despite being hailed by Elton John as “the best rock ‘n’ roll artist there is,” Fender maintains a humble perspective. When asked about celebrating his win, he kept it simple: “I’m gonna have a beer.”
