Photo: Wenn
Kate Tempest is now the favourite to win the Mercury Music Prize for her album Everybody Down, beating FKA Twigs into second place.
The hip-hop loving performance poet has had her odds cut to 5/2 by William Hill. “There has been a recent rush of money for Kate Tempest, however it is still FKA Twigs that will see the biggest payout,” said spokesman Joe Crilly.
The winner will be announced at London’s Roundhouse on October 29. Check out all the odds below.
Kate Tempest 5/2
F.K.A. Twigs 11/4
Royal Blood 9/2
East India Youth 9/1
Jungle 9/1
Nick Mulvey 10/1
Damon Albarn 12/1
Bombay Bicycle Club 14/1
Young Father 14/1
Anna Calvi 16/1
Go Go Penguin 20/1
Polar Bear 25/1
Speaking to Gigwise backstage at the Mercury nominations announcement, Tempest said that she was 'extremely proud' and 'a bit overwhelmed' to be among such a 'strong list and strong culture of music making in the UK', after being shortlisted for her acclaimed album, Everbody Down.
"You never start out to make a piece of work with any kind of accolade or prize in mind," Tempest explained. "You make a piece of work because you make a piece of work. Dan [Carey, producer] and I made this album for each other - but I'm not going to lie, it feels unbelievable because I've wanted to be a musician all my life."
She continued: "I'm sure a lot of rap fans wouldn't want me representing rap as a genre, I'm just doing my thing. I'm a huge hip-hop fan, I've got so much from the culture and I hope to give so much back to the culture that inspired me. I would love it if people got with the album and got what it was saying, but winning is just like...even if you just think about it, you're only going to end up getting yourself in a pickle. It's enough to just be here."
Tempest recently announced a 12-date UK tour, which kicks off in Oxford on 7 November and finishes in London on 15 February.
Watch the video for 'The Beigeness' below
Kate Tempest's full tour dates are below. For tickets and more info, click here.
Fri November 07 2014 - OXFORD O2 Academy Oxford
Sat November 08 2014 - SHEFFIELD Plug, The
Sun November 09 2014 - MANCHESTER Manchester Deaf Institute
Tue November 11 2014 - LONDON Village Underground
Wed November 12 2014 - BRISTOL Fleece
Thu November 13 2014 - BRIGHTON Haunt
Sat November 15 2014 - NORWICH Arts Centre
Sun November 16 2014 - BIRMINGHAM Hare and Hounds
Sun February 08 2015 - BRISTOL Marble Factory
Tue February 10 2015 - BRIGHTON Concorde 2
Thu February 12 2015 - MANCHESTER Gorilla
Sun February 15 2015 - LONDON Electric Brixton
Below: 12 beyond parody Amazon reviews of the Mercury shortlist
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