“It sounds like me”: Loyle Carner talks his 2017 Hyundai Mercury Prize-nominated debut

It’s no secret that there’s a particular high standard amongst the nominees for this year’s 2017 Hyundai Mercury Prize, and that’s certainly no different for the debut albums that are in the running. One of the stand-outs is undeniably (at least, for DIY - Ed) Loyle Carner’s brilliant offering ‘Yesterday’s Gone’; an album that, as Loyle told us earlier tonight on his way into the ceremony, is “the most honest thing” he could’ve released.

“You know, I really trusted it when it came out,” he said, on the red carpet. “I didn’t think it’d be nominated for something like this, or that this many people would listen to it, but I did know that it represented me in the best way possible. When people listen to it, it sounds like me. When I’ve listened back to it, I think, ‘Yeah, it still sounds like me at 21.’ A little more stupid than I am now, but not as smart as I could be. That’s what it is. Honest is all it can be.”

Loyle’s nod this year is also one of a good handful for artists coming from South London - others from the area include Kate Tempest, Stormzy and Sampha. “It’s nice,” he says. “There’s a lot of guys from South London that are representing and it’s about time, we’ve b