Good Luck, Babe! hitmaker Chappel Roan has beaten out the likes of KNEECAP, Doechii and Confidence Man to be crowned as the winner of the BBC’s Sound of 2025 poll.
Since 2003, critics and figures from the music industry have voted in the annual poll, which aims to spotlight new musical talent. Some would argue that Roan isn’t necessarily in need of the BBC’s help, considering her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess reached #1 on the UK charts last year and has been nominated for Album of the Year at the upcoming Grammy Awards.
As the disagreements over Roan’s win persist, there have been 22 other winners of Sound Of... over the years, with each experiencing varying degrees of success since their respective win. Let’s recap them.
Internationally-beloved stars: 50 Cent (2003), Adele (2008), Sam Smith (2014)
Also: Ellie Goulding (2010), Jessie J (2011), HAIM (2013), Celeste (2020)
On a number of occasions, the poll has accurately predicted the sweeping success of its winners. Undeniably the most famous singer to come out of the country in the last two decades, a 19-year-old Adele won the 2008 poll shortly before the release of her debut album, 19, beating out a number of indie rock bands like MGMT, Foals and Vampire Weekend. Her win came years before follow-up release 21 took the world by storm and certified her as a musical icon.
Other big-name winners of the poll include 50 Cent as the poll’s inaugural winner in 2003, Jessie J in 2010, Ellie Goulding in 2010, critically acclaimed soft-rock trio HAIM in 2013, and Sam Smith in 2014. HAIM won over prominent acts like The Weeknd and Tom Odell, while Goulding – who ties Adele as the British female artist with the most UK #1 albums in history – beat rapper Giggs and Two Door Cinema Club. Five-time Grammy winner Smith, who has also picked up an Oscar and Golden Globe for their 2015 James Bond theme, triumphed over Ella Eyre and Sampha.
Successful in their own right: Keane (2004), Corrine Bailey Rae (2006), PinkPantheress (2022)
Also: MIKA (2007), Michael Kiwanuka (2012), Years & Years (2015), Ray Blk (2017), Sigrid (2018)
Other victors of the poll may not quite be classified as internationally recognised household names, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t enjoyed some enviable success. East Sussex outfit Keane may not be the most prominent of rock bands these days, but many of their albums have become some of the country’s best-selling and critically lauded. Two-time Grammy winner Corrine Bailey Rae took the prize in 2006, while winners Years & Years, Sigrid and PinkPantheress have enjoyed chart success, with PinkPantheress reaching #3 on the US Billboard 100 in 2023.
Too soon to tell: FLO (2023) and The Last Dinner Party (2024)
The female-fronted R&B group and indie rock band are the most recent winners of the poll and have enjoyed success since: FLO’s debut album Access All Areas reached #3 in the UK upon release last year and received rave reviews from Pitchfork and NME. They also bagged a nomination for the stateside BET Awards in 2023. Recipients of the Rising Star Brit Award, The Last Dinner Party topped the charts with their debut album shortly after winning the poll last year. Despite their recent successes, time will tell whether both bands have the staying power to hold down long-running careers.
Legal troubles: Octavian (2019) and Pa Salieu (2021)
Although British-French rapper Octavian had collaborations with Skepta, Gorillaz and Future after his win, abuse allegations made against him by a former partner ended up in the 28-year-old being dropped by his record label and severed from his PR agent. 2021’s winner, Pa Salieu – whose flavour of rap encompasses Afrobeats and drill – was on the brink of stateside stardom when he was invited to perform on Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show, but a 21-month prison sentence for violent disorder beginning in 2022 undoubtedly hindered his career success. Although, since being released from prison in September, he’s begun to release music again, so watch this space.
Fleeting success: The Bravery (2005), Little Boots (2009), Jack Garratt (2016)
Not every Sound Of... winner is destined for a career of number ones, critical acclaim or award show sweeps, which is certainly the case for The Bravery. If you don’t remember them, well neither would most people – they had a top 10 hit in 2005 before fading into obscurity shortly afterwards. Electro-pop singer Little Boots, who beat out Lady Gaga and Florence and the Machine for the 2009 prize, enjoyed some early success, but her more recent efforts haven’t had much of a splash. She’s also taken more of a backseat role, playing keyboard in London’s Abba Voyage since 2021.
