PJ Harvey Beats Out Adele To Win 2011 Mercury Prize Award
At last night’s 2011 Barclaycard Mercury Prize Awards Show held in London, singer-songwriter PJ Harvey won top honors of the evening with her angsty, politically-minded album release, Let England Shake. Walking away with a little metal statue as well as an extra 20,000 in her pocket, PJ Harvey beat out serious contenders such as the chart-topping Adele (who I was guessing would win this year’s prestigious award), rapping sensation Tinie Tempah, hipster heroes Metronomy, our homegirl Katy B and the super moody, super depressing James Blake.
Last night’s win for the 41-year-old songstress was also one for the history books, as Harvey’s award was her second Mercury Prize triumph, making her the first musician to have ever won the nod twice in the Prize’s 19-year-history.
Harvey’s first win 10 years ago was back on a day that none of us will ever forget.
“When I last won 10 years ago on September 11, 2001, I was watching the Pentagon burning from my hotel window,” Harvey said as she spoke to the audience at last night’s ceremony, continuing to say, “So much has happened since then. This album took me a long time to write. It was very important to me. I wanted to make something meaningful, not just for myself but for other people, and hopefully to make something that would last.”
Her latest Mercury Prize-winning album was actually inspired by the warfare and conflicts that have engulfed Iraq and Afghanistan over the past few years or so. The tough-as-nails lyrics and serious tone throughout Let England Shake are both clear indicators that this latest release isn’t just another feminine-empowered, alternative rock record for the living legend that PJ Harvey is usually known for creating.
If the judges on the Mercury Prize board were dead set on giving this year’s award to a female-empowering chanteuse, I still don’t understand why Adele didn’t go home with this year’s award for her powerful work on 21?
Hopefully Adele will put out another outstanding record next year, and give the Mercury Prize judges another chance to see how talented she truly is!
[via Telegraph]
