MTV's Brand New For 2016 Shortlist Revealed!
MTV's Brand New For 2016 presented by Emporio Armani Diamonds is back for another year to showcase some of the most exciting new UK music talent.
Over the past five years Brand New has been there to shine an early spotlight on international stars including Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber and picked up top British music talent like Adele, Florence + The Machine, Tinie Tempah, Disclosure, Ellie Goulding and more at the very start of their recording careers.
Today, after selection from MTV officials, key music influencers and industry representativeswe reveal our Top 10 UK shortlist. So, let's find out who they are...
Anne-Marie
Karate-kicking, Rudimental collaborating Anne-Marie is first up, now going solo with her experimental electronic soul vibes.
Anne-Marie says:“It feels amazing to be on the MTV Brand New list. I was shocked when I got told, a good shocked. I’m proper happy about it. I think I got nominated in the MTV Brand New Top 10 because I’m 3x world time karate champion and I’d probably just beat everyone up if they didn't put me in it. They were all scared!”
Blossoms
Psyche-pop riffs, vocal melodies, a film-noir-meets-60s aesthetic anda range of audible references from Arctic Monkeys via Abba to The Doors. Meet "Stockport supergroup" Blossoms.
Blossoms say: “It’s an honour to be nominated for MTV Brand New Top 10. We’ve gone from ascaffolding yard to here. It’s absolutely amazing, we’re very pleased!”
Bonkaz
One of the most promising acts in the UK rap scene and one of the ambassadors of the 'new generation', you don't know him yet, but you soon will.
Bonkaz says: “It feels unreal to be nominated for MTV Brand New's Top 10.Krept & Konan are from my area, we grew up literally five minutes from each other.Last year they obviously won this, and I’ve seen them up for other awards but nothing they did before had that kind of urgency, they put so much into this and it paid off. The way they promoted it, they really went in hard with the campaign. They kept reiterating vote for us it’s really important, and to now be up for it too is really quite something.”
Jack Garratt
After making waves on the internet (and everywhere else), the multi-instrumentalist has been picking up fans across the globe, selling out every headline show he's played both in the UK and the US plus festival crowds across Europe.
Jack Garratt says: “Thank you MTV for putting me in the Brand New for 2016 list. It's such a great honour! I watched MTV religiously as a kid, so the 14 year old in me is very excited right now.”
Nimmo
With their music focused toward the dancefloor, andinspired by the dark electronica of New Order and the heartfelt pop of Everything But The Girl and Fleetwood Mac,this tightknit five-piece have been picking up plaudits left, right and centre and scored aslot opening for Years & Years at Shepherds Bush Empire.
Nimmo say: “It feels amazing and really unexpected to be picked for MTV’s Brand New. We have beenhibernating doing our album, so it feels amazing to be recognised quite quickly.”
Rat Boy
When life after school offered Jordan Cardy little, he found solace in music. Influenced byIan Dury, The Clash, Squeeze, Blur and The Streets, hishomegrown raps reference everything from his opposition to UKIP to youth culture’s continuing love of Fred Perry and the crimes of Crazy Titch.
Rat Boy says:“Being chosen is wicked, I really can’t believe it - thank you MTV!”
Rationale
His debut 'Fast Lane' was an instant smash online heading straight to No.2 on Spotify's Global Viral Chart and No.1 on Hype Machine. Pharrell Williams is a fan of his genre-hopping soul and so are we!
Rationale says: “It’s absolutely amazing to be picked for MTV Brand New List 2016, I remember getting the call from my manager, I had to tell him to repeat it a few times, I was so taken back! I’ve seen people who have been given the honour and it’s absolutely amazing to be in the same kind of league”
SG Lewis
Signed to PMR Records, home to Disclosure, Jessie Ware and more, SG Lewisis quickly establishing himself amongst the next wave of exciting and forward thinking producers.
SG says: “I’m so honoured to have been chosen for the MTV Brand New shortlist - MTV was massively influential in forming my musical taste whilst growing up and to now have my music championed on such an iconic platform is pretty crazy to me. The list of amazing artists that have been featured in previous years makes me pretty excited to be included - massive thanks to MTV for supporting my music.”
Sigala
Downloading a Jackson 5 sample and locking himself in his studio one night was the best thing Sigala could have done. It gave him his No.1 summer smash 'Easy Love' - a feel-good anthem approved by Tito Jackson himself. We approve too. A lot.
Sigala says: “It’s amazing to be apart of MTV Brand New 2016, to see the people in the past who havebeen nominated and to see what they're doing now is crazy.”
WSTRN
Dubbed "the romantics of London’s urban music scene", this West London trio who recently hit No.4 in the Official UK Singles Chart with 'In2',are all about spreading the joy - and the world needs a little of that right now.
WSTRN say:“It feels crazy to be in the Top 10 of MTV Brand New. We all grew up on MTV! 2015 has been a rollercoaster but in a good way, it’s been really fun. Something new has happened every day. In the beginning of 2015 if you were to have asked all of us where would we have been in a couple of months, none of us would have said we would be sitting here.”
So there you have it - one of these acts will join the likes of Krept & Konan, The Vamps and Justin Bieber as winner of MTV Brand New For 2016 presented by Emporio Armani Diamonds.
Voting will open on 1st December where the 10 acts will go head-to-head in our social vote via Twitter, Instagram and Facebookbefore our winner is revealed in February 2016!
