Sam Smith has been named as the winner of the BBC Sound of 2014 list of the hottest new music acts for the year ahead.
The 21-year-old singer hit the number one spot on the charts in May last year, as vocalist on Naughty Boy’s single La La La, whilst his previous work with Disclosure on Top-20 hit Latch brought him to prominence.
Of the accolade, Smith said: “I’m completely speechless. The shortlist is full of so many talented artists and it’s a huge compliment to be recognised by the industry and the BBC in this way. I’m completely overwhelmed!”
170 UK tastemakers, including DJs, critics and bloggers, voted in this year’s list. They were asked to name their three favourite new acts by BBC News Online.
Rob Copsey, Music Editor at Digital Spy says: “There aren’t many male singers who can command the kind of pull Sam Smith can. He may have scored his big breakthrough on last year’s La La La with Naughty Boy, but his rich singing voice and a knack for tapping into real matters of the heart will undoubtedly see him come into his own in 2014.”
A longlist of the top 15 artists for BBC Sound of 2014 was published in December and the top five acts have been revealed each day this week.
R&B singer Ella Eyre, from West London is at number two, followed by LA-based songstress BANKS at number three. Vocalist and producer Sampha, from South London, took the number four spot with Bristol’s George Ezra at number five.
George Ergatoudis, Head of Music for BBC Radio 1, says: “Sam Smith is blessed with a distinctive mellifluous voice that imbues his lyrics with real emotion and soul. The public are looking for authentic artists with genuine talent and Sam more than fits the bill. He is going to enjoy huge success this year.”
The list was started in 2003 and has a history of predicting the acts that will make it big. Last year’s winners were LA pop band HAIM, who went on to have a number one in October with their debut album Days Are Gone. Previous winners have included Adele, Ellie Goulding and Jessie J.
This year, BBC Sound of 2014 has teamed up with BBC Playlister to create a playlist with full-length tracks featuring all the artists in the Sound of 2014 longlist. The playlist is available in the BBC Playlister app on Spotify: http://spoti.fi/IvGXZu
A range of music, video, interviews and biographies from each of the Top 15 acts can also be seen on the BBC Sound of 2014 website at bbc.co.uk/soundof2014
Press release credited to BBC Sound of 2014.