Sam Fender doesn’t really do quiet years. Fresh off a Mercury Prize nod and a summer of sold-out stadiums, he’s back with a deluxe edition of his chart-topping third album, People Watching, arriving 5th December via Polydor Records.

The Mercury Prize win last night cemented his place in the modern canon. People Watching saw Fender edge out a fiercely eclectic shortlist, from Pulp’s long-awaited comeback and FKA twigs’ avant-R&B vision to Fontaines D.C.’s bruised post-punk, Wolf Alice’s shimmering alt-rock, and CMAT’s whip-smart country-pop storytelling. It was a lineup that spoke to the depth and variety of British and Irish music right now, and Fender’s win felt like a moment of mainstream recognition for an artist who’s never lost sight of his roots.

The expanded release folds eight extra tracks into an already heavyweight record. There’s Talk To You (feat. Elton John), the headline moment , alongside Fortuna’s Wheel, The Treadmill, and the first physical outing of Rein Me In (with Olivia Dean). Fans who missed out on his vinyl-only Me and The Dog EP will also find all four songs here for the first time.

The new single, Talk To You, finds Fender trading verses and feelings with Elton John, his long-time champion and friend. Recorded at British Grove Studios with producer Marcus Dravs, it’s a slow-burn piano ballad about heartbreak, regret, and that awkward process of learning who you are when someone’s no longer there.

Sam on Talk To You: “Talk to you was written during the People Watching sessions at British Grove – It’s a song about the end of a long relationship – about the regret, the mistakes and the lessons that come with it. It’s that feeling of losing your best friend, and coming to terms with that. 

I was playing around with the riff and thought what I need is a really good pianist and then hmmm, I wonder who I can call? And of course, who better than Elton John.”

Listen to “Talk To You (feat. Elton John)” HERE.

Elton John on Talk To You: “Sam was writing and recording in a studio in West London, and called to say he’d written a song with a piano riff that he thought would sound great with me playing it. I couldn’t resist, and it was so much fun playing it for him. I truly love Sam. He’s been a friend for many, many years and it’s incredible to see him grow into being a truly world class artist.’

Released back in February, People Watching went nuclear, over 100,000 first-week UK sales, the fastest-selling British solo record since 2022, and a run of stadiums that saw him headline to 80,000 people at London Stadium. It’s the sound of a working-class storyteller turned festival headliner, carrying the weight of his hometown and still making it feel personal.

Now, People Watching (Deluxe) closes the chapter, a coda to a record that already felt definitive. Fender says he’s heading back into writing mode after this, but for now, these eight tracks feel like the afterglow: raw, reflective, and a reminder that even at full tilt, Sam Fender is still watching the world with his heart wide open.

Congratualtions Sam on what is a well deserved 2025 Mercury Prize Award!

People Watching (Deluxe) — Tracklist

  • I’m Always On Stage
  • Talk To You (feat. Elton John)
  • Fortuna’s Wheel
  • Rein Me In (with Olivia Dean)
  • Me and The Dog
  • Tyrants
  • The Treadmill
  • Empty Spaces