Little Simz wins 2022 Mercury Prize with 'Sometimes I Might Be Introvert'

The London rapper and actor was the only second-time nominee on the night

The 2022 Mercury Prize has gone to Little Simz for her fourth studio album ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert.’

The 28-year-old North London rapper was declared overall winner of the prestigious award yesterday at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith.

Accepting the award on Tuesday night, Simz was initially speechless. “Wow. I’m very very overwhelmed, I’m very grateful,” she said. “Glory to God – God thank you so much; to my family over here, my loved ones right here. I wanna say a huge thank you to the Mercury for this incredible, incredible prize. I wanna say a thank you to my brother and close collaborator [producer] Inflo – Flo [has] known me since I was so young, he’s stuck by me, we created this album together. There was times in the studio I didn’t know if I was gonna finish this record, I was going through all the emotions … he stuck by me.”

The album came in at number 1 spot in Dummy’s 25 Best Albums of 2021 list towards the end of last year. Commenting on the award-winning record, we said: “Splicing political commentary with inward-looking, soul-bearing memoirs, the 19-track project balances out the braggadocio pen-game we’ve come to love from the rapper with a more vulnerable and self-reflective side of her craft. The album’s lyrics tell a clear and cohesive story of poverty, government failures, love and loss, grappling as much with her own mind as she is with the society that surrounds her.”

“If ‘Grey Area’ saw the north Londoner come into her own as an MC, then ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’ is Little Simz’s enduring artistic stamp, developing her sound to be more expansive, cinematic and unique than ever before.”

This year’s ceremony was rescheduled from September 8 after it coincided with the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Check out this video of an 11-year-old Little Simz performing on BBC Radio 1Xtra.