'I HAD SOMETHING I NEEDED TO EXPRESS ... NOT BEING ABLE TO WAS KILLING ME'

Jacob Alonhasjustscooped the 2026 Brits Critics' Choice Awardand with their intimately hauntingfolk, the young Scottish singersongwriter may be the hottest new talentin years.

- By Lisa Wright

Jacob Alon; below, with their Mercury nomination trophy

In all the ceremony's colourful, nearly 50-year history, there has never been a Brit Awards winner quite like Jacob Alon. Blessed with a gentle, gut-wrenching vocal that reaches out like an intimate missive from the heavens, and able to turn life's bleakest moments into hauntingly gorgeous, finger-picked folk stories, the Scottish auteur's name has already been spoken of in the lineage of some of music's all time cult greats: the next in line to Nick Drake, or Elliott Smith.

Cult heroes, however, rarely grab the gongs, which is where Alon's tale takes a turn. Earlier this week, they were announced as 2026's Brits Critics' Choice Award recipient, beating chart-bothering balladeer Sienna Spiro and club-ready dance-pop singer Rose Gray. If Alon's recent Mercury Prize shortlisting for last year's stunning debut album, In Limerence, felt like worthy recognition from the alternative world, then this is a whole different ball game.

"The Brits is this very mainstream thing - far more commercial than I thought my music appealed to so I was surprised when I was even nominated," 25-year-old Alon begins, curled up on the sofa of their Glasgow flatshare with a cup of tea. "I mean, Adele won it, what the f***?! The other two girls, Sienna and Rose, are pop queens so I thought they were way more likely to win than me, but fair play to the critics for believing in this. I really appreciate it because I believe in this too."