Jacob Alon, a 25-year-old Scottish singer-songwriter, has won the 2026 Brits Critics' Choice Award, marking a milestone for the queer, non-binary artist whose intimate folk music has drawn comparisons to Nick Drake and Elliott Smith. Alon beat pop contenders Sienna Spiro and Rose Gray for the prize, which follows their Mercury Prize shortlisting for last year's debut album, In Limerence.
Alon described the award as unexpected, given their music's alternative nature. 'The Brits is this very mainstream thing — far more commercial than I thought my music appealed to,' they said. 'Adele won it, what the f***?! The other two girls are pop queens, so I thought they were way more likely to win.'
Born in Dunfermline, a small Scottish town they describe as 'homogenous,' Alon struggled to find visible queer role models. 'I didn't see a lot of people like me reflected in the world around me,' they said. 'The world is moving in a very scary direction, and I worry so much for younger people now.'
Alon initially studied theoretical physics and medicine at university before turning to music. 'I had something in me that I needed to express and not being able to do that was killing me,' they explained. They noted a cultural reluctance in Scotland to pursue the arts, contrasting it with Ireland's celebration of musicians.
