Tomorrow’s stars unveiled among MTV Brand New 2015 finalists

Tomorrow’s stars unveiled among MTV Brand New 2015 finalists

MTV UK & Ireland has unveiled the finalists for the MTV Brand New 2015, the iconic TV network’s competition to find up-and-coming British music acts destined to be the chart-topping stars of tomorrow.

Based on the votes of specially selected judges, the following 10 emerging acts are destined to knock the industry for six with their talent from next year onwards.

The competition that invites fans to vote for the overall winner opens on 1 December, with the champ unveiled on 30 January. The playlist for each contestant can be heard here.

Here is the shortlist of contenders:-
Becky Hill – She is the singer-songwriter who became the first contestant in The Voice, the reality-TV series, to feature on a No.1 UK single

George the Poet – Real name George Mpanga, the Londoner is a spoken-word poet who has made a name (no pun intended) for himself with his politically and socially charged verses; he is signed to Island Records

James Bay – He already boasts three EPs via Republic Records under his belt, and he has that cool break to perform on the runway of a Burberry catwalk show and on the Burberry Acoustic online video session

Krept and Konan – Win a MOBO Award, check. Win a BET Award, check. Break the world record for the highest-charting UK album by an unsigned act (with Young Kingz, which entered the UK Top 20 earlier this year), check

Melissa Steel – Attending the same school as One Direction’s Zayn Malik and exchanging songs with him was not enough for the reggae ‘n’ pop songstress. She has fronted or featured in three singles in a row that entered the UK Top 30 chart

Nothing But Thieves – The male band from Southend-on-Sea, east of London, are building a strong following and have already been snapped up by RCA Victor

Saint Raymond – Born Callum Burrows, Saint Raymond is a song-songwriter going far. He has appeared on BBC Introducing, the British public broadcaster’s platform for supporting emerging artists. He is the opening act on Ed Sheeran’s Multiply tour, and his music has been featured on TV trailers and commercials. Watch out for the debut album next year

Sinead Harnett – When it comes to high-profile live appearances, Sinead is in demand, especially by her nearly 16,000 Facebook followers. Notting Hill Carnival, Lumia Live Sessions, Wireless 2014 and Lovebox Festival have been among the live concerts featuring her name among the headliners

Sunset Sons – Signed to Polydor Records, the band with origins in the UK, Australia and France are making some noise in the recorded music space

Years & Years – Playing a fusion of electro-pop and R&B has helped this act develop a staunch fan base. Having Olly Alexander, a famous film star, as the lead singer can do no harm either

Joining the shortlisted 10 are Of Empires, the Brighton band privileged to have been the MTV Brand New 2015’s Unsigned winner. Although without a recording contract, their selection gives them an opportunity to be seen by the leading talent scouts.

Sam Smith and Kwabs, two of this year’s hottest British acts on the international scene, were among the MTV Brand New competition finalists last year.

Other chart toppers supported by the contest in the past include Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Tinie Tempah, Adele, Florence + The Machine, Disclosure and Ellie Goulding.

[Juliana Koranteng]