BBC Music recently released it Sound of 2017 list of rising stars, the list was started back in 2003 in aid of showcasing rising stars. The artist showcased on the Sound Of lists are all hand-picked by a panel of impartial experts from the music industry. The Sound Of list has gained a reputation as a democratic survey, some of the previous list makers included Adele, Sam Smith, Ellie Goulding, HAIM, Years & Years and Jack Garratt. This year 170 UK and international tastemakers were selected by BBC News to vote for their Sound Of 2017. Let’s find out who is on the list this year.
Sound Of 2017 Longlist
AJ Tracey (Aged 22) Rapper with Lucid Wordplay
AJ Tracey is from West London and has been rapping since the age of six. Tracey initially performed under the name Looney, he adopted the AJ Tracey persona in 2014. His first official release, Spirit Bomb, arrived in 2015. The Alex Moran EP and a collaboration with fellow Sound Of 2017 nominee Dave cemented his reputation and in September he won the best newcomer at the GRM Daily awards.
Anderson .Paak (Aged 30) RnB – Hip-Hop
.Paak is from Oxnard, California and he is a multi-instrumentalist, singer and producer, he is signed to Dr Dre’s Aftermath label and appeared on six tracks of the of the producer’s Compton album. .Paak dropped his former stage name Breezy Lovejoy and started perfecting his blend of breezy R&B, simmering hip-hop, blaxploitation-era soul and hazy psych-rock. His first two albums, Venice and Malibu, have been more talked about then bought but this could be set to change.
Cabbage – Post-Punk
Cabbage is a band from Manchester and has gained a reputation for their raucous, incendiary live shows, with Martin’s stage antics being compared to Iggy Pop. With songs about bout North Korea and Donald Trump, Cabbage would run the risk of being pigeon-holed as a political band, if it wasn’t for their filthy sense of humour.
Dave – (Aged 18) Rapper with Classical Training
Dave hails from South London (Streatham) and is making some huge waves in music even though his is till at college, where he is studying philosophy and ethics, music and law. Dave inspired by artists like Pink Floyd and Hans Zimmer, the classically trained pianist employs slower tempos and a broader musical palette than his UK rap contemporaries and bringing him to the attention of Drake, who remixed the song Wanna Know earlier this year. Dave is currently working on a debut album with producer Fraser T Smith, who credits include Adele’s 21 and Kano’s Mercury–nominated Made In The Manor.
Declan McKenna – (Aged 17) Indie Pop
McKenna a singer-songwriter from Hertfordshire, London has already garnered the sort of buzz that musicians twice his age would give anything for. After winning Glastonbury Festival’s Emerging Talent Competition in 2015, McKenna shot to the music industry’s spotlight and not long afterwards self-releasing his debut single Brazil. His recent single Isombard tackling the subject of xenophobia in the media, his brand of socially conscious indie pop is fresh and intelligent, it has established him as a youthful voice with something to say.
Jorja Smith – (Aged 19) soul and vintage RnB
Smith hails from Walsall and was working at Starbucks when she posted her first single, Blue lights on to SoundCloud this January. Within a week, it had racked up 100,000 plays, earning shout-outs from Drake, Stormzy and Skrillex. A true self-starter, Smith creates most of her own artwork and filmed the video for her single Where Did I Go? On the steps of her auntie’s house, and like several artists on this year’s Sounds of list, Smith has rejected advances from major record labels and chosen to release music independently. Just 11 months after posting that first track, Smith has already sold out her first UK headline tour.
Maggie Rogers – (Aged 22) Singer-songwriter influenced by Folk and Dance
Rogers is a singer-songwriter from Brooklyn, New York and studied songwriting and production, receiving an unexpected break when Pharrell Williams dropped into her class to give some tips, Rogers played him her latest song, Alaska, a precise fusion of folk and dance music. As the chorus kicked in, Pharrell’s eyes grew wider and wider and by the end, he was her biggest fan. Rogers single Dog Years had an exclusive first play on Radio 1 on Huw’s show and will be releasing a debut EP in February 2017.
Nadia Rose – (Aged 23) Rapper with funky Rhymes
Rose is a rapper from South London and is Stormzy cousin, realising that her job was holding her back musically she packed it in and started making music with friend and producer The Black Obsidian. Rose’s breakthrough video, Station, was shot, without permission, at a local railway station with Nadia dancing nonchalantly on the tracks as a train pulled in and more recently the colourful, funky single Skwod saw the rapper taking over the streets with a girl gang, body-popping Beyoncé choreography and all.
Rag’n’Bone Man (Aged 31) Raw Bluesy Soul
Rory Graham aka Rag’n’Bone is from Uckfield, South East and his melting pot of musical styles is evident in Rag’n’Bone Man’s solo material, which puts a modern twist on the raw soul of Joe Cocker. In 2015 , the emotive Bitter End, from his Disfigured EP made many people sit up and take notice. Graham signed to Columbia Records earlier this year and his recent single Human has already been a big hit in several European countries, topping the charts for 8 weeks in Germany and has just finished supporting Tom Odell on tour and his debut album is set to be released in 2017
Ray BLK – (Aged 22) Soulful RnB
Ray BLK is a Catford, South London girl who has already been dubbed “the Lauryn Hill of the UK” although not from a musical background BLK educated herself by watching MTV Base and listening to Missy Elliott, Lil Kim and The Notorious B.I.G. BLK released 50/50 in 2015 and recently she self-released her debut album Durt, featuring collaborations with Stomzy, Wretch 32 and SG Lewis.
RAYE – (Aged 18) Electro beats, pop melodies with RnB tinged-vocals
RAYE a singer-songwriter from South London, a student at the Brit school, released her debut EP Welcome To The Winter in 2014. one of the tracks, a seductive slow-burner called Hotbox, caught the attention of Sound Of 2015 winners Year and Years, which helped her secure a record deal. Currently, she is supporting Jess Glynne on her arena tour.
Stefflon Don (Aged 24) Rap with dancehall-inspired wordplay
Don hails from Clapton, London she first began to make waves in 2015 with her versions of Wretch 32’s Six Words and Sections Boyz’s Lock Arff. Since then Don has been in high demand, appearing on tracks by the likes of Lethal Bizzle, Sneakbo and Angle. In September 2016, she made an impressive appearance on Jeremih’s single London, where her patois-inflected, quick-fire one-liners can thick and fast. Don is currently working on her debut mixtape, Real Ting, which will feature Jeremih and Scouse Trappin Tremz.
The Amazons – Explosive rock riffs and melodic anthems
The Amazons are a four-piece band burst onto the new music radar with Stay With Me, a raucous burst of power chord energy in the March of this year. Produced by Tom Dalgety (Royal Blood, The Maccabees) the song was their first release after signing to the prestigious indie label Fiction Records, home to the like of Tame Impala, The Maccabees and Nick Mulvey. After signing to Fiction late last year, they re-recorded all their material and having been hitting the road with The Strypes and Jimmy Eat World.
The Japanese House (Aged 21) – Layered synth-pop and dreamy melancholia
The Japanese House is the stage name of Amber Bain from Buckinghamshire and to date, Bain has released two critically acclaimed Ep’s, Pools To Bathe In and Clean, while her latest single Face Like Thunder premiered on Annie Mac’s show in September. It’s the third track from her third EP Swim Against the Tide, which was released earlier this month on Dirty Hit. Having spent most of the year touring with The 1975, and is currently on a headline tour of her own, and is heading to the US at the end of November.
Tom Grennan (Aged 20) Raw emotive vocals with acoustic guitar melodies
Tom Grennan a singer-songwriter who hails from Bedford and is based is London, got his first taste of fame as the guest vocalist on Chase & Status’s track When It All Goes Wrong. Grennan’s inclination towards blues and soul can be heard on his debut EP, Something In The Water, which was produced by Charlie Hugall. Grennan goes on tour in February 2017 as he works towards his debut album.
Some awesome talent in this list and are definitely ones to watch in 2017 and beyond! Do yourself a favor and check them out, I promise you wont be disappointed!
Presh (@Presh81)
Head Music Writer at Skatronixxx.com
Tattooed Mobility Scooting, Chronic Autoimmune Disease Fighting Writer, Indie Music Supporter, Lover of Elvis Presley, Lover of Music, Lover of My Cats Elvis & Priscilla and Labrador Webster with a G-Shock watch addiction & collection
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