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BBC Music has released the longlist of 15 finalists in the running for the Sound of 2015 award. The list is compiled by 140 music industry types, each of whom pushes three favorite artists. The list will be narrowed down to five acts on January 5. Previous winners have included Sam Smith (2014), HAIM (2013), and Adele (2008).
This year brings a much more diverse field to a competition traditionally dominated by pop: grime, R&B, and acoustic setups have wormed their way into the mix—but we’ll see if any of them make it on to the next round. Here’s the full list of finalists:
James Bay
George The Poet
Rae Morris
Novelist
Shamir
Slaves
Soak
Stormzy
Sunset Sons
Wolf Alice