Sound of... is an annual poll of music critics and industry figures to find the most promising new music talent. It was first conducted by the BBC News website in 2003. A top 10 list is published each January.

Winners

Poll Year	Winner	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth	Sixth	Seventh	Eighth	Ninth	Tenth
Sound of 2003	50 Cent 50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...	Electric Six Electric Six Electric Six is a six-piece metro Detroit-based band that plays what has been described as a brand of rock music infused with elements of "garage, disco, punk, new wave, and metal." The band met recognition in 2003 with the singles "Danger! High Voltage" and "Gay Bar", and subsequently recorded...	Yeah Yeah Yeahs Yeah Yeah Yeahs Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O, guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are complemented in live performances by second guitarist David Pajo, who joined as a touring...	The Thrills The Thrills The Thrills are an Irish rock band, formed in 2001 in Dublin, Ireland. The band was founded by lead vocalist Conor Deasy and guitarist Daniel Ryan, guitarist and bass player Padraic McMahon, pianist Kevin Horan and drummer Ben Carrigan. Their big break came with their debut album, So Much for the...	Dizzee Rascal Dizzee Rascal Dylan Kwabena Mills , better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garage, hip hop, grime, ragga, pop and electronic music, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles...	Interpol Interpol (band) Interpol is an American indie rock and post-punk revival band from New York City. Formed in 1997, the band's original line-up consisted of Paul Banks , Daniel Kessler , Carlos Dengler and Greg Drudy . Drudy left the band in 2000 and was replaced by Sam Fogarino...	Audio Bullys Audio Bullys Audio Bullys are an electronic music group from London, consisting of Simon Franks and Tom Dinsdale. The group were once managed by DJ and presenter George Lamb....	Mario	The Datsuns The Datsuns The Datsuns are a hard rock band from Cambridge, New Zealand, formed in 2000. To date they have released four albums and several singles, most of which have charted in New Zealand and/or the United Kingdom...	Sean Paul Sean Paul Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques , who performs under stage name Sean Paul, is a Jamaican pop rap and reggae singer.-1973–1996: Early life:...
Sound of 2004	Keane	Franz Ferdinand Franz Ferdinand (band) Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...	Wiley Wiley (rapper) Richard Kylea Cowie , better known by his stage name Wiley is a prolific British music producer, MC and recording artist, and rapper with roots from Trinidad...	Razorlight Razorlight Razorlight are a UK based indie rock band formed in 2002. They are primarily known in the UK, having topped the charts with the 2006 single "America" and its parent self-titled album, their second...	Joss Stone Joss Stone Jocelyn Eve Stoker , better known by her stage name Joss Stone, is an English soul singer-songwriter and actress. Stone rose to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist...	McFly McFly McFly are an English pop rock band who first found fame in 2004. The band consists of Tom Fletcher , Danny Jones , Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd . They were signed to the Island Records label from their 2004 launch until December 2007, before creating their own label, Super Records...	Scissor Sisters Scissor Sisters Scissor Sisters are an American band "spawned by the scuzzy, gay nightlife scene of New York" who took their name from a sexual position between two women also known as tribadism...	The Ordinary Boys The Ordinary Boys The Ordinary Boys are an English indie rock band from Worthing, in West Sussex, England. Originally named Next in Line, they were influenced by mod revival and Britpop music, as well as the bands Madness, The Specials, The Kinks and The Smiths...	Tali Tali -Places:* Tali, township, part of Kozhikode, Kerala* Tali, Finland, town in Finland* Tali, Helsinki, Finland* Tali, South Sudan, town in South Sudan* Tali, Estonia, village in Saarde Parish, Pärnu County, Estonia...	Gemma Fox Gemma Fox Gemma Fox is a UK pop, R&B and hip hop singer, best known for her 2004 album Messy. The lead single, "Girlfriends Story", was released in April of that year and featured MC Lyte. The second single, "Gone", featured Juelz Santana...
Sound of 2005	The Bravery The Bravery The Bravery is an American rock band from New York City that consists of Sam Endicott , Michael Zakarin , John Conway , Mike Hindert , and Anthony Burulcich...	Bloc Party Bloc Party Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...	Kano Kano (rapper) Kane Brett Robinson , better known as Kano and also known as Kane O, is an English rapper and actor. His grandparents came to England as immigrants from Jamaica. He was formerly a key member of east London’s N.A.S.T.Y...	The Game The Game (rapper) Jayceon Terrell Taylor , better known by his stage name Game, formerly The Game, is an American rapper and actor. As a member of G-Unit, he rose to fame in 2005 with the success of his debut album, The Documentary, which earned him two Grammy Award nominations...	Kaiser Chiefs Kaiser Chiefs Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 1996. They were named after the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs....	KT Tunstall KT Tunstall Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist from St Andrews, Scotland. She broke into the public eye with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later... with Jools Holland...	The Dead 60s The Dead 60s The Dead 60s were an English ska punk band from Liverpool. The band's sound is a mixture of punk rock, ska, dub and reggae. They have taken influences from artists such as King Tubby, Jackie Mittoo, Gang of Four and A Certain Ratio.-Band members:...	The Dears The Dears -History:The band formed in 1995 and released their first album, End of a Hollywood Bedtime Story, in 2000. Their orchestral, dark pop sound and dramatic live shows cemented The Dears at the foundation of the then-emerging Canadian indie renaissance...	Tom Vek Tom Vek Thomas Timothy Vernon-Kell is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist musician who works under the name Tom Vek.-Career:...	The Magic Numbers The Magic Numbers The Magic Numbers are an English pop rock band comprising two pairs of brothers and sisters from Greenford. The group was formed in 2002, releasing their critically acclaimed debut album titled The Magic Numbers on 13 June 2005...
Sound of 2006	Corinne Bailey Rae Corinne Bailey Rae Corinne Bailey Rae is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist from Leeds, who released her debut album Corinne Bailey Rae in February 2006....	Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is an American indie rock group based in Brooklyn, New York and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Their debut album, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, was self-released in 2005.-History:...	The Feeling The Feeling The Feeling are a BRIT award-nominated English pop band from West Sussex and London. The band categorise their music as "pop".Following a limited release of their first single "Fill My Little World" in late 2005, the band entered the UK Singles Chart at #7 with their first full release "Sewn" in...	Plan B Plan B (rapper) Benjamin Paul Ballance-Drew primarily known as Plan B or Ben Drew, is a British rapper, singer-songwriter, actor and film director from Forest Gate, London. Plan B first emerged as a hip hop artist releasing his critically acclaimed debut album Who Needs Actions When You Got Words in 2006...	Guillemots	Sway Sway DaSafo Derek Andrew Safo is a Ghanaian British musician who uses the stage names Sway DaSafo or Sway. He is signed to Akon's Konvict Muzik record label and he is also a producer, establishing DCypha Productions.-Childhood:...	Chris Brown	Marcos Hernandez	Kubb Kubb (band) Kubb are a British indie rock band from London, who had two UK top 40 hits in 2005/6 and a top 30 album. Original member Ben Langmaid went on to become half of the duo La Roux.- Biography :...	The Automatic The Automatic The Automatic , are a Welsh rock band. The band is composed of Robin Hawkins on vocals, bass and synthesizers, James Frost on guitar, synthesizers, backing vocals and occasional bass, Iwan Griffiths on drums and Paul Mullen on vocals, guitar and synthesizer - since 2007...
Sound of 2007	Mika Mika (singer) Mika is a British singer-songwriter.After recording his first extended play, Dodgy Holiday EP, Mika released his first full-length studio album, Life in Cartoon Motion, on Island Records in 2007. Life in Cartoon Motion sold more than 5.6 million copies worldwide and helped Mika win a Brit...	The Twang The Twang The Twang are an indie rock band from Birmingham, England, formed in 2001. The band have released two studio albums - Love It When I Feel Like This and Jewellery Quarter...	Klaxons Klaxons Klaxons are a British indie rock band, based in London. Following the release of numerous 7-inch singles on different independent record labels, as well as the success of previous singles "Magick" and "Golden Skans", the band released their debut album, Myths of the Near Future on 29 January 2007....	Sadie Ama Sadie Ama Sadie Ama is a British R&B singer. She grew up in Kilburn, London in a musical household; her mother Sonia was a jazz singer in a group called the Clamber, and her older sister is Shola Ama....	Enter Shikari Enter Shikari Enter Shikari are a British band, that combine post-hardcore with elements of various electronic genres, formed in 2003 in St Albans, Hertfordshire. The band is named after a boat belonging to Roughton "Rou" Reynolds' uncle, and a character in a play which he wrote before forming the band, both of...	Air Traffic Air Traffic Air Traffic was a British alternative rock band from Bournemouth. Formed in 2003, the band consists of Chris Wall , David Ryan Jordan , Tom Pritchard and Jim Maddock ....	Cold War Kids Cold War Kids Cold War Kids are an American indie rock band from Long Beach, California. Band members are Nathan Willett , Jonnie Russell , Matt Maust , and Matt Aveiro .-History:...	Just Jack Just Jack Jack Christopher Allsopp , known by the stage name Just Jack, is an English musician from Camden Town, London. He first came to prominence with the release of his 2007 single "Starz in Their Eyes", which reached number two on the UK Singles Chart...	Ghosts Ghosts (band) Ghosts are a British indie/pop band from London, and were ninth on the BBC's Sound Of 2007 poll. Before signing with Atlantic Records in November 2006 they were previously known as Polanski...	The Rumble Strips The Rumble Strips The Rumble Strips are an English band from Tavistock, Devon. The band take their name from Rumble Strips, which are small, continuous lines of bumps along the edge of a road. Having known each other since childhood, a precise conception date for the band doesn't really exist. The current line-up...
Sound of 2008	Adele Adele (singer) Adele Laurie Blue Adkins , known professionally as Adele, is an English singer-songwriter. She was the first recipient of the Brit Awards Critics' Choice and was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2008...	Duffy Duffy (singer) Aimée Ann Duffy , known as Duffy, is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Her 2008 debut album Rockferry entered the UK Album Chart at number one. It was the best-selling album in the United Kingdom in 2008 with 1.68 million copies sold...	The Ting Tings The Ting Tings The Ting Tings are an English music duo comprising Jules de Martino and Katie White . They formed in December 2007 while based at Islington Mill Studios in Salford...	Glasvegas Glasvegas Glasvegas are a Scottish indie rock band from Glasgow. The band consists of James Allan , Rab Allan , Paul Donoghue and Jonna Löfgren . The band received critical acclaim for their debut album Glasvegas which was released in September 2008, reaching No...	Foals	Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend is an American indie rock band from New York City that formed in 2006 and signed to XL Recordings. The Band has four members: Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson, and Chris Baio. The band released its first album Vampire Weekend in 2008, which produced the singles "Mansard...	Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong Joe Lean & the Jing Jang Jong were an English indie rock band based in London. Although the band attracted considerable press attention following the 2007 release of their debut single "Lucio Starts Fires", they failed to capitalise on this, and disbanded in 2009.-Overview:The band formed in late...	Black Kids Black Kids Black Kids is an American indie pop band from Jacksonville, Florida. The band's debut EP, Wizard of Ahhhs, received favorable critical response in 2007, and was followed by the Partie Traumatic album, which debuted at #5 on the UK Albums Chart in July 2008.-History:Black Kids formed in Jacksonville...	MGMT MGMT MGMT is an American alternative rock band founded by Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden. After the release of their first album, the members of their live band, Matthew Asti, James Richardson and Will Berman, joined the core band in the studio...	Santigold
Sound of 2009	Little Boots Little Boots Victoria Christina Hesketh, also known by her stage name/pseudonym Little Boots, is an English electropop singer-songwriter. Her stage name comes from a nickname given to her by a friend, a reference to her unusually small feet...	White Lies White Lies (band) White Lies is an English indie rock band from Ealing, London. Formerly known as Fear of Flying, the band consists primarily of Harry McVeigh , Charles Cave , and Jack Lawrence-Brown...	Florence and the Machine Florence and the Machine Florence and the Machine is the recording name of English musician Florence Welch and a collaboration of other artists who provide music for her voice. Florence and the Machine's sound has been described as a combination of various genres, including rock and soul...	Empire of the Sun Empire of the Sun (band) Empire of the Sun is an Australian electronic music duo that formed in 2008. The duo is composed of Luke Steele of The Sleepy Jackson and Nick Littlemore of Pnau. The two met in 2000 after both being signed to the same record label. Luke and Nick knew that they instantly had a chemistry like no other...	La Roux La Roux La Roux are an English electropop duo made up of singer, keyboardist, co-writer and co-producer Eleanor Kate Jackson, and co-writer and co-producer Ben Langmaid. Jackson describes their relationship as "very much a half and half sharing situation... not like a singer producer outfit", but also...	Lady Gaga Lady GaGa Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...	VV Brown VV Brown Vanessa Brown , also known as VV Brown, is an English singer, songwriter, model, and producer signed to Island Records in the United Kingdom and to Universal Republic Records and Capitol Records in the United States...	Kid Cudi Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi , better known by his stage name Kid Cudi , sometimes stylized KiD CuDi, is an American rapper, singer and actor. He first gained major attention after the release of his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi. In 2009, his single "Day 'n' Nite" reached the top five of the...	Passion Pit Passion Pit (band) Passion Pit is an American electropop band from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The group, which formed in 2007, consists of Michael Angelakos , Ian Hultquist , Ayad Al Adhamy , Jeff Apruzzese and Nate Donmoyer...	Dan Black Dan Black Dan Black is a British wonky pop artist. He was also a member of alternative rock band The Servant, before their 2007 split. He has also been a guest vocalist for the Italian group Planet Funk....
Sound of 2010	Ellie Goulding Ellie Goulding Elena Jane "Ellie" Goulding is an English singer-songwriter. In 2010 she became only the second artist to both top the BBC's annual Sound of... poll, and win the Critics' Choice Award at the BRIT Awards in the same year, following Adele's win of both in 2008...	Marina and the Diamonds	Delphic Delphic Delphic are an alternative dance band from Marple Bridge, Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. They are signed to Polydor and released the single "Counterpoint" in April 2009 through R&S Records, produced by Ewan Pearson...	Hurts Hurts Hurts are a British synthpop duo formed in 2009, consisting of singer Theo Hutchcraft and synthesist Adam Anderson . Their debut album Happiness, which was released in September 2010, has reached the Top 10 in 12 European countries, and has sold over 800,000 copies worldwide...	The Drums The Drums The Drums are an American indie pop band from Brooklyn, NY with members stemming from the shortlived band Elkland . The band is currently on the Moshi Moshi/Island , Universal and Frenchkiss labels.-Formation:...	Two Door Cinema Club Two Door Cinema Club Two Door Cinema Club are an indie rock band from Bangor and Donaghadee, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed in 2007, the band is composed of band members: Sam Halliday , Alex Trimble and Kevin Baird...	Not announced
Sound of 2011	Jessie J Jessie J Jessica Ellen Cornish , better known by her stage name Jessie J, is an English recording artist currently signed to Island Records. She began her career as a songwriter for artists including Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus. Her debut single, "Do It Like a Dude", was released in November 2010 and peaked...	James Blake James Blake (musician) James Blake is a British electronic music producer and singer-songwriter from London, UK. On 6 January 2011, Blake was announced as runner-up in BBC's Sound of 2011 poll...	The Vaccines The Vaccines The Vaccines are an English indie rock band who formed in West London in 2010. The band's debut album, What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?, was released through Columbia Records on 14 March 2011 and reached number 4 in the UK Album Chart. They are currently the biggest selling new band of 2011....	Jamie Woon Jamie Woon Jamie Woon is a British singer, songwriter and producer signed to Polydor who gained widespread acclaim in 2010 for his single Night Air which was co-produced by Burial, following his previous independent release, Wayfaring Stranger EP.The Eurasian son of a Malaysian Chinese father, and Scottish...	Clare Maguire Clare Maguire Clare Rita Mary Maguire is a British singer-songwriter. She was signed to Universal Music Group Polydor Records in 2008. She was rated in fifth place in the BBC Sound of 2011 list of the top 15 most promising new artists. Maguire was also singled out as one of MTV's Brand New: For 2011 Acts...

Sound of 2009

More than 130 critics, editors and broadcasters took part in the Sound of 2009 survey, which was won by electro-pop singer Little Boots

Little Boots

Victoria Christina Hesketh, also known by her stage name/pseudonym Little Boots, is an English electropop singer-songwriter. Her stage name comes from a nickname given to her by a friend, a reference to her unusually small feet...

. For the first time, a longlist of 15 acts from the 2009 poll was published by the BBC on 5 December 2008. The other five acts on the longlist were The Big Pink

The Big Pink

The Big Pink is an English electro-rock duo comprising multi-instrumentalists Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell. The duo signed to the 4AD label in 2009, and won the prestigious NME Philip Hall Radar Award for best new act...

, Frankmusik

Frankmusik

Vincent Frank born Vincent James Turner is known professionally as Frankmusik is an English electropop musician. The name "Frank" is derived from the surname of his grandfather, whose name he took in tribute.-Early life:...

, Master Shortie

Master Shortie

Theo Jerome Kerlin is a British MC who is credited by his stage name Master Shortie. He is also a singer, establishing his own record label, Odd One Out. Plus has been listed in the Sound of 2009 poll.-Early life:...

, Mumford & Sons

Mumford & Sons

Mumford & Sons are a British folk rock band. The band consists of Marcus Mumford , Ben Lovett , Country Winston Marshall , and Ted Dwane...

 and The Temper Trap

The Temper Trap

The Temper Trap is an Australian indie rock band which formed in 2005. The core members are Jonathon Aherne on bass guitar and vocals, Toby Dundas on drums and programming, Dougy Mandagi on vocals and guitar, and Lorenzo Sillitto on guitar, keyboards and vocals. They are supplemented on tours with...

.

Sound of 2010

The longlist for the Sound of 2010 poll was revealed on 7 December 2009. The acts nominated were Daisy Dares You

Daisy Dares You

Daisy May Keeley Coburn , better known by her stage name Daisy Dares You, is a British singer and songwriter. The stage name is a direct reference to the character of the same name from the 1990s British television show ZZZap!.-Early life:...

, Delphic

Delphic

Delphic are an alternative dance band from Marple Bridge, Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. They are signed to Polydor and released the single "Counterpoint" in April 2009 through R&S Records, produced by Ewan Pearson...

, Devlin, The Drums

The Drums

The Drums are an American indie pop band from Brooklyn, NY with members stemming from the shortlived band Elkland . The band is currently on the Moshi Moshi/Island , Universal and Frenchkiss labels.-Formation:...

, Everything Everything

Everything Everything

Everything Everything are a British indie band that formed in late 2007, originate from Newcastle, Kent and Guernsey, and reside in Manchester. The band rose to fame when they were revealed as part of the BBC's Sound of 2010 poll on 7 December 2009...

, Giggs, Gold Panda

Gold Panda

Gold Panda is a musical composer, performer and producer from the United Kingdom.He was born in Peckham, London, in 1980 and hails from Chelmsford, Essex. He lived in Japan and studied at the School of Oriental and African Studies at University of London...

, Ellie Goulding

Ellie Goulding

Elena Jane "Ellie" Goulding is an English singer-songwriter. In 2010 she became only the second artist to both top the BBC's annual Sound of... poll, and win the Critics' Choice Award at the BRIT Awards in the same year, following Adele's win of both in 2008...

, Hurts

Hurts

Hurts are a British synthpop duo formed in 2009, consisting of singer Theo Hutchcraft and synthesist Adam Anderson . Their debut album Happiness, which was released in September 2010, has reached the Top 10 in 12 European countries, and has sold over 800,000 copies worldwide...

, Joy Orbison

Joy Orbison

Joy Orbison is a DJ and producer based in London. His style is generally accepted as a coalescence of dubstep, UK funky, UK garage, and house...

, Marina and the Diamonds, Owl City

Owl City

Owl City is an American electronica musical project by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young formed in 2007 in Owatonna, Minnesota. Young created the project while experimenting with music in his parents' basement...

, Rox

Rox (singer)

Rox is the stage name of English soul singer-songwriter Roxanne Tataei.-Early life:Born in Norbury, Rox is half-Jamaican and half-Iranian...

, Stornoway

Stornoway (band)

Stornoway is a British alternative indie folk band from the Cowley area of Oxford. It consists of singer and guitarist Brian Briggs; multi-instrumentalists Jon Ouin and Oli Steadman, and the latter's brother Rob on drums. The band is usually joined by trumpeter Adam Briggs and violinist Rahul Satija...

 and Two Door Cinema Club

Two Door Cinema Club

Two Door Cinema Club are an indie rock band from Bangor and Donaghadee, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed in 2007, the band is composed of band members: Sam Halliday , Alex Trimble and Kevin Baird...

. The winners, revealed in early January 2010, were The Drums in fifth place, Hurts in fourth, Delphic in third and Marina and the Diamonds in second place. On 8 January 2010 it was announced that Ellie Goulding had taken first place.

Sound of 2011

The longlist for the Sound of 2011 poll was revealed on 6 December 2010. The acts nominated were Anna Calvi

Anna Calvi

Anna Calvi is an English musician who plays in the band of the same name. On 6 December 2010, Calvi was announced as a nominee for the BBC's Sound of 2011 poll. Her self-titled debut album was released in the UK on 17 January 2011, where it debuted at number 40 on 23 January...

, Clare Maguire

Clare Maguire

Clare Rita Mary Maguire is a British singer-songwriter. She was signed to Universal Music Group Polydor Records in 2008. She was rated in fifth place in the BBC Sound of 2011 list of the top 15 most promising new artists. Maguire was also singled out as one of MTV's Brand New: For 2011 Acts...

, Daley

Daley (musician)

Daley is a soul singer and songwriter from Sale, Manchester, UK. He studied at Sale High School. He is signed to A&M Records UK.In October 2009, Daley was invited by BBC Introducing to record a live session at the BBC's Maida Vale studios as part of Electric Proms 2009...

, Esben and the Witch

Esben and the Witch (band)

Esben and the Witch are a three piece indie rock band from Brighton, England. After a self-released EP 33 in 2009 and a limited 7-inch single "Lucia, at the Precipice" in February 2010, the band signed with Matador Records...

, Jai Paul

Jai Paul

Jai Paul is a British songwriter and record producer from Rayners Lane, United Kingdom. He is signed to XL Recordings.Paul's 2007 demo "BTSTU" received widespread blog coverage throughout 2010, and has been played on UK national radio by DJs including Gilles Peterson, Zane Lowe, Nick Grimshaw,...

, James Blake

James Blake (musician)

James Blake is a British electronic music producer and singer-songwriter from London, UK. On 6 January 2011, Blake was announced as runner-up in BBC's Sound of 2011 poll...

, Jamie Woon

Jamie Woon

Jamie Woon is a British singer, songwriter and producer signed to Polydor who gained widespread acclaim in 2010 for his single Night Air which was co-produced by Burial, following his previous independent release, Wayfaring Stranger EP.The Eurasian son of a Malaysian Chinese father, and Scottish...

, Jessie J

Jessie J

Jessica Ellen Cornish , better known by her stage name Jessie J, is an English recording artist currently signed to Island Records. She began her career as a songwriter for artists including Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus. Her debut single, "Do It Like a Dude", was released in November 2010 and peaked...

, Mona

Mona (band)

Mona is an American rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. The band rose to fame when they appeared as part of the BBC's Sound of 2011 poll; which was revealed on 5 December 2010. The band were also crowned the Brand New for 2011 title at the MTV Awards...

, Nero, The Naked and Famous

The Naked and Famous

-Studio albums:-EPs:-Singles:-B-sides:-Music videos:-In popular culture:"All of This" was featured in the fourth episode of The Secret Circle....

, The Vaccines

The Vaccines

The Vaccines are an English indie rock band who formed in West London in 2010. The band's debut album, What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?, was released through Columbia Records on 14 March 2011 and reached number 4 in the UK Album Chart. They are currently the biggest selling new band of 2011....

, Warpaint

Warpaint (band)

Warpaint is an American art rock group from Los Angeles, formed in 2004. The band's members are Emily Kokal , Theresa Wayman , Jenny Lee Lindberg , and Stella Mozgawa . The band's membership has also included actress Shannyn Sossamon and Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer...

, Wretch 32

Wretch 32

Jermaine Scott , better known by his stage name Wretch 32 , is a Black British rapper and former Grime MC from Tottenham, London where he grew up the son of a local reggae DJ in the Tiverton Estate. He was a member of the grime collective "Combination Chain Gang", before forming The Movement with...

 and Yuck

Yuck (band)

Yuck are an indie rock band that originated in London, England. The band features members Daniel Blumberg and Max Bloom, both of whom formerly played in the band Cajun Dance Party. The band's self-titled debut album was released through Fat Possum on 21 February 2011 in the United Kingdom...

. On 7 January 2011, Jessie J was announced as the winner.

Criticism

Some feel the Sound of... survey, together with other polls, creates a self-fulfilling prophecy

Self-fulfilling prophecy

A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true, by the very terms of the prophecy itself, due to positive feedback between belief and behavior. Although examples of such prophecies can be found in literature as far back as ancient Greece and...

. Guardian

The Guardian

The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

critic Kitty Empire

Kitty Empire

Kitty Empire is the pen name of a British writer and music critic.Empire was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1970 and brought up in Canada, Italy and Egypt before arriving in Britain in 1988....

 wrote in December 2007: "Many of us are editors commissioning, and journalists writing, our own ones-to-watch forecasts. In order not to look like idiots, we tend to tip acts with records coming out rather than some lad with a tin whistle we found on MySpace

MySpace

Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....

."