After 11 Solo Albums, Paul McCartney Lands His First Mercury Prize Nomination at 84

Paul McCartney has collected Grammys, a knighthood, and most other honors a musician can hold, but the Mercury Prize never once looked his way—until now. At 84, he is a first-time nominee for the annual award that recognizes a UK or Irish album, with his spring release The Boys Of Dungeon Lane making the 12-strong shortlist unveiled today. The prize launched in 1992, long after the Beatles split, yet McCartney has put out 11 solo records during its existence without a nod. That drought is over.

The list, covering albums released between late August 2025 and mid-July 2026, stretches across pop, rap, indie, and jazz. Raye’s This Music May Contain Hope and Olivia Dean’s The Art Of Loving represent blockbuster pop; Dave’s The Boy Who Played The Harp returns a previous winner; Suede, who took the second-ever Mercury in 1993, are cited for Antidepressants. Florence + The Machine and Nia Archives each earn further nominations, while newcomers like Dove Ellis, Jade, and jazz group Knats break onto the ballot. Musically, it’s a strong set—but critic Shaad D’Souza noted the field skews heavily toward major-label releases, a familiar tension in the prize’s recent history.

Predictable snub chatter followed. Lily Allen, Harry Styles, Gorillaz, Kneecap, Charli XCX’s Wuthering Heights soundtrack, and others were left off, with Allen’s omission attracting particular attention in the UK press. McCartney’s inclusion, meanwhile, reframes a career that has rarely intersected with this particular jury. He becomes the first Beatle ever nominated, a footnote that says as much about the prize’s window as about his late-career output.