Aside from Pigeons & Planes’ own predictions, the BBC “Sound of…” list has become a pretty good indicator of which indie artists will blow up the following year. For its Sound of 2014 longlist, the BBC has named Banks, Chance the Rapper, FKA twigs, Sampha, Sam Smith, Kelela and nine other artists likely to expand on the buzz they’ve each created in 2013 for next year. For Chance, the choice is no surprise as his Acid Rap mixtape stands among the best of the year even months after its release. Other obvious selections are FKA twigs and Banks whose magnetic, head-turning videos caught everyone’s attention this year.
Last year’s list featured artists that dominated the indie scene in 2013 such as AlunaGeorge, Angel Haze, Laura Mvula, and CHVRCHES. And the BBC’s top choice for Sound of 2013 were recent SNL performers Haim, a clear sign they know what they’re talking about. Each year, the list gets voted on by 213 “pundits,” a panel comprised of British music critics, editors, broadcasters, and bloggers.
Next month, the longlist will get cut down to a top five which will be revealed beginning January 6—one artist per day—with the winner announced on January 10.
See the full longlist:
Banks
Chance the Rapper
Chlöe Howl
Ella Eyre
FKA twigs
George Ezra
Jungle
Kelela
Luke Sital-Singh
MNEK
Nick Mulvey
Royal Blood
Sam Smith
Sampha
Say Lou Lou
(BBC)
