The longlist for BBC Radio 1's #SoundOf2025 is here! ⭐ Barry Can’t Swim ⭐ Chappell Roan ⭐ Confidence Man ⭐ Doechii ⭐ English Teacher ⭐ Ezra Collective ⭐ Good Neighbours ⭐ KNEECAP ⭐ mk.gee ⭐ Myles Smith ⭐ Pozer - ThreadSky

mrdiscopop.bsky.social • 97 days ago

The longlist for BBC Radio 1's #SoundOf2025 is here!

⭐ Barry Can’t Swim
⭐ Chappell Roan
⭐ Confidence Man
⭐ Doechii
⭐ English Teacher
⭐ Ezra Collective
⭐ Good Neighbours
⭐ KNEECAP
⭐ mk.gee
⭐ Myles Smith
⭐ Pozer

Comments

atkinssam.bsky.social•97 days ago

The inclusion of some of these artists is WILD. Some of these aren’t even ‘breakthrough’ years either.

ontheprize.co.uk•97 days ago

I get the changes (good context, thanks!) but this really is very far away as a concept from what it used to be, isn’t it?

mrdiscopop.bsky.social•97 days ago

Absolutely - but the industry has changed, too. When 50 Cent won in 2003, he was an underground rapper who suddenly sold 12m albums in the next year.

No-one gets that kind of cultural ubiquity so quickly now - but the list still aims to highlight artists on the verge of wider mainstream success.

ehgillett.bsky.social•97 days ago

Isn’t that exactly what Chappell Roan’s just done, though? Bubbling under a year ago, completely inescapable now. If you’d picked her for 2024 you’d have been spot on.

What’s changed isn’t the speed of exposure, it’s that the industry & BBC have less control or foresight over who it happens to.

ehgillett.bsky.social•97 days ago

Hence, presumably, betting on a bunch of horses that have already won. Very silly stuff, and a shame for actual pre-breakthrough acts for whom the boost could have been critical.

mrdiscopop.bsky.social•97 days ago

Oh definitely. There’s no question her inclusion feels a little late. She got a few votes last year, but not enough for the longlist, I think.

That said, music is so fragmented now that she’s still new/undiscovered to many people. If the list’s job is to aid discovery, she (just) deserves a place.

ehgillett.bsky.social•97 days ago

Miley Cyrus defending her in Vanity Fair made the Daily Mail showbiz section yesterday, she’s being booked to headline massive festivals next summer, and her streaming numbers put her somewhere between Mariah Carey and Britney. If that counts as “undiscovered” then I think your criteria might be off

mrdiscopop.bsky.social•97 days ago

Oh totally, she’s an odd fit. But I also know my mum, a huge pop fan, would struggle to name her songs (although I put Casual on a mixtape for her in 2022!)

Timing is always difficult. Arguably, previous nominees weren’t ready. This year, the pendulum swung the other way. But it’s all good music. 🤷‍♂️

yeoldemother.bsky.social•97 days ago

Already?! I’d swear it gets earlier every year.

I used to enjoy being one of the ‘judges’ on this.

Also striking how many already massive acts are on it this year.

mrdiscopop.bsky.social•97 days ago

I think it's partially a recognition that the acts we consider to be massive are increasingly off-the-radar for casual listeners.

My mum, a huge pop fan who listens to music constantly, couldn't pick Ezra Collective (or even Chappell Roan) out of a line-up right now. But give it a year and maybe?

yeoldemother.bsky.social•97 days ago

Indeed. And likewise with the judges, when you have Dua Lipa, Elton John and Nia Archives, who the hell needs me

krldslv.bsky.social•97 days ago

love Mk.gee

mrdiscopop.bsky.social•97 days ago

Haha! I’ll ask the team if you can be re-added next year.

yeoldemother.bsky.social•97 days ago

That’s kind, but I don’t know who ‘the team’ is and I guess this is mutual. No harm done; Dua Lipa would kill me in combat for sure

davealcatraz.bsky.social•97 days ago

Almost all of the latest music is ‘off the radar’ for casual listeners now - bar the odd massive artist. That’s why legacy artists like oasis are so big, normal people have actually heard of them. The challenge is to promote new artists who have genuine cross-generational proper songwriting appeal.

mrdiscopop.bsky.social•97 days ago

I think that’s the logic behind the rule change, to be fair.

davealcatraz.bsky.social•97 days ago

Oasis might do quite well next year?

earlsjohn.bsky.social•97 days ago

If streaming makes it harder to break through, shouldn’t R1 make it easier for new artists to emerge? All this does is throw more rocks in their path.

mrdiscopop.bsky.social•97 days ago

It’s a really tough call. As I’ve said elsewhere, the list has previously been guilty of tipping acts before they’re ready - and it became an albatross for some of them.

Arguably it has over-corrected this year, but there are plenty of unknowns on there too.

earlsjohn.bsky.social•97 days ago

Pozer, Good Neighbours, mk.gee. Doechii at a push. The other 7 are established.
I appreciate you won’t say “Yeah, it’s a mess,” but when MVT is nearing the ticket levy to help grassroots venues, this implies R1 dismisses those artists. I know it does care, but imo the messaging is so disappointing.

mrdiscopop.bsky.social•97 days ago

That's a fair point. Last Dinner Party were a great example of a band who rose through the grassroots scene, and who championed it when they won.

earlsjohn.bsky.social•97 days ago

Indeed, and obv they were last year’s winners, so I’m surprised on why the rules have changed now.
I get the albatross point, but there’s a separate debate on the industry pressuring tastemakers - who should see through the hype if an artist isn’t ready (FLO.)
Again, I get the problem isn’t on you.

sharkastic.bsky.social•97 days ago

Big fan of Englilsh Teacher

mrdiscopop.bsky.social•97 days ago

A little housekeeping:

Yup, that's 11 artists. There was a tie for 10th place.

The top 5 will be announced 6-10 January 2025.

And yes, some artists have bigger profiles than before. The rules were tweaked to reflect the difficulty of achieving crossover success in the streaming era.

jackabouting.bsky.social•97 days ago

In what world would a tweak mean Chappell Roan appear on this list. Makes a mockery of the whole reason for this award.

jackabouting.bsky.social•97 days ago

And what's the point of having the last 2 winners of the Mercury Prize on here?

justdip.bsky.social•97 days ago

It's getting harder for new artists to have crossover success so to help that...the BBC has made it harder for new artists to have crossover success?

mrdiscopop.bsky.social•97 days ago

Haha! I think it’s about choosing the right time to back an artist.

Arguably, previous years have pushed artists into the spotlight before they were ready - eg Flo’s debut album came out last week, 2 years after they won.

There’s a risk that of the prize becoming an albatross if it’s too early.

justdip.bsky.social•97 days ago

I totally agree there's a right time to back an artist. FLO might have been too early but at least it would have impacted their career in some way. Chappell, Ezra, Barry Can't Swim will gain basically nothing from this so you have to ask, what's the point of it?

mrdiscopop.bsky.social•97 days ago

(The Flo album is superb, by the way. They fully deserved their win … but maybe this year would have been more appropriate?)

sharkastic.bsky.social•97 days ago

Maybe you should change the rules so that no one who's been on the radio 1 A list for six months solid should be on the list.

Chappell Roan? Give me a break

mrdiscopop.bsky.social•97 days ago

Find out more on BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgvpz0kry8o

And see who voted for the longlist:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/58l5c70g6g3CVP4DmJBMFr4/pundits

yorkieboy71.bsky.social•97 days ago

Yep some pretty big names already in there

mrdiscopop.bsky.social•97 days ago

It's definitely interesting how the rule changes affected the vote.

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