LONDON -- David Bowie is favourite to win Britain's prestigious Mercury music prize for "Blackstar," the haunting album released days before his death.
Bowie, who died in January aged 69, is among 12 finalists for the 20,000-pound ($26,000) album of the year prize.
Other contenders are solo artists Laura Mvula, Bat For Lashes, Anohni, Jamie Woon and Michael Kiwanuka; bands Radiohead, The 1975, Savages and The Comet is Coming; and grime musicians Skepta and Kano.
Established in 1992 and open to acts from Britain and Ireland, the Mercury Prize often favours the eclectic and obscure over better-known performers.
Some winners, including Arctic Monkeys and Elbow, have gone on to mainstream fame, while others have failed to break through.
This year's winner will be announced Sept. 15.
