"I think people just want authenticity": In conversation with Mercury Prize nominee Emma-Jean Thackray

If you want to discover a language of resistance, cultural perception and community, jazz can evoke that in abundance. Well-known names, from pianist Thelonius Monk to the emotive versatility of Ella Fitzgerald, the genre embodies an edgy radiance that many fail to achieve. 

But with other popular genres swaying Gen-Z's attention, it can all too easily feel like jazz doesn't quite have a seat at the platinum table. However, a newer breed of artists are flipping that notion on its head.

Moses Boyd, Nubya Garcia and Ezra Collective, with the latter in 2023 becoming the first jazz act to win the Mercury Prize in its 31-year history, are inspiring a new conversation.

The Mercury Prize is shifting the conversation too, not least through relocating the event out of London for the first time ever to Newcastle's Utilita Arena on Thursday 16 October; and some of the nominated albums reflect this ambitious jump too.

MORE: Mercury Prize nominations 2025

Jazz has been forever present at the Mercury's. The first ever shortlist saw Bheki Mseleku nominated; his quite magnificent album Celebration drew on African melodicism combined with his endless piano skills, showcasing the aspiring brilliance British Jazz had to offer. And with the increase in social media exposure, as well as Ezra's win in 2023, jazz is starting to be noticed by younger generations.

This year, for only the third time in the award's history, the Mercury Prize 2025 sees two jazz albums nominated - Emma Jean Thackray's Weirdo and Joe Webb's Hamstrings and Hurricanes. Two contrasting albums, but with the same brash and bold vision. The richness and diversity of both have opened eyes to the need for modern day jazz to permeate British music.

So, we caught up with one of these nominees Emma-Jean Thackray, to discuss her Mercury nomination, the message behind Weirdo and how important jazz is today. 

Firstly, congratulations! How are you feeling about being nominated for the Mercury Prize? 

"Thank you! It's amazing. I have looked to the Mercury's for a long time to help fuel my own taste and listen to stuff that is worth listening to. So that's amazing. And yeah, winning a Mercury is literally my dream. It's also quite strange and complicated to be recognized for something that has come from such pain. So it's definitely complex, but I'm super happy about it and really grateful."

I want to get into the creation of the album. What's the message behind Weirdo, as I know your experiences of mental health are a big part of it?

"I mean, the seed of the record was to celebrate my neurodiversity and to sort of try and use it as a therapy. They (mental health) make my life f***ing hell, but also, they shape me and they shape how I make art and wanting to see the positives of it. But then it became a grief diary after losing my partner.

"Music is my purpose and that was what was pulling me through. I think mental health issues are obviously becoming more and more talked about, which is amazing.

"But with some of the themes in the record, I'm being so open and vulnerable about the heavier stuff, which is hard, but I think it's necessary for people to feel connected.

"So I'm hoping that this record is a way for people to help process their own grief, or feeling othered, or whatever it is that makes them feel like a weirdo. I'm hoping that they can feel like we're in a gang together."

Weirdo is such a distinctive sounding album, what is the importance of making jazz today? Do you think it's making a comeback among Gen Z?

"I think of myself as a jazz musician who doesn't always make jazz. There's like grunge and soul and pop and hip hop and all sorts of stuff in there. I think jazz is more like a language. I mean, it is literally a musical language, but in the way that I employ it musically. 

"Jazz is something that people are gonna thread through what they're doing. If it's hip-hop artists using a lot of jazz samples like Tribe Called Quest, they're going to pull from things that they love and jazz is something that people continuously love. 

"In terms of the new listeners, I think people just want authenticity. People see authenticity in artists that draw from things that they love. I think if someone says 'I'm going to put some jazz in this because it's cool right now', people can see through it. So, I think it's about authenticity that's how I make music, it's all honest. It comes out how it comes out. I'm never trying to sound like anyone else."

The Mercury Awards take place on Thursday 16 October. BBC Music will provide free coverage of the event starting at 7pm BST.  Emma-Jean Thackray is currently on tour, which culminates at KOKO as part of EFG London Jazz Festival on Thursday 20 November. 

Images: Lewis Vorn 2025