The longlist for BBC Radio 1’s Sound Of 2026 has been unveiled – check out which 10 artists have made the cut below.
The prestigious annual list has been running since 2003, and this year’s candidates have been whittled down by a panel of over 170 industry experts and artists, including Elton John, Dua Lipa, Jade, Olivia Dean, Yungblud and former winner Sam Smith.
The top five will be revealed on Radio 1 throughout the week starting on Monday 5 January 2026, with the winner set to be crowned on Friday 9 January.
The 10 artists on the longlist are:
- Alessi Rose
- Chloe Qisha
- Florence Road
- Geese
- Jim Legxacy
- Kwn
- Royel Otis
- Sasha Keable
- Skye Newman
- Sombr
Brooklyn art rock band Geese, breakout pop singer Alessi Rose, alt-R&B singer Kwn and Malaysian-British artist Chloe Qisha, Aussie guitar duo Royel Otis have all featured on NME’s The Cover, while NME has recently interviewed Irish indie rockers Florence Road and London neo-soul star Skye Newman.
NME has also reviewed recent releases from South London rapper and producer Jim Legxacy, New York singer-songwriter Sombr and South London R&B singer Sasha Keable.
Jim Legxacy, Florence Road, Geese, Kwn and Sombr have all also released songs that have landed in NME’s list of the 50 best songs of 2025, which you can explore here.
Last year’s poll was topped by Chappell Roan, ahead of Ezra Collective, Barry Can’t Swim, Myles Smith, English Teacher, Confidence Man, Doechii, Good Neighbours, Kneecap, Mk.gee and Pozer.
The Sound Of… has a long tradition of identifying major future stars in the industry, with previous winners including Adele, The Last Dinner Party, 50 Cent, Ellie Goulding, PinkPantheress, Years & Years, Pa Salieu and HAIM. Other major stars such as Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, Florence + The Machine, Frank Ocean and Stormzy have also made the shortlist in the past.
Radio 1’s Jack Saunders has said: “Radio 1’s Sound Of list showcases 10 of the most exciting names to watch out for over the next 12 months. In a time when artists feel like they are disposable to the algorithm, a list like Sound Of continues to champion the stars of the future and put its weight behind them.”
Fellow DJ Sian Eleri added: “Radio 1’s Sound Of list is always a compass for what’s next, and 2026 is heading somewhere special. From the genre-blurring brilliance of Jim Legxacy, to Skye Newman and sombr lighting up the UK charts; Florence Road tearing up the live scene alongside Wolf Alice and Olivia Rodrigo; and Kwn flipping the script on R&B – it’s a joy to follow their journeys on the radio and see them soar like this. The future has arrived.”
Last year, the eligibility rules for the Sound Of list were revised – previously, an artist would not have been considered if they had been the lead on a UK Number One or Number Two album by the cut-off point, but the new rules meant artists could not have had more than two Top 10 albums.
However, Roan’s victory caused some controversy due to some fans believing she was too established by the start of 2025 to be considered a “rising” act. As a result, the rules have been tweaked once again – they now specify that artists should not have had a significant public profile in the past two years to be eligible for the award.
As seen in criteria sent to judges, artists cannot have had more than three Top 10 singles in the Official UK Singles Chart by October 6 this year, and cannot have been a lead artist on a Number One album in the UK charts before the same date.
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