BBC reveal Sound of 2019 longlist

BBC Music have revealed the longlist for their Sound Of 2019 poll.

Featuring 10 emerging talents, and chosen by a panel of industry experts (including Stormzy, BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac, Emily Eavis and Olly Alexander), the 2019 longlist follows on from last year’s poll which saw the likes of Khalid, Sam Fender and Sigrid among the finalists.

Dermot Kennedy, Ella Mai, Flohio, Grace Carter and King Princess kick off the first five, whilst Mahalia, who was recently announced as runner-up for the BRITs Critics Choice Award, also makes an appearance. Octavian, Rosalía, Sea Girls and SlowThai finalise the longlist.

Last year’s winner Sigrid says: “BBC Music’s Sound Of 2018 helped me so much with reaching a new audience and giving my music some extra exposure on the radio. I’m still very thankful for being chosen as this year’s Sound Of, and I am so excited to see who this year’s winner will be!”. Meanwhile Annie Mac added “The Sound Of longlist is filled with incredibly talented people and is a real reflection of where music is heading in 2019. So many of the artists are truly innovating in their fields. It’s exciting to champion new music across the BBC and share these artists with the audience. 2019 is going to be a very special year.”

The daily countdown of the Top 5 will kick off on Monday 7th January 2019 in Annie Mac’s show on BBC Radio 1 (7-9pm), whilst the winner will be announced on Friday 11th January.