Rapper Octavian wins BBC Sound of 2019 poll

The BBC Sound of 2019 poll has been topped by the Anglo-French rapper Octavian.

The 23-year-old joins previous winners including Adele, Sam Smith and Ellie Goulding in the industry poll that has traditionally anointed the next big thing in music.

On receiving the honour, Octavian said: “I knew that one day I was going to be successful. I get inspired and I try to make a new sound every day. It’s going to be a very loud year for me. Loads of music, loads of visuals, loads of albums.”

Born in Lille, he shuttled between France and London throughout his childhood, eventually landing a scholarship to the Brit school – the performing arts school that trained Jessie J, Leona Lewis and Adele. But he dropped out and, amid friction with his family, became homeless. “I didn’t have no money, but I still managed to eat, to live,” he told the Guardian in 2018. “It wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Once you’re there, that is your life. You can only look up, because down there’s nothing left.”

Rapping over genre-straddling production that touches on US trap, UK drill, grime and more, his rise has since been swift – Canadian superstar Drake was filmed rapping along to Octavian’s breakthrough track Party Here, and he was chosen by Louis Vuitton designer Virgil Abloh to model for a collection. He released his debut mixtape, Spaceman, in September.

“Octavian is not in any genre – he is absolutely in his own lane,” said BBC Radio 1 DJ Benji B. “The first couple of tunes he released into the world [Party Here and Hands] were some of the most futuristic, forward thinking, raw and inspiring tunes to come out of the UK in the last two years.”

According to Guardian pop critic Alexis Petridis, “His music exists outside the security of a scene or sub-genre – it carves out a space of its own, somewhere between grime, drill and trap, drawing in influences from beyond their confines. For all the vulnerability in his lyrics – he left home at his mother’s behest aged 15, a state of affairs that clearly left its mark – there’s a poise and self-assurance about his work that goes beyond the standard rapper’s bluster.”

It is only the second time a rapper has won the Sound of poll, after 50 Cent won in its inaugural year in 2003. It is another reflection of how rap has become, by some metrics, the world’s most popular genre – the three most streamed artists of 2018 worldwide on Spotify were rappers Drake, Post Malone and XXXTentacion.

Votes in this year’s poll came from 136 figures across the media and music industries. Their task was to pick the new artists they are most excited about in 2019, from any country or genre. To be eligible, acts must not have already had a UK Top 10 album or single.

The runner-up is queer US pop singer King Princess at No 2, widely tipped this year after debut track 1950 amassed 183m plays on Spotify. Rounding out the top five are piano-driven British balladeer Grace Carter, Northampton punk rapper Slowthai, and Spanish neo-flamenco star Rosalía.