BBC Sound of 2012 Longlist Announced | Music News

The longlist has been announced for the BBC’s Sound of 2012, a predictive list compiled by a selection of UK music tastemakers across various forms of media pinpointing their favourite new acts across all genres and territories. With talent plucked from the varied worlds of grime (Dot Rotten), dubstep (Skrillex), pop (Stooshe), R&B (Frank Ocean), Soul (Michael Kiwunaka), Hip Hop (A$AP Rocky), dance (Niki & The Dove) and more, check out this year’s top 15 highlighted acts below and be prepared to argue amongst yourselves.

With the only criteria being they must not have had a UK top 20 single or album by 13 November 2011 and must not have already been well-known to the UK public, the ultimate winner and top five will be announced in January – following in the footsteps of previous winners, who have included Adele (2008), Corinne Bailey Rae (2006), 50 Cent (2003) and 2011’s star Jessie J.

“The list will inspire debate for sure, but most importantly, it will lead to discovery of artists and musicians trying to stand out from the ever-expanding crowd, and that can only be a good thing,” says BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra’s head of music, George Ergatoudis.

BBC Sound of 2012 longlist:

A$AP Rocky
Azealia Banks
Dot Rotten
Dry The River
Flux Pavilion
Frank Ocean
Friends
Jamie N Commons
Lianne La Havas
Michael Kiwanuka
Niki & The Dove
Ren Harvieu
Skrillex
Spector
Stooshe

Visit bbc.co.uk for more information.