The 2026 Mercury Prize was awarded to Raye at Newcastle's Utilita Arena, yet the evening's most memorable moment belonged to South Shields singer Jade, whose performance drew a prolonged standing ovation.
Ten of the twelve nominated acts performed in Newcastle, with only Sir Paul McCartney and Dave absent. The lineup included Olivia Dean, Nia Archives, Suede, and Pulp, but it was former Little Mix star Jade who generated the strongest crowd response.
Jade's standout performance
Jade, 33, delivered a rousing rendition of "Angel of My Dreams" accompanied by the Royal Northern Sinfonia, bringing the audience to its feet. The reaction followed her red-carpet comments expressing hope to emulate Sam Fender, who won the award last year.
"He's incredible, isn't he?" Jade told reporter Jamie Roberts. Her performance also came after a surge in playtime following Kylie Jenner's runway appearance in the Fantasy Bra on October 18.
Raye's emotional win
Despite the crowd's overwhelming support for Jade's debut album "That's Showbiz Baby," the accolade went to Raye for "This Music May Contain Hope." Raye performed "I Hate The Way I Look Today" early in the evening and was visibly emotional during her acceptance speech.
"I've always banged on about how much I believe in albums. I wanted to make seven minute songs. I wanted to go to a big band section 'there', and do strings 'there', and, like, just be really indulgent," she said. Referring to the album's title, she added: "Hope is a very cheesy word, you know, especially for us British people. We don't do that kind of deep stuff like that, but hope is just something that we all need, and music is medicine."
Judges' tough decision
The music-industry panel, which included Jamie Cullum, faced a difficult choice. In the Winner's Room, Raye told the press: "I'm really grateful that this music has found its way to ears who just appreciate it the way I hoped it could be appreciated."
While Raye's win was deserved, Roberts concluded that Jade was the night's unofficial winner based on performance alone.
