The home town boy won it

Fans have been reacting online to Sam Fender’s Mercury Prize 2025 win in his Newcastle home town – check out some of the responses below.

Earlier this evening (October 16), Fender won for his album ‘People Watching’, which was released earlier this year. The album earned the biggest opening week in the UK for a British act since Harry Styles with ‘Harry House’ in 2021.

This year’s edition of the prestigious awards ceremony took place at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle tonight after the Mercury Prize moved up north from its traditional home in London this year as part of a new partnership with Newcastle City Council and the North East Combined Authority. The ceremony followed a week-long regional fringe programme to “celebrate the depth and diversity of talent in the north and create opportunities for local talent”.

During his acceptance speech, Fender shouted out his hometown, saying “this region is the best region in the country,” and he did so again later in the winner’s room, adding: “It’s an absolute honour and it’s amazing it’s happened up here, for the first time outside of London. I think it’s a really important thing that’s happened right now in the music industry – I think it’s great.”

Fans on social media have been reacting to the fact Fender won the award in Newcastle, with one saying: “the hometown boy has won it.” Newcastle City Council meanwhile posted: “We couldn’t have said it better ourselves,” in response to Fender’s shout out to his home. “What a city. What a night. What a winner,” they added.

Another user shared: “So obvious with it being moved to Newcastle this year. Seems fitting!” While a fourth joked: “If only there had been some clue that Newcastle musician Sam Fender was going to win the Mercury Prize” next to a picture of the Utilita Arena.

Check out more of the reaction to Fender’s win here:

So obvious with it being moved to Newcastle this year. Seems fitting!

— Harry Barnes 🥾🌍 (@HarryBarnes) October 16, 2025

Well, the home town boy won it. Who’d have thought.

— Michael (@MTB_Cycler) October 16, 2025

Well done bonny lad, great achievement 👏👏🫶 #samfender

— Lyndy Mountain (@LyndyMountain) October 16, 2025

Absolutely deserved! What an artist ❤️

— MrsG (@MrsNJG1) October 16, 2025

Absolutely fantastic and well deserved 👏

— Dean William Smith (@DeanWSmith79) October 16, 2025

God love him he could hardly speak on winning the Mercury Prize. He’s one of ours from North Shields. Congratulations Sam Fender. #MercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/kbce9taZxo

— Amanda Hepburn (@AmandaHepburn3) October 16, 2025

If only there had been some clue that Newcastle musician Sam Fender was going to win the #MercuryPrize 🤣 pic.twitter.com/zRBuwOdkt9

— Kieron Donoghue (@kierondonoghue) October 16, 2025

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves 🖤

What a city. What a night. What a winner.@samfendermusic @MercuryPrize https://t.co/Hkf4gmwG8q

— Newcastle City Council (@NewcastleCC) October 16, 2025

Fender received the trophy from Broadcaster & DJ Sian Eleri who presented on behalf of the judging team – before performing the title track ‘People Watching’ from his winning album again to a standing ovation.

Accepting the award, Fender led the audience in a chant of “Toon Toon” before saying: “we didn’t expect this at all…I can’t think!” He then went on to thank some of his “very good friends among the nominees tonight” including CMAT – who was the bookies favourite to win – and Fontaines DC adding that he was in “great company.” He also dedicated the award to the late Annie Orwin, who inspired ‘People Watching’.

On releasing ‘People Watching’ earlier this year, Fender said the track was about somebody who was “like a surrogate mother to me and passed away last November. I was by her side at the end, slept on a chair next to her. It’s about what was going through my head, to and from that place and home.”

The judging panel said of Fender: “This year proved that the album remains the format of choice for artists to best present a body of work. That, however, made our job as judges of the 2025 Mercury Prize for Album of the Year…more challenging than ever.

“All 12 records on the shortlist worked so well on their own terms, ranging from ancient ballads to futuristic electronics. After much discussion, however, we all decided on one album that stood out for its cohesion, character and ambition. It felt like a classic album, which will take pride of place in record collections for years to come. ‘People Watching’ by Sam Fender is both melody-rich and expansive, marrying heartland rock with the realities of everyday life and the importance of community.

“These are thoughtful songs with broad appeal, as cinematic as they are intimate, making ‘People Watching’ a worthy winner of the 2025 Mercury Prize for Album of the Year.”

In the winner’s room afterwards, Fender added: “We didn’t think we were going to win anything so I’m still in shock. It’s an absolute honour and it’s amazing it’s happened up here, for the first time outside of London. I think it’s a really important thing that’s happened right now in the music industry – I think it’s great.”

When asked what he was doing after the win, he replied: “I think we’re going to go for a beer and then I’ve got four weeks off – so it’s nice to be home.”

NME gave ‘People Watching’ a four-star review upon its release in February, writing, “Feeling existential, uprooted and disconnected from his old working-class life thanks to his rapid rise to fame, the British guitar hero channels it all into his gorgeous third album.”

The review finished: “Reflective, analytical and vulnerable, ‘People Watching’ does exactly what the title may suggest: takes stock of the characters, friends and loved ones who have made Fender the person he is today. He approaches each track with sensitivity as he looks back on his life so far – perhaps even with an inkling of guilt – and contemplates who he may be next.”