The winner of the BBC Sound of 2017 has been revealed.
The longlist for the accolade, which names the most hotly-tipped artists poised to make an impact in the coming year, was announced in November and generated quite a stir with the inclusion of American hip-hop artist Anderson .Paak, who many believed to be established rather than up-and-coming.
In any case, the countdown to first place has been occurring over the last few days, and the number one artist has been revealed as 22-year-old Londoner Ray BLK.
The unsigned soul/r'n'b artist said: “I feel so honoured to have topped the list this early in my career and join such an incredible alumni of winners. Thank you so much to the BBC and all the voters! I’m particularly proud to be a part of this year’s list as it’s full of so much talent, some of whom are independent artists like myself which I really hope inspires the next generation of artists.”
Previous alumni have included Sam Smith, Adele and Haim.
See the Top 5 below:
1. Ray BLK
2. Rag ‘n’ Bone Man
3. RAYE
4. Jorja Smith
5. Nadia Rose
