The xx have beaten out the likes of Mumford and Sons, Foals and Dizzee Rascal to win the prestigious Mercury Music Prize in the UK.
The trio - original fourth member Baria Qureshi left the group at the end of 2009 - took out the honours for their debut album
xx. Singer Romy Madley Croft told the
NME that they'd be using the £20,000 prizemoney to build a studio:
We made this album (‘xx’) in a converted garage at our record label,” said Madley Croft. “We felt very lucky at the time to use it, but I think we’d love to make our own studio, somewhere where we can just experiment and let Jamie [Smith, bandmate] produce.”
The band have enjoyed startling praise since their emergence in 2009. When we
interviewd Madley Croft in the lead up to their Laneway performance (as well as their
intimate instore at Polyester records in Melbourne) earlier in 2010, the singer spoke of how her writing process was a private one - something that seems to be becoming increasingly difficult to maintain in the wake of their success:
"I've always been really private about sharing any of my writing. And I still am, but when it's out there I'm happy it is. I try not to think about it too much because I want to continue to write how I truthfully feel. Even if it's cryptic. And then accept that everyone else is going to hear it too. That's cool."
The xx at the Mercury Music Proze nominations
(Pic: WENN)