Speaking about taking home the title, Octavian said: “I knew that one day I was going to be successful. I get inspired and I try to make a new sound every day. It’s going to be a very loud year for me. Loads of music, loads of visuals, loads of albums.” He continued, “If I can get this, I can get anything. 2019 is going to be a great year.”

Octavian is the first rapper to win the BBC Music Sound Of… since 50 Cent topped the inaugural list in 2003. He was chosen by a panel of 136 critics, broadcasters and DJs, including former nominees Ellie Goulding and Stormzy – who were each asked to name three of their favourite new acts.

Also among the voters was Anna Karatziva, head of talent and music at MTV UK, who called Octavian “a unique and exciting talent with an incredible vision and passion.” Meanwhile, BBC Radio 1 DJ Benji B, the first to play Octavian on Radio 1 and 1Xtra, said: “From the very first moment I heard his music I was hooked. The first couple of tunes he released – Party Here and Hands – were some of the most futuristic, forward thinking, raw and inspiring tunes to come out of the UK in the last two years.”

The rapper was born in Lille, shuttling between France and London throughout his childhood, eventually landing a scholarship to the Brit school – the performing arts school that trained Jessie J, Leona Lewis and Adele. However, he dropped out and, amid friction with his family, became homeless. Speaking about that time in his life, he told the Guardian, “I didn’t have no money, but I still managed to eat, to live. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Once you’re there, that is your life. You can only look up, because down there’s nothing left.”

Rapping over genre-straddling production that is a mix of US trap, UK drill, grime and more, Octavian’s rise has been prompt, with him releasing his debut mixtape, in September 2018. Canadian superstar Drake was filmed rapping along to Octavian’s breakthrough track ‘Party Here’, and he was chosen by Louis Vuitton designer, Virgil Abloh, to model for a collection.

The, Drake endorsed, rapper beat, runner-up, pop singer King Princess at No 2, widely tipped this year after debut track ‘1950’ gathered 183 million plays on Spotify. Rounding out the top five are British balladeer Grace Carter, Northampton punk rapper Slowthai, and Spanish neo-flamenco star Rosalía.

Carter is now in preparation for her debut album after she was signed to Polydor, and is under the same managed company as Dua Lipa, who she supported on tour. Speaking to BBC News, Carter revealed how she found her voice, and connection with music: “I was a difficult child for sure. I was a very angry child and I hadn’t quite found a way to let it out, apart from shouting for a long time.

“My mum met my stepdad when I was 13 and he was the person who really changed me as a child and the way I looked at my life and dealt with things. He got me a guitar and said, ‘Instead of shouting at everyone and getting really angry, why don’t you just try and talk about the things you’re feeling?’”

It seems that Carter’s broken family during her childhood, caused her a lot of angst, however she believes that was a pivotal point for her, and music became her way of expressing her anger and emotions. Carters raw and emotional single ‘Why Her Not Me’, was an expression of the anger and sadness she felt towards her biological father.

She said on this song that “sadly, today I figured out the reason my dad wasn’t in life was because he was raising another family but I want to know why he picked them over me. Why her not me?. I literally just said that and the song wrote itself.”

When asked if she was glad that she put such personal information out there for everyone to hear Carter explained that for her she was “just an open book”, and “I didn’t really think about it”.

Writing for Carter seems to have been a healing experience as she explained “It was really hard (releasing ‘Why Her Not Me’) I think the month after I put Why Her Not Me out, I felt pretty exposed. I felt like I’d shared a lot. But at the same time I felt like I’d got a lot back, and through sharing that story and being open, it allowed a lot of young people to be open as well. As hard as it was, it was also extremely empowering and exciting that I was encouraging young people to talk and be open about their feelings (about) situations they’ve been through, and help them realise that actually they’re not the only ones who have felt it.”

Carter also revealed some of her biggest musical influences including, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Amy Winehouse and Carole King. Grace Carters music is often referred to as melancholy and sad, yet her lyrics are often thoughtful and empowering too. in her own words she explains “I never want to be a victim, and that’s the main thing. Of course there are sad subjects through all my songs; but at the end of it i’m stronger than all that.” For the complete BBC Music Sounds of 2019 click here.

Speaking to the BBC about making it in to the Sound of 2019 top five, Slowthai said: “The BBC has described his music as being “either a grime MC making punk music or a punk making rap music. Either way, slowthai – number four in the BBC’s Sound of 2019 – is unlike any artist to emerge from the past 12 months.”

Raised by a single mum, in a Northampton council estate known as ‘The Bush’, Slowthai got him name from his childhood habit of talking slowly (Slow-Ty). However his vocals are anything but, as he spits lyrics with the furious pace of a young man who has much to say, whether it’s about race or a tribute to the women in his life.

Among his other lyrics are issues of affecting a post-Brexit Britain such as class, unemployment, hopelessness and and feeling like a outsider, all loom large in slowthai’s work. Slowthai believes in his message so much that his lyrics can come across as aggressive. This energy is what drives his music, which is a mix of social realism personal reflection.

He has a faith that young, working class Britons will always succeed in spite of a toxic nation, where politics is crumbling around them, all the while screaming “fuck you” at the establishment. “It’s like life gives you lemons and what do you do? You either make lemonade or you sit there with a sour face. I just want people to make lemonade,” says Slowthai. 

He broke on to the scene with his breakout hit ‘TN Biscuits’, in 2017, whose opening lines probably make it the most memorable musical entrance of the year. This was followed by an impressive run of singles in 2018, before he solidified his status as UK rap’s next great hop, with the release of his sophomore EP ‘RUNT’, in September.

“I want to connect with people that feel unseen. People feel like they have to hide their true colours to please the people around them. I think the majority of the world are pleasing other people, be it their family, or their friends, or the fucking powers that pushed them in. I just want to reach people and be like, ‘Fuck the shit place, let’s create our own universe,'” says Slowthai, speaking to Fader.

‘Doorman’, is the first track lifted from his upcoming debut album, which is due to arrive sometime in 2019, with the working title being ‘Nothing Great About Britain’. His latest song “Rainbow” will also feature on the album, the rapper has also been working with Mount Kimbie, Mura Masa, and punk duo Slaves on new material, alongside regular producer Kwes Darko. The forthcoming year looks set to be a busy one for Slowthai, with both an album and, European and UK, tour dates planned for 2019.

Upcoming 2019 Slowthai Tour Dates:

Speaking to the BBC, about making the longlist, Rosalía said: “Thank you so much! I’m really happy. I’ve discovered a lot of music by listening to the BBC – but it was a big surprise that I could have a space on this list, you know?”

The 25-year-old is revolutionising flamenco by, turning it on its head and giving it a modern twist, combining its melismas and palmas, otherwise known as hand clapping, to the sounds and attitude of hip-hop. This has earned the singer fifth place in the BBC Music Sound of 2019, which celebrates acts that have been tipped for success in the forthcoming year.

James Stirling, the head of BBC Music and BBC Music Introducing, said: “For 17 years the BBC Music Sound Of list has been celebrating exciting up-and-coming talent and this year we are proud to recognise the work of such an eclectic mix of musicians. There’s a wealth of talent coming through and I look forward to seeing the artists build their reputations in 2019”.

Rosalía, who was born Rosalía Vila Tobella, in Sant Esteve Sesrovires, Spain, is already a big star in her home country. It was her 2017 debut ‘Los Ángeles’ that got people taking notice. The track spent 67 weeks in the Spanish album chart, with Spain’s ‘La Vanguardia’ describing it as a fusion of old and new world traditions, which has “revolutionised flamenco”.

Meanwhile, her striking video for ‘De Plata’, in which Rosalía performs intricate flamenco moves against a series of Instagram-friendly backdrops, racked up four million views on YouTube. The star soon caught the eye of Pharrell Williams, who invited her to record with him in LA, and Oscar-winning writer-director Pedro Almodóvar, who cast her alongside Penélope Cruz in his next film, Dolor y Gloria.

However, it wasn’t until the release of her second album ‘El Mal Querer’, that she was introduced to a global audience. ‘El Mal Querer’ is a concept record about a toxic relationship retold for the modern day, which was inspired by a 13th Century novel, ‘Flamenca’.

“I had the title before anything else, during the last year of my university degree. I wanted to explore this bad love – las pasiones. You know, like domination, the dark side of love. I wanted to make a record where every song could be a chapter, almost so you could “read” the album. Like, when you hear the third song, maybe you hear it in a different way because you know what happened in chapter two. So I just started looking for references, digging through books to find traditional lyrics,” says Rosalía, speaking about the album and the inspiration behind it.

The album earned her five nominations at the Latin Grammys, where the ominous, bass-busting single ‘Malamente’ won best alternative song and best urban track. Latin pop is continuing to rise, and a major label fighting her corner, 2019 could be a breakthrough year for the rising star, Rosalía.