BERWYN has spoken to NME about the political turmoil that shaped his Mercury-nominated new album ‘Who Am I’ – and his favourites to take home the prize this year.
The Trinidad-born, Romford-raised rapper, producer, singer and songwriter was appearing on the red carpet of the launch of the Mercury Prize last week (Thursday July 25), where it was announced that he’d been shortlisted for acclaimed 2023 album ‘Who Am I’ – facing off competition from records by the likes of Charli XCX, CMAT, Corinne Bailey Rae, The Last Dinner Party, Ghetts, English Teacher, Beth Gibbons, Barry Can’t Swim and more.
This marks the recent NME cover star‘s second Mercury nod, after landing himself a place on the shortlist in 2021 for his mix ‘‘DEMOTAPE/VEGA’.
Responding to the rest of the shortlist this year, BERWYN told NME: “It’s tough competition for sure. Last time I was nominated for a mixtape, this time I’m nominated for an album. There are a lot of serious works of art on there; it’s not a joke. I’m here, I’m alive and I’m happy.
“I’ve read a lot of the reviews from a lot of the critics. The opinion of the music critics matter to me because they’re specialist and know what they’re talking about, but apart from that, it’s just noise. That’s responsible for the way the album is – ignoring the noise – so I had to continue doing that.”
Pressed on who he could see taking home the prize this year, he replied: “Ghetts. I’m a big fan, and this is a serious body of work in his library of serious bodies of work. This one deserves the accolade and recognition.
“I also don’t think that the influence that Charli XCX has had around the world is easy to accomplish. That’s not something you can pay for. Art is here to influence the world around it, and she’s done a great job. I’d say it’s between those two.”
‘DEMOTAPE/VEGA’ was followed by ‘Tape 2/Fomalhaut’, which saw him land the Best New Act win at the 2022 BandLab NME Awards. His debut proper, ‘Who Am I’, sees him tackle the perception of himself against the backdrop of the UK’s hostile immigration policy – ultimately finding that love conquers all.
“Even though we’re not doing the great Egyptian exodus, we’re still in incredibly crazy times where the liberty and freedom of human beings is restricted,” BERWYN told NME. “There’s a fight for it still. A reminder that the fight is still on is an important thing.
“I love to spread a good message, and it’s a true and honest message: love does conquer all. I can vouch for that, I’ve got the t-shirt, and it’s a serious life hack.”
Asked if he feels hopeful about attitudes shifting and tensions lifting in the UK, BERWYN said that thought that”change is en route” and “we’re experiencing change”.
“It’s not as fast-paced as we’d probably like it to be, but we don’t have control over change,” he concluded. “We take it for what it is. I’m grateful that things are changing and I’m optimistic that they will get to where they need to be eventually.
“During my lifetime? For my grandkids? Who cares? But things are changing. I’m grateful to contribute to the change.”
The winner of the 2024 Mercury Prize will be announced in September.