Ray BLK has been named as the winner of BBC Music Sound of 2017.
The singer was an outsider to win, up against Brits Critics Choice winner Rag’n’Bone Man, as well as Raye, Jorja Smith and Nadia Rose, The Guardian reported.
The 22-year-old follows in the footsteps of Adele, Ellie Goulding and Sam Smith to become the artist the music industry believes will be ordained for greatness this year.
“Winning the BBC sound of 2017 has to be the most surprising thing that’s happened to me thus far,” Ray said.
This year’s longlist primarily showed the burgeoning talent coming out of the UK’s rap, soul and grime scene. Ray, who has collaborated with grime star Stormzy on My Hood, her tribute to Catford, south London, draws from the likes of Missy Elliott and Timbaland’s textured rap, along with R&B and pop.
“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,” she added, “which I really hope inspires the next generation of artists.”

Source: Arab News