Music
19 Sep 02

Night - and everything else - on her side

Gemma Hayes is nominated for 2002 Mercury Music Prize

It was announced yesterday that Gemma Hayes is among this year’s nominees for the UK’s Mercury Music Prize.

Hayes - born in Tipperary, based in Dublin and currently on tour in the UK to promote new single ‘Let A Good Thing Go’ - was selected on the strength of her debut album Night On My Side, released earlier this year on British-French label Source.

She’s in tremendously distinguished company, as the shortlist also includes releases from The Streets (for Original Pirate Material, also a debut album) and Doves (for their Number One album The Last Broadcast) – not to mention a certain left-of-centre talent by the name of David Bowie (for his recent release Heathen). Other nominees include LPs from Miss Dynamite (A Little Deeper), Roots Manuva (Run Come Save Me), The Coral (The Coral) and Electric Soft Parade (Holes In The Wall) among others.

The UK bookies’ favourites, as reported in the NME, are Doves or The Streets to win. The winner will be announced on September 17th.

The shortlist of twelve artists – selected from some 200 applications – is below in full.

Doves: The Last Broadcast

The Streets: Original Pirate Material

Miss Dynamite: A Little Deeper

David Bowie: Heathen

Beverley Knight: Who I Am

Roots Manuva: Run Come Save Me

The Coral: The Coral

Electric Soft Parade: Holes In The Wall

The Bees: Sunshine Hit Me

Gemma Hayes: Night On My Side