PinkPanthress Scoops BBC Sound Of Award — What Happened To The Previous 19 Winners?

The 20th 'BBC Sound Of...' winner was announced last week, when PinkPantheress pipped Wet Leg to the prestigious honour.

The annual BBC poll of music critics and industry figures names the most promising new music talent each January.

It was first conducted in 2003, and is now widely covered by the corporation's online, radio and TV outlets, as well as other media.

Here's a look at how the previous 19 winners have fared.
 

2003 — 50 Cent

The first winner of the accolade was American hip-hop artist 50 Cent.

A stellar music and acting career has seen him release five studio albums, ten mix tapes and a whopping 76 singles.

Debut studio album, Get Rich or Die Tryin' was released on February 6, 2003, a month after his Sound Of recognition, and reached number one in the US Billboard 200, as "Fiddy" became a household name virtually overnight.
 

2004 — Keane

An alt rock band from Sussex, Keane formed in 1995 and belatedly gained national recognition for a steady rise in popularity over the next decade.

Debut album, Hopes and Fears, was released in 2004, becoming the second best selling British album of the year, while a Brit Award was secured the following year 

Keane have sold more than 13 million records worldwide.

2005 — The Bravery

New York rockers who formed in 2003, the quintet are best known for 2005 single, An Honest Mistake, which landed in the UK top-10.

Three studio albums garnered diminishing dividends, before a seven-year hiatus took them off the radar until July last year.

Their stint as a globally recognised collective was brief, and they were the first Sound Of selection without longevity as a household name.

2006 — Corinne Bailey Rae

British singer and songwriter best known for her mid-noughties singles Put Your Records on and Like a Star.

Self-titled debut album, Corinne Bailey Rae, was released in February 2006, making her the fourth female British act in history to go straight to number one with her debut album, and the following year saw her win a Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

She won a second Grammy in 2012 for her cover of the song Is This Love by Bob Marley and the Wailers.

2007 — Mika

Mika was named Sound Of winner in the same year he released debut studio album, Life in Cartoon Motion, which sold close to six million copies worldwide, the catalyst for a subsequent Brit Award for Best British Breakthrough act.

Magnum Opus, Grace Kelly, saw Mika top the UK singles chart and launched sizeable followings in both France and Italy — the latter seeing him star in his own variety show, winning the 2017 Rose d'Or Award for Entertainment.

2008 — Adele

Adele exploded as one of the world's best-selling music artists following her 2008 award, with an astonishing 120 million records sold globally to date.

Debut album, 19, was released in 2008, achieving 8 x platinum status in the UK and triple platinum in the US. Adele was honoured with the Brit Award for Rising Star in addition to the Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

Follow-up, 21, became the top-performing album in US chart history, topping the billboard 200 for 24 weeks and going 17x platinum.

Adele's litany of accolades include an MBE, 15 Grammy Awards, nine Brit Awards and 42 accumulative  weeks at the top of the UK album charts.

2009 — Little Boots

This electro-pop singer-songwriter and DJ has released three albums since she won the 2009 award.

Debut release, Hands, made the UK Album Chart top five in 2009, while follow-ups Nocturnes (2013) and Working Girl (2015) were met with comparatively lukewarm reviews, failing to break into the top-40.

Little Boots announced recently that she has been chosen as one of ten musicians to perform as a backup band for the ABBA concert tour using holographic images — known as 'ABBAtars.'

2010 — Ellie Goulding

Singer-songwriter whose first release, Extended Play: An Introduction to Ellie Goulding, put her on the map in 2009.

The following year saw her scoop the Critics' Choice Award at the Brits, with a debut studio album, Lights, going straight into the UK charts at number one (it was re-issued as Bright Lights a few months later.)

Goulding's second studio album, Halcyon, was released in October 2012 and debuted at number two on the UK Album chart, finally snagging top spot after 65 weeks,

A plethora of awards followed, with two more albums cementing her legacy as one of the most popular acts of her generation.

2011 — Jessie J

Jessie J came to prominence in late 2010 following the release of debut single, Do It Like a Dude.

It was follow-up, Price Tag, which earmarked her for superstardom, topping the charts in 19 countries.

Debut album, Who You Are, peaked at number two in the UK, spawning six top ten singles on these shores over the course of the next year.

A growing presence saw her become a Voice franchise fixture, with widespread acclaim in China for her appearance on television show Singer.

2012 — Michael Kiwanuka

British singer-songwriter and record producer whose 2012 debut album, Home Again, went gold.

His second, Love and Hate, rose even higher, reaching the summit of the UK charts and leading to Brit, MTV, BBC and Grammy nominations.

His tireless output was rewarded further in 2020, when he won the Mercury Prize.

2013 — HAIM

Los Angeles pop rock band made up of three sisters, HAIM formed in 2007, although it wasn't until 2012 that they considered making a career of it.

Their big break came in the same year when Polydor Records snapped them up, and first album, Days Are Gone, charted in the top ten in several countries, including the number-one spot in the UK.

Increasingly polished follow-up albums were critically praised upon release in 2017 and 2020.

2014 — Sam Smith

Singer-songwriter who won the 2014 Brit Critics' Choice Award in 2014, the same year as they released debut studio album, In the Lonely Hour.

They performed the title song for 2015 James Bond film Spectre, and as of April 2021 have sold in excess of 30 million albums worldwide.

The singers' trophy cabinet is bolstered by four Grammy Award, three Brits, a Golden Globe and an Academy Award.

2015 — Years & Years

The brainchild of British singer Olly Alexander, Years & Years' debut studio LP, Communion, went straight into the UK Album charts at number one six months after the band was named BBC Sound winner.

The album also spawned a number one single, King, a track which graced respective top tens in Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Ireland and Switzerland.

April 2018 saw the release of anticipated second studio album, Palo Santo, which gained the number one trending video on YouTube via the release of the single Sanctify.

A third studio album, Night Call, was released on January 7, 2022, with the once collective now evolving into a solo project for Alexander.

2016 — Jack Garratt

Starting his career at Junior Eurovision in 2005 — finishing in last place when aged just 13 — Garratt released his inaugural studio album, Phase, at the start of 2016.

The album was a critical and commercial success, reaching number three in the UK Album charts and gaining a top-ten berth in Australia, as the singer won the Critics' Choice category at that years' Brit Awards.

Second album, Love Death & Dancing, didn't fare quite as well, briefly entering the UK top ten without being issued for release in any other territories.

2017 — Ray BLK

Ray's entrepreneurial nature saw the singer-songwriter initially release music through her own label, meaning she retains the rights to her music.

Subsequently agreeing a deal with Island Records, October 2021 saw the release of first studio album, Access Denied.

The LP, available on digital download, received lashings of critical acclaim, ending the year named as one of the best albums of 2021 by NME.

2018 — Sigrid

Alluring 25-year-old singer from Norway, Sigrid released debut single, Sun, in 2013 at the age of just 16.

Debut studio album, Sucker Punch, topped the charts in Norway and found its way into the UK top five. 

Increasingly utilising TikTok to provide snippets of upcoming releases, Sigrid is the poster girl for a new generation of musicians.

2019 — Octavian

Born in France, Octavian moved to the UK with his mother at the age of three following the death of his father.

His exposure increased exponentially after a video of Drake singing along to the track 'Party Here' at a Golden Globes afterparty was posted online.

August 2018 saw Octavian sign with Sony/ATV Records and, with a burgeoning reputation shedding an ever brighter light upon him, June 2020 saw the rapper feature on Gorillaz single, Friday 13th.

2020 — Celeste

Celeste released her debut single, Daydreaming, under Lily Allen's Bank Holiday Records in 2016, having written the song while working in her local Brighton pub.

A debut EP, The Milk & The Honey, was followed by a first studio album, Not Your Muse, which reached number one soon after its release.

In addition to her music, Celeste is considered a fashion icon. To that end, October 2020 saw her named one of "Ten Trailblazing Women Changing The Future You Need To Know" by Elle Magazine.

2021 — Pa Salieu

Afro-drill artist Pa Salieu started rapping under the name Tribal1 in 2017, releasing a myriad of videos featuring other Coventry based artists while experimenting with different sounds.

In October 2019, he was shot in the head during a shooting in the city, but survived and made a full recovery.

A string of hits saw him make his first US television appearance on The Tonight Show, where he performed hit single, Frontline. Pa's unbridled rise continued when he appeared on the cover of NME's first issue of 2021.