Sam Smith, the British singer who lent his vocals to Disclosure's 'Latch' and Naughty Boy's 'La La La', has been named as the winner of next year's Brits Critics' Choice Award.
Smith made a big impression on the judges for his collaborations with Disclosure and Naughty Boy on two of the biggest performers on the UK singles chart in 2013 and bested the likes of Chloe Howl and Ella Eyre to the honour. The award is seen as something of a 'next big thing' signpost, with previous winners Adele, Florence + The Machine, Ellie Goulding and Emeli Sande.
Speaking on his win, Smith was quoted as saying: "I'm completely overwhelmed! To see my name alongside the list of former winners, artists I admire so much, it is incredible. What an amazing Christmas present. Thank you!"
The award was chosen by a judging panel of industry experts and all three of the shortlisted artists - Smith, Chloe Howl and Ella Eye - also appear on the BBC Sound of 2014 longlist which was revealed a few days ago.
Smith will be presented at the Brit Awards ceremony on February 19th on London's O2 Arena. Arctic Monkeys and Katy Perry have both been confirmed to play at the event, while James Corden will host.
Sam Smith's debut single 'Money On My Mind' will be released in February.
