 | Antony and the Johnsons have won this year's Mercury Music Prize for the album I Am A Bird Now. Led by New York-based singer Antony Hegarty, they beat acts including Coldplay, favourites Kaiser Chiefs and hip-hop artist MIA. The £20,000 award is for the best album of the year by a British or Irish act. |
"I think they must have made a mistake," Chichester-born Hegarty said. "I am completely overwhelmed. I think that's insane."
The pianist and singer's winning album, features contributions from Boy George and Lou Reed.
Standing 6ft 4in tall and with a shock of black hair, the 34-year-old has a voice as unconventional as his looks.
The Mercury Music Prize was voted for by a panel of industry experts, journalists and artists, and is said to reward originality and creativity rather than sales success.
As he collected his award from host Jools Holland to a standing ovation, Hegarty said the competition was "a bit nutty".
"It's kind of like a crazy contest between an orange and a spaceship and a potted plant and a spoon - which one do you like better?" he said.
 Leeds band Kaiser Chiefs had been favourites to win |
about this night is just this wonderful biennial that shows the rich diversity
of the spectrum of music that's going on at the moment.
"It's been so wonderful to be here and just to meet everyone. I just love so
many of the artists performing tonight, I think it's a bit bonkers to just give
it to one person."
He performed at the Mercury award ceremony in London's Grosvenor House Hotel,
as did fellow nominees Kaiser Chiefs, KT Tunstall, Seth Lakeman, Bloc Party,
Polar Bear, Maximo Park, The Magic Numbers and the Go! Team.
Multi-million selling band Coldplay, nominated for their third album X&Y,
could not attend the ceremony as they were on tour in the US.
Previous winners of the Mercury prize include hip-hop artist Dizzee Rascal,
Primal Scream, PJ Harvey and last year's victors Franz Ferdinand.
 KT Tunstall was among the other performers at the ceremony |
chairman of the judges, said Antony and the Johnsons won because they produced
"such an extraordinary album".
"It's not like any album I've heard before or since," he said.
"It doesn't seem to have any obvious place where it's coming from - and yet
play it to anybody and they're arrested.
"Some of them hate it, some of them absolutely love it - but nobody can
ignore it."
The Mercury Prize was not designed to pick the least offensive album, he
said, but to pick "a record that's really interesting, and this one is".
'American album'
Chris Salmon, music editor of Time Out magazine, said it was a surprise
choice.
"There were a lot of strong albums on there and I don't think a lot of people
thought Antony and the Johnsons would be the one," he said.
"Some people thought of it as an American album - its whole genesis was in
New York," he said.
"But he's got a beautiful voice and he writes beautiful songs, so in that
sense it shouldn't be a surprise - but I think it still is."
Mercury Music Prize 2005 nominees:
SOURCE: BBC News
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