Pa Salieu on freedom, peace and ‘Afrikan Alien’ at the Mercury Prize 2025

Pa Salieu has spoken to NME about how a newfound sense of freedom and peace helped shape his Mercury-nominated album ‘Afrikan Alien’. Watch our video interview above.

The Coventry rapper and singer caught up with us on the red carpet at the announcement of the Mercury Prize 2025 shortlist yesterday (Wednesday September 10) – where his acclaimed second album was revealed to be up against records by the likes of Fontaines D.C., CMAT, Wolf Alice, FKA Twigs, Pulp and more.

Hailed by NME as the work of “a new man who should be happily accepted and embraced back into the burgeoning UK rap scene”, ‘Afrikan Alien’ came after the the NME 100 alum’s rise came to a halt with a 33-month prison sentence for his participation in a 2018 nightclub brawl. He was released in September 2024.

“It came from a disturbed place in my life,” he told NME of the album’s origins. “I got up, but what’s written is written. What happened, you cannot let it take the love from you.”

He continued: “Freedom is responsibility. I’m more grateful for life. It’s like when you fly out to another country, that’s something else I’ve realised, you come back and you see the beauty of your home even more.”

Asked about having the only rap album on this year’s Mercury shortlist, he replied: “I’m not a rapper though, I’m an artist. My voice is an instrument, I just don’t rap. My genre is freedom of sound.”

The shortlist for the Mercury Prize 2025 is: 

CMAT – ‘Euro-Country’
Emma-Jean Thackray – ‘Weirdo’
FKA Twigs – ‘Eusexua’
Fontaines D.C. – ‘Romance’
Jacob Alon – ‘In Limerence’
Joe Webb – ‘Hamstrings & Hurricanes’
Martin Carthy – ‘Transform Me Then Into A Fish’
Pa Salieu – ‘Afrikan Alien’
PinkPantheress – ‘Fancy That’
Pulp – ‘More’
Sam Fender – ‘People Watching’
Wolf Alice – ‘The Clearing’

This year’s edition of the Mercury Prize awards show will take place outside of London for the first time, and be held at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle on Thursday October 16. The ceremony will feature live performances from many of the 12 shortlisted acts, culminating in the overall winner being revealed.

Last year’s Mercury Prize was held at London’s iconic Abbey Road Studios, and saw English Teacher take home the prestigious award for their universally-acclaimed debut LP, ‘This Could Be Texas’.

Pa Salieu is on tour in the UK and Europe throughout the autumn and winter. Visit here for tickets and more information.

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