Michael Kiwanuka Shortlisted for Mercury Prize Album of the Year, and also shared a new video to the song “Light”.

Michael Kiwanuka Shortlisted for Mercury Prize Album of the Year for his third album “Kiwanuka”, it’s the third time in his career following nominations for “Home Again” and “Love & Hate”. He has been already nominated for numerous honors, including the Brit Awards, MTV Europe Music Awards, Mercury Prize, BBC Music Awards. In January 2012, he won the BBC's Sound of 2012. He also shared recently a new video to the song “Light (Edit)”, it's shorter version of the song from his self titled third album produced by Inflo (Saul, Little Simz) and Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley, Black Keys).

“It still feels just as amazing as the first (nomination). The Mercury is a place you can celebrate artistic merit – one of the few places that upholds that in the mainstream. It supports music as an art form, more than just a form of entertainment and commercial gain. For me that’s super important”, Kiwanuka said about the nomination.

Watch below a new video to Michael Kiwanuka song “Light (Edit)”, the first single from his Mercury Prize shortlisted last album “Kiwanuka”:

“The way so much of the world has been designed has often caused me and so many other Black people psychological damage. We so often hear that we are lesser than because we are Black. We are a label, a token, a statistic, and we can be dehumanized.” Though he’s never been one to shy away from using both his art and his platform to unapologetically display his blackness, this time he says, “I wanted to declare in words that I’m so proud to be Black. We are so beautiful and have such a wonderful history of strength, overcoming, talent, innovation, creativity, invention and love”, Kiwanuka says.

Michael Kiwanuka album “Kiwanuka” came out 1 November 2019, via Polydor and Interscope Records.

The Mercury prize, since 1992 aims to recognize “artistic achievement across a range of contemporary music genres”. Full shortlist of nominees below:

Moses Boyd – Dark Matter

Michael Kiwanuka – Kiwanuka

Stormzy – Heavy Is The Head

Kano – Hoodies All Summer

Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia

Charli XCX – How I'm Feeling Now

Laura Marling – Song For Our Daughter

Sports Team – Deep Down Happy

Anna Meredith – FIBS

Georgia – Seeking Thrills