Ezra Collective win Mercury Music Prize 2023
Entertainment
They won the £25,000 prize for their album Where I'm Meant To Be
(Web Desk) - Jazz quintet Ezra Collective have won the Mercury Prize, for the best British or Irish album of the last 12 months.
They won the £25,000 prize for their album Where I'm Meant To Be, which is the first-ever jazz album to win.
The group held off competition from Jessie Ware, J Hus, Arctic Monkeys, Fred Again and Raye to win the prize.
Accepting the award, drummer Femi Koleoso said the album "represents something very special because we met in a youth club".
"This moment that we're celebrating right here is testament to good, special people putting time and effort into young people to play music," he continued.
"This is not just a result for Ezra Collective, or for UK jazz, but this is a special moment for every single organisation across the country, ploughing efforts and time into young people playing music." He added: "If a jazz band winning the Mercury Prize doesn't make you believe in God, I don't know what will.
Their album, while broadly categorised as jazz, is a melting pot of genres, with elements of grime, salsa and reggae. Speaking to BBC News after their win was announced, Koleoso explained: "We're the shuffle generation of music, we listen to some Beethoven, and then 50 Cent comes on straight after, and then Little Simz comes on just after that.
"And that kind of influences the way we approach music. So there are no rules, we love jazz, but at the same time we love salsa too, so why not try and get that in there?" Spearheading London's burgeoning and boundary-breaking jazz scene, Ezra Collective released their debut album, You Can't Steal My Joy, in 2019.
Bursting with life, it combined elements of Afrobeat, jazz, reggae, salsa, hip-hop and grime. But before they could take it on tour, the pandemic hit.
Where I'm Meant To Be was written and recorded in lockdown, inspired by a conversation about imposter syndrome with film director Sir Steve McQueen (12 Years A Slave, Small Axe).
Rather than reflect the isolation of the Covid era, the album is a joyous celebration of camaraderie and friendship - assisted by singers like Jorja Smith and Emeli Sande; and rappers including Kojey Radical and Sampa The Great.
Soulful and rhythmically propulsive, it's guaranteed to make you move.
