Music

Foals frontman Yannis ‘cautious’ about Mercury Prize nomination as he shares advice with Dave


Dave is a favourite to scoop the Mercury Prize (Picture: PA Wire)

Foals frontman Yannis Philippakis has shared some warm words of advice for rising rapper Dave, who has landed his first Mercury Prize nomination.

Fresh from his Glastonbury glory, the 20-year-old rapper has earned a nod for his number one debut album Psychodrama, while Foals could win the prestigious accolade for Everything Not Saved Will Be Loved – Part 1.

With a little more experience at the Mercury Prize, Yannis shared some tips for newbie Dave.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk at the nominations launch in London, the 33-year-old rocker said: ‘I think just to enjoy it and just not to get wrapped up in the more… relish in having your record validated as one of the best British albums of the year and that’s its own award.’

Foals have been nominated for the prize several times in the past and they’re not getting their hopes up to win this time round.

Yannis admitted on the red carpet: ‘It felt great we’ve really been on the hamster wheel of tour so we hadn’t really thought about it a tremendous amount about it because we had really been in show land. But when we got the news we were absolutely buzzing.

‘We were cautious about getting our hopes up about anything to do with this record because obviously we have part two coming and we didn’t know how the record was going to be viewed in its own right but we’re obviously elated and that’s our third time being nominated so that feels great in and of itself.’

Foals are ‘cautious’ about getting their hopes up (Picture: Getty Images)

This year, the Mercury Prize judges includes the likes of Annie Mac, Stormzy, Gaz Coombes and Clara Amfo,and Yannis feels the prize means more with their industry peers deciding the winner.

Yannis explained: ‘I think the way that it’s judged by your creative peers, there’s a genuine surprise to it, particularly on the night nobody has any idea who’s going to win and the fact that it values the album as an art form from track 1 to 10, it’s not just about commercial prowess, it’s to do with artistry and the album which I think is what most of us think about.

‘We’re not thinking about writing hit singles, but a complete artifact of work so the fact that it rewards that is important.’

The Mercury Prize 2019 winner will be announced in London on 19 September.



Mercury Prize nominees 2019

Anna Calvi – Hunter

Black Midi – Schlagenheim

Cate Le Bon – Reward

Dave – Psychodrama

Foals – Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1

Fontaines D.C. – Dogrel

IDLES – Joy as an Act of Resistance

Little Simz -Grey Area

NAO – Saturn

SEED Ensemble – Driftglass

slowthai – Nothing Great About Britain

The 1975 – A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships

MORE: When are the Mercury Prize 2019 awards as nominees are announced?

MORE: Mercury Prize nominations: Dave, The 1975 and IDLES among 2019 nominees





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