Nia Archives' 'Emotional Junglist' Lands on the 2026 Mercury Prize Shortlist
The Mercury Prize announced its 2026 shortlist today, and there’s a name on it OGM readers will recognize: Nia Archives, whose Emotional Junglist we already told you was her “boundless second album.” Turns out we weren’t the only ones paying attention — the jungle-and-jazz auteur is now in the running for one of British and Irish music’s most prestigious honors.
She’s got company. The full twelve-album list: Dave’s The Boy Who Played the Harp, Dove Ellis’ Blizzard, Florence + The Machine’s Everybody Scream, JADE’s THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY!, Knats’ A Great Day In Newcastle, Kojey Radical’s Don’t Look Down, Nia Archives’ Emotional Junglist, Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving, Paul McCartney’s The Boys of Dungeon Lane, RAYE’s THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE., Suede’s Antidepressants, and the War Child Records compilation HELP(2).
It’s a genuinely stacked field — pop heavyweights sitting next to left-field breakout records, plus a bona fide Beatle in McCartney reminding everyone he can still get nominated for things. The Mercury has a long history of rewarding exactly the kind of records that don’t always get their due elsewhere, and Archives’ left-of-center junglism fits that lineage well. The winner takes home the trophy at a ceremony October 22 at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena. Until then, consider this your excuse to go stream Emotional Junglist again — we already gave you five thumbs up for a reason.
Source: DIY Magazine