Sam Fender‘s People Watching has won the 2025 Mercury Prize. The award, which honors the best British album of the year, was given out at a gala ceremony on Thursday night at Utilita Arena in Newcastle, UK. He beat out acclaimed nominated albums by CMAT and Pulp, who were oddsmakers’ favorites to win, as well as Fontaines D.C,. PinkPantheress, FKA Twigs and more.
Sian Eleri, a BBC radio DJ and one of the Mercury Prize judges on the judging panel, announced the winner, saying People Watching had “cohesion, character and ambition. It felt like a classic album, one that will take pride of place in record collections for years to come.”
Congrats, Sam. Listen to the album below.