Sampha On His Mercury Prize Win: “It Feels Amazing”

Sampha said winning the 2017 Mercury Prize was a "boost" for his self-esteem and that he planned to spend his £25,000 prize money on building a new studio.

The singer took home the prize for his debut album Process at a London ceremony on Thursday night. Speaking at a press conference held shortly after the ceremony ended, Sampha again referenced his parents having dedicated the award to them from the stage. "My mum would be very proud, my dad would probably be embarrassingly proud," he said. "They'd be super happy for me."

Talking about the feeling of winning, he added: "It feels amazing. It has taken me a while to feel like I'm emotionally stable enough to write my own record and everyone was so lovely to give me the time to create it. I put my heart and soul into the record and I'm very proud of it. It's a very internal record and I think that comes across. It's great to be recognized for that."

Sampha added that "it meant a lot" to win, having seen previous winners such as The xx and Dizzee Rascal pick up the annual prize in the past. "As an artist you can struggle with self-esteem sometimes and something like this definitely gives you a boost," he explained.

Asked what he plans to spend his cash on, the south London artist hinted that it would be something sensible. "I want to build a studio. so it might go towards that," he said. "Saving is always good too."

Revisit all the looks from this year’s Mercury Prize red carpet here, watch Stormzy's stunning performance here, and see 2016 Mercury winner Skepta return to the stage with special guest Rex Orange County.