Arlo Parks wins the 2021 Mercury Prize

Indie-soul singer Arlo Parks has won the 2021 Mercury Prize for her debut album, Collapsed In Sunbeams.

A tender, intimate record, it draws on painful subjects like depression and anxiety but maintains a sense of hope.

The 20-year-old beat the likes of Wolf Alice, Celeste and Mogwai to scoop the £25,000 prize at a ceremony in Hammersmith, London, where she grew up.

Judges called her a "singular voice" who "demonstrates how to be quietly strong in a world of extrovert noise".

Parks, who was left "completely speechless" by her victory, is the first Mercury Prize winner to be born in the 21st Century.

The Mercury Prize, given to the best British or Irish album of the past 12 months, is now in its 30th year.

Previous winners include era-defining records such as Primal Scream's Screamadelica, Pulp's Different Class and Dave's Psychodrama.

This year's list of nominees was typically eclectic, including chart-topping records by Celeste and Wolf Alice, alongside more left-field albums by jazz saxophonist Nubya Garcia and electronic composer Hannah Peel.

Ten of the 12 shortlisted albums were debuts, while four were instrumental or partly instrumental - reflecting changing listening habits during the pandemic.

.Judge Annie Mac said the list showed "how remarkably creative and diverse British music is at the moment".

Radio 2's head of music, Jeff Smith, who chaired the judging panel, said selecting winner "is always difficult, but it was especially difficult this year".

The full list of nominees was: