Sam Fender wins 2025 Mercury Prize with ’People Watching,’ releases new collaboration with Elton John

Friday, October 17, 2025 at 9:38 AM

Sam Fender‘s People Watching won the 2025 Mercury Prize. The prestigious award, which was handed out Thursday, honors the best album of the year from a British or Irish artist. Other nominees included Wolf Alice‘s The Clearing and Fontaines D.C.‘s Romance. In a fitting bit of timing, Fender’s […]

Sam Fender‘s People Watching won the 2025 Mercury Prize.

The prestigious award, which was handed out Thursday, honors the best album of the year from a British or Irish artist.

Other nominees included Wolf Alice‘s The Clearing and Fontaines D.C.‘s Romance.

In a fitting bit of timing, Fender’s also just released a new collaboration with the legendary Elton John, called “Talk to You.” The track will appear on the upcoming deluxe edition of People Watching, due out Dec. 5.

“I was playing around with the riff and thought what I need is a really good pianist and then hmmm, I wonder who I can call?” Fender says of writing “Talk to You.” “And of course, who better than Elton John.”

The original People Watching dropped in February.

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