NEWS: Antony & the Johnsons win 2005 Mercury Music Prize

Antony Hegarty, whose quavering voice has been likened to Billie Holliday and Nina Simone, won the Mercury Music Prize with his band, Antony and the Johnsons, for their album "I Am a Bird Now".

Widely-acclaimed by the critics but little known in the mainstream music world, Hegarty has been described as the "gayest thing ever recorded".

The 20,000 pounds prize is awarded each year by an independent judging panel to the best album by a British or Irish band.

Antony and the Johnsons only qualified for nomination because Hegarty was born in Sussex, southern England, before moving to the United States.

"I am completely overwhelmed," Hegarty, 34, said after accepting the award at a central London ceremony. "I think they must have made a mistake. I think that is insane."

Antony & The Johnsons album sales soar
‘I Am A Bird Now’ flies up the charts following Mercury Prize win

Antony & the Johnsons’ ‘I Am A Bird Now’ is flying up the charts since winning the 2005 Nationwide Mercury Prize.

Record store HMV have reported that sales of the album have increased twenty-fold since it won the prize a week ago (September 6).
The LP has now soared from number 135 to number 16 in this week’s UK album charts, which marks the first time ‘I Am A Bird Now’ has ever been in the Top 20 since its' release in March 2005.

HMV Head Of Music Phil Penman said: “The Nationwide Mercury Prize just keeps getting better and more influential every year and its effect on sales of shortlisted albums becomes more pronounced.”
He added: “This year has been no exception and we have seen a huge interest in the winning album by Antony & the Johnsons since they pretty much stole the show with their spellbinding performance at last week’s Mercury Prize awards."

Antony & the Johnsons sales rise in the highest ever reported in the 14-year history of the Nationwide Mercury Prize.