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BBC Sound Of 2018 longlist announced
By Andy Malt | Published on Monday 27 November 2017
The longlist for the 2018 BBC Sound Of poll is out, so get your complaining hats at the ready as you mistake predictions for claims of actual knowledge of the future.
Voted for by over 170 pundits – including CMU’s own Andy Malt (that’s me), plus former nominees and winners Stormzy, Ellie Goulding, Years & Years’ Olly Alexander, Loyle Carner, Michael Kiwanuka and Ray BLK – the annual list of new acts people are excited about is now sixteen years old. For unrelated reasons, the longlist also features sixteen artists for the first time. There was a tie between two acts, so nothing birthday related at all.
As ever, the top five most tipped acts will be announced over the course of a week in early January – the week commencing 8 Jan to be precise – with the winner announced by Annie Mac on Clara Amfo’s show at 10am on 12 Jan. We will then all agree that this new artist will definitely be the most popular of 2018 and get on with our lives.
“I’m super excited to see so many young and innovative rising stars from around the world on this year’s Sound Of 2018 longlist”, says Mac. “Some acts will be brand new to UK audiences and many have already started to make an impact with us at Radio 1 and 1Xtra and out performing live. Countless numbers of talented artists have featured on previous Sound Of lists and I’m delighted by the level of talent presented again this year. I can’t wait to be a part of their journey and see what the year ahead has in store for them all”.
Radio 1 and Radio 1Xtra’s Head Of Music Chris Price adds: “The BBC Music Sound of 2018 longlist is impressive for its strength and diversity. The stellar list of new acts here, many of whom have seen significant early support from Radio 1 and 1Xtra, fill me with confidence that 2018 will be an exciting year for emerging talent”.
But who are the sixteen acts every single man, woman and child in the UK will be listening to endlessly in 2018 (those are the rules, by the way)? Well, they are these:
Alma
Billie Eilish
IAMDDB
Jade Bird
Khalid
Lewis Capaldi
Nilüfer Yanya
Not3s
Pale Waves
Rex Orange County
Sam Fender
Sigrid
Superorganism
Tom Walker
Yaeji
Yxng Bane
