Arlo Parks with her 2021 Mercury Prize trophy
Hammersmith-born singer, songwriter and poet Arlo Parks has won the 2021 Mercury Prize for her debut album Collapsed in Sunbeams.
The prestigious prize is awarded for the best album released that year by a British or Irish act.
The victory was made even more special for the 21-year-old by the fact that the ceremony took place on Parks’ home turf, at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith.
“What a ride this has been - to be singing my heart out in the venue that I used to cycle past to get to school feels completely unreal,” she said in on Twitter before the ceremony.
“I grew up nearby the Apollo,” she added. “I remember meeting my friends at the McDonald’s in the Hammersmith Broadway as a kid.”
Collapsed in Sunbeams was released on Transgressive Records in January 2021, to widespread critical acclaim, and reached number three in the UK album charts.
Other albums on the shortlist included Conflict of Interest by rapper Ghetts, As the Love Continues from post-rock veteran Mogwai, and Blue Weekend by indie stars Wolf Alice.
Arlo Parks isn’t the first artist from Hammersmith & Fulham to be nominated for the Mercury Prize – Shepherds Bush electronica duo Jungle made the shortlist in 2014 for their self-titled debut album.
After securing the award, Parks is guaranteed a glorious homecoming, as she has sold out back-to-back nights at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire on 3 and 4 November.
Times, tickets and details are available on the Arlo Parks event page of the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire website.
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