Sam Fender wins 2025 Mercury Prize for people watching, a raw portrait of northern life
Sam Fender has won the 2025 Mercury Prize for his powerful third album People Watching, a deeply personal and unflinching look at working-class life in northern England.
The 31-year-old star appeared overwhelmed as his name was announced at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena, where the Mercury ceremony was held outside London for the first time in its 33-year history.
“I didn’t think that was going to happen at all,” Fender admitted through tears as he stepped off stage. “I’ve spent the last 10 minutes crying.”
The crowd, packed with fans from his native North Shields, erupted into cheers as he accepted the £25,000 award, beating out strong competition from Pulp, Wolf Alice, CMAT, and PinkPantheress.
Judges praised People Watching as “melody-rich and expansive, marrying heartland rock with the realities of everyday life and the importance of community.” Radio 1’s Sian Eleri, announcing the result, said the record “felt like a classic.”
Released in February 2025, People Watching debuted at number one, selling more than 107,000 copies in its first week — the fastest-selling British album since Harry Styles’ Harry’s House in 2022. The record follows Fender’s acclaimed 2022 release Seventeen Going Under, which earned him his first Mercury nomination.
On stage, Fender dedicated the win to his late mentor Annie Orwin, who inspired the title track. “She was like a surrogate mother in a lot of ways,” he said. “The title song was about her and about grief. The rest of the album is made up of local stories, little pictures of Shields, and the people I grew up with. I think we got it right this time.”
Backstage, Fender and his band celebrated with champagne, joking that the singer would mark his win with a “pyjama party.” Laughing, he replied: “I’m gonna have a beer.”
The victory was especially poignant given the location. Newcastle has long been central to Fender’s story — he’s sold out three nights at St James’ Park, playing to more than 150,000 fans earlier this year.
Winning the Mercury on home soil, then, felt like a moment of destiny. As Elton John once said: “He’s a British rock ’n’ roll artist — the best there is.”
But while critics and fans alike have hailed Fender as “the voice of a generation,” he has repeatedly rejected that label. “People say it all the time, and it’s ridiculous,” he told the LA Times earlier this year. “I’m not, honestly. I’m an idiot. I just write about my experiences and the people I know. People attach such weight to it.”
Those experiences fuel People Watching. Across its 11 tracks, Fender captures the fragility and endurance of northern life — tackling themes of poverty, grief, and resilience with raw honesty.
The title track mourns the decline of Britain’s social care system — inspired by his visits to Orwin in palliative care — while songs like Crumbling Empire draw parallels between the fading industrial landscapes of Detroit and Tyneside. Rein Me In, meanwhile, wrestles with the ghosts of lost love.
Despite its bleak imagery, the album ultimately shines with hope, celebrating the bonds of friendship and community that persist in hardship. As one critic put it, “It’s a record about ordinary people that turns the everyday into the epic.”
The 2025 shortlist reflected the diversity and innovation of British music, with Irish country-pop star CMAT widely tipped to win for her album Euro-Country, and veteran folk legend Martin Carthy nominated for Reflections.
For Fender, though, the night was more than an award — it was recognition from his roots. “Newcastle’s always been in an isolated bubble from the industry,” he said. “So for the Mercury Prize to come here and for me to win it, it’s massive. Hopefully, it’s the start of many other wonderful things.”
As the cheers died down and the lights dimmed, the local hero summed up his night in typically understated fashion. “I didn’t think that was going to happen,” he said again with a grin. “But I’m glad it did.”