The full video of their acceptance can be seen below.

‘Rein Me In’ was released on the deluxe edition of Fender’s album, ‘People Watching.’  Before Dean joined the remix, it was originally the eighth track on the album. The BRIT Award-winning remix debuted on 6 June during a show at London Stadium, with Dean brought on stage to perform. The song, featuring Dean, was then recorded in studio and released on 20 June, including a verse written by Dean. Fender said ‘If I collaborate with another artist on one of my songs, I prefer they write a new part and make it their own, rather than singing whatever I’ve already written.’ He added that ‘Olivia added a female perspective to ‘Rein Me In’, and I think it’s all the better for it. Sharing the stage with her over these last few stadium shows has been a joy.’ Dean added, ‘’Rein Me In’ is my favourite song on Sam’s album, so it was a pleasure to write a new verse from a female perspective. I’ve been a fan of Sam’s for a while now, so I’m so pleased we got to work together on this duet.’ Clash Magazine says the remixed ‘Rein Me in’ ‘takes on tender new tones’ as well as ‘bringing out different shades within Sam Fender’s voice.’

The song has spent a staggering 35 weeks on the Official Charts Top 40 before reaching Number 1. This breaks a record of 19 weeks previously held by Ed Sheeran’s ‘Thinking Out Loud.’ Having been an occupant of the Top 40 since June 2025, it previously saw three separate peaks at number 5.

The win for ‘Rein Me In’ serves as a victory lap on a wildly successful year for both Fender and Dean, independently. In 2025 Fender won the Mercury Prize for ‘People Watching.’ The Mercury Prize judging panel said the album was recognized for ‘its cohesion, character and ambition’ and the album ‘will take pride of place in record collections for years to come.’

Also in 2025, Dean won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Her tearful acceptance speech was a tribute to her family, saying, ‘I’m up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant,’ and ‘I am a product of bravery and those people deserve to be celebrated.’

The BRIT Awards official page calls ‘Rein Me In’ ‘one of the defining tracks of the past year.’

Other Song of the Year Nominees at the BRIT Awards include Ed Sheeran for ‘Azizam,’ Lola Young for ‘Messy,’ Lewis Capaldi for ‘Survive’ and more.

Fender also won Best Alternative/Rock Act on Saturday night. While Dean also took home the BRIT Awards for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (for ‘The Art of Loving’) and Best Pop Act. Her four wins makes her the night’s most awarded artist.

Their findings display a significant increase of 4.9 per cent from 2024 in both streaming and sales, with a 13.3 per cent rise in vinyl sales, and shockingly nearly an 80% boost in cassette tape sales. The BPI uses a metric they call “album equivalent sales” which uses data on physical and digital sales to create an approximate number of albums sold overall. 2025 produced equivalent sales of 210.3 million albums for UK artists, an impressive growth from last year, but considerably smaller than 2024s 9.7 per cent gain over 2023.

The BPI’s report, which uses data from the Official Chart Company, also recorded a 5.5 per cent increase in total streaming figures to 210.3 billion total streams, a 5.5 percent increase from last year, and it marks the first year that has amassed more than 200 billion streams. Streaming has again established its dominance as the primary source for music listeners, occupying 89.3 per cent of all music access.

As for physical media, their renaissance continues, with the exception of the less-nostalgic compact disc. CD sales dropped 7.9 per cent, still showing the highest physical media numbers of 9.7 million units, but in its place demand for vinyls and cassettes surged. The stated gain of almost 80 per cent cassette sales may only amount to a total of 330,000 tapes, but when added to the 7.6 million vinyls sold and the 9.7 million CDs, it led to a cumulative increase of 1.4 per cent and a final total of 17.6 million physical copies.

Oasis’s 2025 live tour took hold of the British consciousness

There have been several significant events and releases that have garnered a lot of the spotlight on British music, most notably this year’s Oasis reunion tour. New albums from established performers like Sam Fender have yielded strong sales, and streaming has driven massive attention on a new wave of female breakthrough artists, including PinkPantheress, Olivia Dean and Lola Young.

Certainly, the Gallagher brothers have made the headlines non-stop since they revealed they had set aside their differences in 2024. In the wake of their tour selling out every date, Oasis’s 2010 compilation album ‘Time Flies… 1994-2009’ shot to number one in the Official UK Album Charts again multiple times throughout this year, and finished the year as the fourth most popular album.

Sam Fender’s album ‘People Watching’ earned him the 2025 Mercury Prize, and was the only original release by a UK artist to reach the end of year album charts. Also this year was ‘Even In Arcadia’, the latest release from our own Sleep Token, the most popular and mysterious masked band in rock and heavy metal. Both albums have earned their respective creators international praise and attention, which has showed in both streaming and digital sales.

And finally, the bright young stars of the new era. Olivia Dean broke new records this year when her single ‘Man I Need’ and album ‘The Art Of Loving’ topped both of their respective charts in the same week. Newcomer Lola Young’s ‘Messy’ was the second most popular single of the entire year, an incredible feat for a new artist.

Outside of the UK, Taylor Swift claimed both the most popular album for the second consecutive year, and the best selling vinyl for the fourth year in a row, with her album ‘The Life Of A Showgirl’.

The funds will help support the charity’s work to protect and secure the future of live music spaces across the nation. Sam Fender recognised the role that grassroots venues have played in his early career, saying, “I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing today if it wasn’t for all the gigs I played around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out. These venues are legendary, but they are struggling.”

CEO and founder of MVT Mark Davyd said, “This is an incredible gesture by Sam, demonstrating once again that artists absolutely understand how vital grassroots music venues are to their careers and to their communities. We are honoured to accept this donation and will ensure every penny of it makes a direct difference to the campaign to keep live music at the heart of our towns and cities”

Sam Fender’s recent UK and Ireland tour dates saw him donate £1 from each ticket sold to the Music Venue Trust. His arena shows in 2024 raised more than £100,000 for the charity’s Liveline Fund to support 38 different grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.

Sam explained that, “It’s brilliant to see that the money raised from the arena tour is making a real difference to so many venues. The grassroots circuit has been decimated over the last 10 years or so, and the idea that money from shows in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just common sense.”

Last week, it was announced that both The Joiners and The Croft, two grassroots music venues, had been saved by the National Trust of venues, Music Venue Properties. It was first announced by MVT in May 2022, and the campaign raised £2.3 million in the first year through donations and investments. That figure now stands at almost £4 million.

Other major acts like Coldplay and Katy Perry have adopted the levy and donated a portion of ticket sales to help save grassroots venues. In spring, it was reported that UK tour ticket contributions had raised £500,000 for grassroots spaces. A report published earlier this year found that over 90 per cent of music fans were supportive of the £1 ticket levy.

When speaking with NME, Prime Minister Kier Starmer said, “I’m very supportive of this initiative, the £1 levy going back into grassroots [venues], because so much of our music is grassroots.”

The deluxe version of the album will be out on December 5.

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This comes after the album won the 2025 Mercury Prize.

Earlier this year, Sam Fender released the album with a collection of 11 songs including “People Watching”, “Rein Me In”, and “Arm’s Length,”

His latest song, ‘Talk to You’ featuring Elton John will be included on the deluxe version coming out later this year.

Including the Elton John collaboration, the deluxe version will include eight additional tracks: three new, previously unheard songs, and tracks from Sam’s Record Store Day exclusive EP ‘Me and The Dog‘.

‘People Watching’ has been praised for its honesty, heart, and ambition, being described as “cohesive, bold, and deeply moving.” when he won the Mercury Prize for it.

He told the crowd it felt “surreal and beautiful” to accept the prize in his home region, in front of local fans and his family.

Before the announcement of the deluxe version of the album, there was a countdown on his website which fans speculated could have been counting down until the deluxe album is released.

When talking about the song ‘Talk To You‘, Sam Fender said, “Talk to you was written during the People Watching sessions at British Grove – It’s a song about the end of a long relationship – about the regret, the mistakes and the lessons that come with it.”

“It’s that feeling of losing your best friend, and coming to terms with that. I was playing around with the riff and thought what I need is a really good pianist and then hmmm, I wonder who I can call? And of course, who better than Elton John.”

Elton John also shared his thoughts on the collaboration, saying: “Sam was writing and recording in a studio in West London, and called to say he’d written a song with a piano riff that he thought would sound great with me playing it. I couldn’t resist, and it was so much fun playing it for him.”

“I truly love Sam. He’s been a friend for many, many years and it’s incredible to see him grow into being a truly world class artist.”

The deluxe version of album will include songs which Sam said, “weren’t included in the line up of the first record but deserved to be out there.”

Fans can pre-order and pre-save the deluxe album here.

The additional tracklisting for ‘People Watching Deluxe‘ is:

‘I’m Always On Stage’

‘Talk To You (feat. Elton John)’

‘Fortuna’s Wheel’

‘Rein Me In (with Olivia Dean)’

‘Me and The Dog’

‘Tyrants’

‘The Treadmill’

‘Empty Spaces’

]]> https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/sam-fender-announces-deluxe-edition-of-his-album/feed/ 0 https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/sam-fender-wins-mercury-prize-2025/ https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/sam-fender-wins-mercury-prize-2025/#comments Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:25:21 +0000 http://www.mxdwn.co.uk/?p=113823 British singer-songwriter Sam Fender has won the 2025 Mercury Prize for his album ‘People Watching’. The award was announced on October 16, 2025, at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, marking the first time the famous music prize was held outside London. For Fender, who grew up just a few miles away in North Shields, it was an unexpected win.

‘People Watching’ is Fender’s third album and has been praised for its honesty, heart, and ambition. The judges said it stood out for being “cohesive, bold, and deeply moving.” The record is rock album with personal stories about growing up, friendship, and loss.

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One of the most touching moments of the night came when Fender dedicated the award to Annie Orwin, a woman who inspired the title track and whose passing deeply affected him. Many fans and critics have said this emotional honesty is what makes ‘People Watching’ his best work yet.

Before this, Fender had already built a strong reputation with his earlier albums ‘Hypersonic Missiles’ (2019) and ‘Seventeen Going Under’ (2021). Those records made him one of Britain’s most successful young rock artists, but ‘People Watching’ also includes two Top 10 singles.

This year’s Mercury Prize was special because of where it was held. For the first time in the prize’s history, the ceremony took place outside London. Organisers said they wanted to “celebrate music from all parts of the UK” and make the event more inclusive.

That decision made Fender’s win meaningful. He told the crowd it felt “surreal and beautiful” to accept the prize in his home region, in front of local fans and his family.

The night also featured performances from several of the twelve shortlisted artists, including FKA twigs, Fontaines D.C., CMAT, and Wolf Alice. Folk legend Martin Carthy, aged 84, became the oldest artist ever nominated for the prize and performed Scarborough Fair with his daughter Eliza Carthy and sitar player Sheema Mukherjee.

Fender received a £25,000 prize and a specially designed trophy. In his speech, he thanked his band, his fans, and his hometown community for their support.

He shared the news on social media earlier this week, revealing the song would be out October 17 and would feature the “legend” on the piano. He also shared the artwork for the single.

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Elton John responded on his Instagram story, sharing the post and writing, “Incredibly excited for this,” as well as commenting on the announcement post, “Love you, Sam. This is a special one”

The pair have previously performed together and have spoken highly of each other, and this announcement comes after Sam Fender had teased a collaboration with his “good friend playing piano” on Instagram.

The collaboration was first teased last week, with an advert that also confirmed the news of  a deluxe edition of his latest album ‘People Watching‘.

The advert read, “Track 02. Talk To You (ft.)” before a blank name, which led fans to question who the featured artist could be.

The reimagined collaborative version of fan-favourite ‘Rein Me In’ adds a compelling new dimension to the track. The duet captures a powerful dialogue between Fender’s signature gravelly vocals and Dean’s soulful delivery, offering listeners a reinterpretation of the song that feels archly intimate. Dean’s new verse adds a contrasting female perspective, enriching the song’s narrative.

The collaboration was first unveiled during Fender’s headline stadium shows earlier this summer. At the London Stadium earlier this month, in front of a sold-out crowd of 80,000, Fender surprised fans by bringing out Olivia Dean to perform a live duet of the song. The chemistry between the two artists was undeniable, and the performance was widely praised across social media and press outlets alike. The pair continued their collaboration with joint performances at Fender’s much-celebrated homecoming concerts at Newcastle’s St. James’ Park on the weekend of June 15, solidifying their onstage connection and giving fans a taste of what was to come.

The release is accompanied by an official video that compiles live footage from Fender’s recent stadium tour. The visuals capture the electric atmosphere of these shows, blending sweeping crowd shots with close-up moments of Fender and Dean sharing the stage.

Speaking about the collaboration, Fender said in a press release: “If I collaborate with another artist on one of my songs, I prefer they write a new part and make it their own, rather than singing whatever I’ve already written. Olivia added a female perspective to ‘Rein Me In’, and I think it’s all the better for it. Sharing the stage with her over these last few stadium shows has been a joy. I can’t wait for people to have it.”

Dean echoed the sentiment: “’Rein Me In’ is my favourite song on Sam’s album, so it was a pleasure to write a new verse from a female perspective. I’ve been a fan of Sam’s for a while now, so I’m so pleased we got to work together on this duet.”

Sam Fender’s summer tour continues with upcoming outdoor shows in Manchester, Edinburgh, and Belfast. The tickets for the rest of his ‘People Watching’ tour can be accessed here. Meanwhile, Olivia Dean is preparing to release her second studio album ‘The Art of Loving’, due out on September 26. Fans can pre-save the album here.

The Boucher Road Playing Fields – capable of boasting audiences of over 40,000 – has faced issues due to a neighbouring site usually used as an emergency exit point not being available this year.

@northernirelandtraveller Liam Gallagher @Liam Gallagher tonight at Belfast Vital at Boucher Road Playing Fields. Performance form @kasabianofficial #belfastvital #belfast #liamgallagher #northernireland #ireland #norniron #oasis #definitelymaybe #irish #boucherplayingfields #concert #belfastcity #vital #belfasttiktok #northernirelandtiktok #belfasttiktoker #belfastfood ♬ original sound – Northern Ireland Traveller

Belfast City Council, who own the site on Boucher Road, have previously found an agreement to use the neighbouring field which is held by the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Services (NIFRS).

However, this year the fire services have not given the Council their consent to use the field as an exit point. Without a clear emergency exit, safety and security matters are thrown into turmoil.

Fans will be hoping the issue is resolved quickly, as Sam Fender takes the stage on August 28 just one day before the highly-anticipated Fontaines DC and Kneecap show on August 29. The fields will also host a couple of festivals – Farmers Bash on the weekend of August 9 and Emerge 2025 kicking off on August 23. Get ticket information for all events here.

 

 

 

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The NIFRS vacated the premises last year after opening a new training facility just outside Cookstown, County Tyrone. Due to them no longer using the site, the fire services are looking for the Belfast City Council to take over the lease in order for the gigs to take place.

In a statement, the NIFRS claimed that the site is “currently going through a process of divestment” and they worry that the use of the field would impact on a rates discount for unoccupied properties.

A spokeswoman said in the statement: “NIFRS has vacated the site and would be supportive of an agreement that would see the lease revert to Belfast City Council control, enabling the necessary health and safety arrangements to be put in place for the summer shows.

“NIFRS continues to engage with Belfast City Council and other stakeholders, around the divestment process and the events scheduled at Boucher Playing Fields.”

With still three months until the shows, hope remains that this issue will be sorted. A Council spokeswoman reiterated the desire to find an agreement, saying: “The council has been engaging with NIFRS with a view to ensuring that the necessary health and safety arrangements can be put in place for these concerts.”

These are not the first music events put at risk due to legal issues this year. South London’s Brockwell Park lost a legal battle against local residents due to the nuisance and impact on the park.

It was found that the park exceeded the maximum allowed 28 days of closure a year for events, however every festival due for the park this summer – including Mighty Hoopla and Field Day – insist that the show will go on.

Wide Awake took place at the South London park this past weekend, where Kneecap rocked the festival with a powerful headline performance despite calls for their performances to be cancelled due to recent controversies.

Keep an eye on mxdwn for any further announcements regarding the big Belfast gigs this summer, as fans pray that the health and safety issues will be resolved by August.

The EP features the lead single ‘Your Anthem’, a track Bowie wrote at the age of 15, offering listeners an intimate glimpse into his early songwriting journey. Other notable tracks include ‘Dream Of My Own’ and ‘Wherever She Goes’, both of which have garnered significant attention in the lead-up to the EP’s release. The project is available across all major streaming platforms and for purchase on CD and vinyl formats.

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Bowie’s musical journey began in Banchory, Aberdeenshire. He started playing guitar at the age of eight, drawing inspiration from artists like Sam Fender, Ed Sheeran, and Nina Nesbitt. Over the years, he has cultivated a robust online presence, particularly on TikTok, where his engaging performances have gained a substantial following. The singer-songwriter’s most popular song in the UK is currently ‘Love Lost‘, which has over 2 million listens on Spotify.

@calumbowiemusic these boys have been making singing out the window that bit more fun #fyp #edinburgh #wonderwall #oasis #tiktok #insta #viral #funny ♬ original sound – calumbowie

In 2024, Bowie was honoured with the Scottish Breakthrough Artist of the Year award at the Scottish Music Awards, joining the ranks of previous recipients such as Paolo Nutini, Lewis Capaldi, and Emeli Sandé. His live performances have resonated with audiences across the UK and Europe. Notably, he has graced the stages of prominent festivals, including Glastonbury, TRNSMT, and Kendal Calling, further cementing his status in the contemporary music scene.

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As of March 2025, Bowie’s music has attracted over 125,820 monthly listeners on Spotify, with cumulative streams surpassing 10 million globally. His authentic storytelling and relatable themes continue to captivate a diverse and growing audience, marking him as a significant emerging talent in the UK music industry. The musician is currently finishing his UK tour on which he has already included the new tracks. ‘Through The Window‘ offers both long-time fans and new listeners an opportunity to experience Bowie’s artistic versatility and emotional depth.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, the ‘Seventeen Going Under’ songwriter said: “The music industry is 80 per cent, 90 per cent kids who are privately educated. A kid from where I’m from can’t afford to tour, so there are probably thousands writing songs that are ten times better than mine, poignant lyrics about the country, but they will not be seen because it’s rigged.”

He drew more comparisons between his industry peers and his friends up North. Fender is from a working-class family in North Shields, a town in the borough of North Tyneside.

“Well, I’ve noticed that my drug addict friends who are posh go to rehab, but my mates with issues up there just die,” he commented.

He also spoke about the lack of popular conversation on class: “People are very unaware. We are very good at talking about privileges – white, male or straight privilege. We rarely talk about class, though. And that’s a lot of the reason that all the young lads are seduced by demagogues like Andrew Tate.

“They’re being shamed all the time and made to feel like they’re a problem. It’s this narrative being told to white boys from nowhere towns. People preach to some kid in a pit town in Durham who’s got fuck all and tell him he’s privileged? Then Tate tells him he’s worth something? It’s seductive.”

Research from various sources supports his claims about class barriers in the music industry. A report from the Sutton Trust found vast overrepresentation in the arts from those with affluent “upper middle-class backgrounds”. It also showed that 43% of Britain’s best-selling classical musicians are alumni of private schools.

Likewise, a report from national charity Youth Music titled ‘A Blueprint for the Future’ found that socio-economic class was the biggest barrier for young people being able to earn money through music – it highlighted the commonality of unpaid work, and how it impacts those from the working class without a safety net to fall on.

An article from Far Out Magazine also cited an unnamed study published in 2022, claiming that that since the 1970s, the number of creative workers (across multiple disciplines like music, film, art, etc.) from working-class backgrounds has significantly decreased to only 7.9%.

Sam Fender’s third album ‘People Watching’ was released on Friday, 21 Feb, and is heading to No. 1, seeing one of the biggest opening weeks of 2025 on the UK album charts. It’s received widespread critical acclaim for its storytelling and personal and social themes, with The Guardian commenting: “Ultimately, this is a lonely document of fame, and of a man clinging on to the community his talents have propelled him away from.” He’ll be touring the UK later this year.

Fender has also been chosen as the latest ambassador for Record Store Day UK, later in April this year. You can read our article on that here.