Damon Albarn 'happy' with Mercury nod after refusing it in 2001

Damon Albarn has decared himself "very happy" with his Mercury nomination, despite resigning from the awards when Gorillaz were nominated in 2001.

The Blur frontman was amongst the 12 Mercury Prize nominees revealed yesterday (10 September), nominated for his debut solo album Everyday Robots.

Though Albarn wasn't at the nomination ceremony, in a statement to NME, a spokesperson said: "Damon is very happy to be nominated."

It wasn't always like that however - when Gorillaz, the animated band created by Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, were nominated in 2001, they released a statement describing it as "like carrying a dead albatross round your neck for eternity."

As a result, the band were removed from the shortlist, with organisers saying they had "officially accepted" the band's resignation from the awards.

The announcement was made at the Hospital Club in London's Covent Garden by Alice Levine. The final winner will be announced at London Roundhouse on 29 October.

The acts nominated for the Mercury Prize 2014 are: 

Young Fathers - Dead
FKA twigs - LP1
East India Youth - Total Strife Forever
Bombay Bicycle Club - Total Strife Forever
Anna Calvi - One Breath
Nick Mulvey - First Mind
Go Go Penguin - v2.0
Jungle - Jungle
Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots
Polar Bear - In Each and Every One
Kate Tempest - Everybody Down
Royal Blood - Royal Blood