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Rapper Speech Debelle thanks mother as she street talks her way to Mercury win
Louise Jury, Chief Arts Correspondent09.09.09
A south London rapper who once lived rough was surrounded by the family she left as a teenager as she won the £20,000 Barclaycard Mercury Music Prize.
Speech Debelle, 26, trounced critics' favourites Florence And The Machine and Bat For Lashes as well as big sellers Kasabian to pick up the award established as an alternative to the commercial Brits.
Despite taking her inspiration from her troubled and lonely past when she slept on the streets and in hostels, Debelle celebrated at last night's champagne reception with her mother, Marilyn Dennis, with whom she lives again in Mitcham, and grandmother, Madame De Belle, from Streatham.
In pictures: The Mercury Music Awards
It is Madame De Belle, a clothes designer who declines to give her age, who gave Speech Debelle her stage name in place of her real name Corynne Elliot.
The outspoken and stylish grandmother, who came to London from Jamaica 52 years ago, said her grand-daughter had secured her artistic streak from her.
"My grandchildren were all creative," she said at the victory celebrations.
The hip hop star's mother, a housing benefits worker, said as they arrived at the Grosvenor House hotel with the other nominated artists - including Glasvegas, La Roux and Friendly Fires -she always hoped her daughter, an only child, would triumph.
"My stomach was turning from when she came in. It's fantastic that she's won. We're all over the moon," Ms Dennis said.
There was nothing she could have done when her daughter first set off into the adult world, Ms Dennis said, regardless of how it must have looked to outsiders.
"If a young adult says they want to leave home, you can't stop them," she said. "But even when she was gone, she was still in touch. "
The performer herself said it was "marvellous" to take the prize - previously awarded to artists including Arctic Monkeys and PJ Harvey - for her debut album, Speech Therapy.
"I kind of expected my name to be read out but it was still a bit of a shock to hear it," Debelle said.
She said she would invest the winner's cheque and was too busy to take a holiday.
The album was inspired by "my experiences, thoughts and feelings" for the few years from turning 18, but her next would reflect her new circumstances.
"Between 18 and 26 my life completely changed. I got happy," said Debelle. "I started making the right connections in my life."
She said she would always have wanted her mother at an awards ceremony. "She's my backbone," she added.
In pictures: The Mercury Music Awards
Reader views (10)
Just listening to the Album as I type.
She didn't write the mundane background music. She can't sing (by her own admission) but she can write poetry and rapp.
I can't make out much of the words, is it coz I am Scottish? Are the lyrics published somewhere?
How on earth could she (they) win a MUSIC prize with this overall package - trully inexplicable.
Or are there some underlying reasons that we will never know?
- Bill, Scotland
Ted, these are the previous winners of the Mercury prize
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_Prize
And your point is?
- Cee, London
Ben Marr...
'It's like somefin that,you know wot I mean,somethin' special man.'
Describing her feelings when she hears a song she likes.
Articulate?I think not.
- Steve, London
Well done-great win-brilliant CD she will go far-I am sure she was just overwhelmed last night I have heard her being interviewed on the BBC and she is very articulate-what are you doing with your lives that you are so full of hate.
- Ben Marr, London UK
Why the heck should the guys "Lighten up". We have an opinion; we think it's tripe; let's wait and see, and in the meantime why don't these gushers check out what has happened to many winners of this "Music" award.
- Ted, London
So many haters! Expand your horizon and open your mind!
- Cee, London
On the basis of the little I heard last night - I think she is quite talented. Tight, eloquent (in her music) and fun. Lighten up guys.
- Coys Switz, switzerland
Is this some sort of joke,this person is talentless,you are able to see far,far better entertainment in pubs in any city,please lets get back to some sort of sanity.
- Raymond, Streatham
Would be far better in Braille.
The biggest load of rubbish I have heard in years, quite a number of the other competitors were Far Far better !
- Ja, London UK
Heard this woman on an interview this morning.The name Speech for someone who can barely string a sentence together beggars belief.
- Dave, London
