British-Nigerian band Ezra Collective wins 2023 Mercury Prize

The prize recognises the best new British and Irish music, celebrating artistic achievement across an eclectic range of contemporary music genres. Ezra Collective’s triumph over 11 other shortlisted acts was announced from the Hammersmith Apollo in London on 7 September, making the band the first jazz group to win the accolade. 

Aside from the winner’s trophy, the band also collected a cheque for £25 000m ($31 000) and then performed a song from the winning album. The band signed a deal with Partisan Records last year, joining a roster that includes Nigeria’s Femi and Made Kuti, Nigerien guitarist Bombino, and Tunisian singer-songwriter and producer Emel Mathlouthi, among others.

“Ezra Collective represents something very special because we met in a youth club … and this moment that we’re celebrating right here is testimony to good special people putting time and effort into young people to play music,” bandleader Femi Koleoso said in his acceptance speech.

The Mercury Prize judging panel said in a joint statement: “Virtuosity, community, listening to each other to work out where to go next… who knew that such seemingly old-fashioned values would come to the fore on the winning album of the 2023 Mercury Prize. It wasn’t easy to choose an overall winner from such an eclectic and exciting list, but ultimately the judges were unanimous. Ezra Collective are a living argument for putting the hours in, achieving musical brilliance and tapping into a joyous spirit that ensures their album is as fun as it is impressive. 

“The British jazz renaissance of the past decade has been one of the most significant developments in modern music. Now, Where I’m Meant to Be, with its touches of reggae, soul, Latin and Afrobeats, its call-and-response riffs and rhythmic intensity, is a landmark not only for jazz but for contemporary music in general.”

Previous winners of the prize, first presented in 1992, include British-Ugandan artist Michael Kiwanuka, British-Nigerian rapper Little Simz and singer-songwriter Arlo Parks, who is of Nigerian, Chadian and French descent.