Miles Smith Secures Fourth Place on the BBC Sound of 2025 Shortlist

Miles Smith confirmed in countdown

Miles Smith has officially been recognized as the latest artist in the BBC Sound Of 2025 countdown poll, securing the fourth position.

Overview of the Sound Of 2025 longlist

The singer-songwriter was first revealed as part of the BBC Sound Of 2025 longlist, unveiled late last year. This list included notable names such as Kneecap, Ezra Collective, Chappell Roan, and English Teacher. A panel of 180 music industry experts selected the acts with the “best chance of mainstream success” in the upcoming year.

Yesterday (January 6), English Teacher was the first act announced in the top five, with the emerging four-piece from Leeds starting the countdown at fifth place.

The countdown for the remaining artists on the BBC Sound Of 2025 list is continuing on Radio 1 this week, with the winner set to be revealed on Friday (January 10).

Now, rising star Miles Smith has been announced as the fourth-place artist and one of this year’s most promising talents. This confirmation comes shortly after he was named this year’s BRITs Rising Star Award winner—a title previously held by icons like Adele, Sam Smith, Florence & The Machine, Sam Fender, Ellie Goulding, Jessie J, Jorja Smith, James Bay, and most recently The Last Supper.

Smith kicked off his career with a self-financed eight-track album titled “Scars” back in 2020, but it was his 2022 cover of The Neighborhood’s “Sweater Weather” that gained viral popularity.

He self-released the cover in 2023, which led to a contract with RCA Records and marked his debut on the UK charts. In 2024, he launched the EP “… A Minute,” and as he approaches 2025, he is gearing up for a series of live performances and a new album release.

Changes to the eligibility rules

Following the longlist release in November, some artists faced mixed reactions from fans on social media regarding their selection, with some considered too established to be labeled “rising” artists.

For instance, Chappell Roan was included after her debut album, The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess, topped the charts in August and gained her millions of streams along with headlining festival slots.

The inclusion of Roan and similar artists stemmed from new rules instituted for 2025. Previously, an artist was ineligible if they had a number one or number two album in the UK. However, this year the rules changed: by September 30, 2024, an artist “cannot have more than two albums in the top ten of the UK Official Albums Chart.”

When asked about the rule modification, a BBC Radio 1 spokesperson told NME: “The Sound Of list has a rich history of identifying future superstars, and we periodically update the criteria to accurately reflect how audiences consume music.”

Regarding Miles Smith’s BRIT win, the announcement precedes the 2025 ceremony, which will be hosted at The O2 in London on March 1st. The event will be aired live on ITV1 and ITVX, and this year’s trophy was crafted by Gabriel Moses.