Ray BLK crowned winner of BBC Sound of 2017 while Rag’n’Bone Man is runner-up

The South London soul singer has topped the annual list of rising stars 
Rising star: Ray BLK has won the BBC's Sound of 2017
Rex
Jennifer Ruby6 January 2017
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Soul singer Ray BLK has been named the winner of the BBC’s Sound of 2017.

The South Londoner, 22, who was nominated for best newcomer at last year’s MOBO Awards, has topped the annual list of the music world’s rising stars.

Compiled by a panel of 170 DJs, critics and festival bookers, four of this year’s top five are young black female artists from the UK.

Nadia Rose, Jorja Smith and Raye all feature in the top five, while singer/songwriter Rag’n’Bone Man – real name Rory Graham – came runner-up.

Speaking about her win, Ray – real name Rita Ekwere - told the BBC: “I can't believe this is happening. It's all just so ridiculous.

“I'm particularly proud to be a part of this year's list as it's full of so much talent, some of whom are independent artists like myself which I really hope inspires the next generation."

Winner: Ray BLK has topped the BBC Sound of 2017 list (BBC Music Sound Of 2017 )
BBC Music Sound Of 2017

Her breakout track, My Hood, is an ode to her hometown of Catford, featuring a verse by grime star Stormzy.

“The south east is one of the roughest places in London but it rears the strongest people, and that's what makes us special,” she said of the single.

Radio 1's Huw Stephens, who is part of the panel said: “Some artists have that magic about them.

“She has a real, raw talent that cuts through so strongly. She is the real deal.”

Latest music reviews

1/168

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in