London rapper Speech Debelle has scooped this year’s Barclaycard Mercury Prize for her debut album ‘Speech Therapy’ at the presentation ceremony in London on Tuesday (September 8).
The 26-year old, the first woman to win the annual music prize since Ms Dynamite won in 2002 with ‘A Little Deeper’.
Speech Debelle‘s album ‘Speech Therapy’ only sold 3,000 copies on its release earlier this year, and didn’t even make the Top 40 album chart, but is expected to receive a huge boost in sales after collecting the Mercury Prize.
Collecting her award at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Debelle said: “Thank you to the panellists, to my band, thank you so much to my mum, to my fans, thank you to whoever’s name’s on the cheque. I’ll be here all night – thank you very much, good night.”
Previous winners include Elbow, Klaxons, Arctic Monkeys, Antony & The Johnsons and Franz Ferdinand.
A special 70-minute televison programme of The Barclaycard Mercury Prize awards show, including performances from all nominees, will be broadcast on BBC 2 on Friday Spetember 11 at 11.40pm.
The shortlist of albums nominated for 2009 Mercury Prize were:
- Bat For Lashes – ‘Two Suns’
- Florence And The Machine – ‘Lungs’
- Friendly Fires – ‘Friendly Fires’
- Glasvegas – ‘Glasvegas’
- The Horrors – ‘Primary Colours’
- La Roux – ‘La Roux’
- Led Bib – ‘Sensible Shoes’
- The Invisible – ‘The Invisible’
- Lisa Hannigan – ‘Sea Sew’
- Kasabian – ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’
- Speech Debelle – ‘Speech Therapy’
- Sweet Billy Pilgrim – ‘Twice Born Men’
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Pic credit: PA Photos