Time to shine: Five to watch in 2019

You know how it is — get named on BBC Radio 1’s Sound of the Year list and win the Brits Critics’ Choice Award and you’re well on your way to having a stellar career. That’s certainly the likely projection for British singer-songwriter Sam Fender, who won the 2018 Brits accolade, following in the footsteps of the likes of Adele, Sam Smith, Jessie J, Florence and the Machine, and Rag’n’Bone Man. The young musician from North Shields has so far received plenty of praise following the release of his debut EP in November, scoring a spot on . He’s also been given one of the most sought-after accolades for young, rising musicians there could be — a mention on Annie Mac’s Hottest Record list for the song , a powerful track about suicide in young men.

Fancy listening to someone who was heavily inspired by the likes of Nina Simone and Lauryn Hill? If so, do check out Grace Carter, a BBC Sound of 2019 nominee. The soulful singer’s may already sound familiar — perhaps because you’ve already heard it somewhere, or just because there’s a comforting familiarity and ease to her style of powerful songwriting and simple, elegant, mature musicality. The heartbreaking song was written about her father, who she says chose “another life over raising me”. Also check out the beautiful piano-backed ballad , which has more than 800,000 views on YouTube, for another taste of her emotive approach. Carter, from Brighton, has already supported UK stars Dua Lipa, Mabel, Jorja Smith and Rag’n’Bone Man on tour, and her debut EP, released earlier in 2018, was a critical triumph. Success is on the horizon for this budding star, and it’s highly recommended that fans catch her in smaller venues on her tour in the UK in March before she starts selling out the bigger arenas. She’s already on Amazon Music UK’s Ones to Watch list for 2019, so you’d better be quick.
British singer-songwriter Ella Mai has already started to make a sizeable impact on the industry in America, but in case she’s not on your radar yet, here’s what you need to know: the R&B superstar-to-be nabbed two Grammy nominations in 2018, and her video for breakthrough single has garnered an eye-watering 300m+ views on YouTube so far.

This four-piece from New Zealand have been bubbling under for some time, but 2019 looks set to be the year they finally break into the global market.

Self Esteem, aka Rebecca Lucy Taylor, was previously one half of Sheffield-based genre-bending duo Slow Club, but now she’s going it alone and has already started offering the world her own brand of punchy, pop-tinged alternative music.