The nominations this year are: indie duo Good Neighbours, Luton-born Myles Smith and soul singer Elmiene.

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 The Good Neighbours are a duo formed in East London by Scott Verrill and Oli Fox. Earlier this month, the duo was included in BBC’s sound of 2025 list along with the likes of Chappel Roan. The two had first begun their careers as singer separately: Fox had opened for Sigrid’s UK tour in 2018, and afterwards in 2020 and 2021 had released two Eps titled “Sunburt” and “The Season”. Verrill had also released Eps as a solo artist: “Animals” in 2015, “Wildlife” in 2017 and a collection titled “Fka Kyko” in 2019.  After forming the duo, Good Neighbours begun teasing their single “Home” on TikTok, and it quickly vent viral. When the song was eventually released, in February 2024, it began climbing UK charts, peaking at 27. Myles Smith was named, earlier this month, BBC’s introducing artist of the year. Smith first gained popularity during lockdown, posting covers, and went viral in 2022 with a cover of The Neighborhood’s “Sweater Weather”. Smith made UK charts with his album “A Minute”, released in 2024, which peaked at number 63. His song “Stargazing” peaked at number four in the UK, and recently “Nice To Meet you”, off the album, achieved number 12.

@mylessmithuk Replying to @tararogers96 the same… but prettier. Can I be them? Sometimes you can sit and fantasise about being the person for someone that you dream about. But how often do we sit and wander about who is right for us? I guess for me, learning to be selfish is hard, but it’s needed. #theneighbourhood #sweaterweather #acousticcovers #artistsoftiktok #Love ♬ Sweater Weather Cover – Myles Smith

Elmiene, originally from Oxford, rose to fame in 2021 after a friend posted a video of him singing in his backyard. In January 2024, he was named one to watch by BBC Radio 1. Elmiene released his debut EP titled “EL-MEAN” in 2023, and it was followed by another EP titled “Marking my Time” and in 2024 Elmiene released “Marking my Time (Again)” and “Anyway I can”.

Previous years’ winners include many names that, today, are well known and have topped charts and won many awards. The rising star of 2008 was Adele, followed by Florence + The Machine in 2009, then Tom Odell, Sam Smith and more recently, Sam Fender in 2019, Griff in 2021 and FLO in 2023.

The winner of title, previously known as BRIT’s Critics Choice, will be announced on December 5, in anticipation of the much-awaited BRITs ceremony which this year will take place on March 1. The announcement will be live on the BBC Radio 1.

Chappell Roan and Ezra Collective on BBC Sound of 2025 list https://t.co/cCUFmwZZvg

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) November 21, 2024

BBC’s “Sound of” first begun in 2003 and since has awarded the likes of Lewis Capaldi, Lady Gaga, Adele, PinkPantheress, RAYE, The Weeknd and HAIM. Last year, the title was won by The Last Dinner Party. This year, some eligibility rules were changed in order to fit more artists: previously, artists couldn’t be nominated if they had an album charting at number two or one in the UK, however now artist are eligible unless they have had more than one album charting in the UK top ten.

Here is the full list of nominees:

• Barry Can’t Swim
• Chappell Roan
• Confidence Man
• Doechii
• English Teacher
• Ezra Collective
• Good Neighbours
• KNEECAP
• gee
• Myles Smith
• Pozer

Perhaps the most known on a worldwide level out of the eleven contestants is Chappell Roan. The American singer has in fact taken over the world with a very swift rise to fame after releasing her debut album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess” in 2023. Her songs have gone viral on social media platforms, and she achieved two top 10 songs in UK charts (“Good Luck Babe” and “Hot To Go”) and her album peaked at number one.

While Chappell Roan has become a pop icon in less than a year, another strong contestant is English Teacher, the 2025 Mercury Prize winner. The Mercury Prize is awarded to the best British or Irish album of the year, and English Teacher was surely deserving of this title: their debut album “This Could Be Texas” peaked at number eight in the UK, and their tour around the country was sold out.

With English Teacher, another contestant for the Mercury Prize this year was Barry Can’t Swim. Originally from Scotland, Barry Can’t Swim is a DJ and electronic music producer. His debut album “Where Will We Land?” peaked at 12 on UK charts; furthermore, he will be headlining All Points East 2025 in London. But 2023’s Mercury Prize Winner has also been longlisted for the BBC award: Ezra Collective has recently headlined Wembley Arena and their latest album “Dance Like No One’s Watching” peaked at number seven in the UK.

Overall, this year’s competition for “Sound of 2025” is strong and eclectic, with the only well-known artist around the world being Chappell Roan. The winner will be announced on January 10^th after a top five countdown which will take place in the weeks prior to the announcement of the winner.