It has been announced that 21-year-old singer-songwriter Sam Smith is the latest recipient of the infamous Brits Critics’ Choice Award.
It is one of the only awards that is announced before the ceremony in February and isgiven to an artist that critics believe will make an impact over the course of the year. Previous winners include Adele, Florence & the Machine, Ellie Goulding, Jessie J, Emeli Sande and Tom Odell. If company is anything to go by, Sam Smith is in a good place and looks to have a great year ahead of him.
As a solo artist, Sam Smith is barely known despite featuring on two of the biggest selling songs from the last year, ‘Latch’ by Disclosure’ and number one single ‘La La La’ by Naughty Boy, which also happens to be the fifth best-selling single of 2013. Although he is a featuring artist, his unique soulful vocals are the reason those songs are recognisable and have become successful. He also released his debut solo EP earlier this year, which is most definitely worth a listen.
https://soundcloud.com/samsmithworld/money-on-my-mind
He beat fellow up-and-coming artists Ella Eyre and Chloe Howl for the accolade and he will be releasing his debut solo single, ‘Money On My Mind’ in February. In the same month he will also be embarking on his solo tour, with his debut album coming out in the spring. Being the second man to win the award after Tom Odell, he has a lot to live up to, with Odell’s ‘Long Way Down’ peaking at number one. However, unlike Odell, he already has a top spot under his belt and so presumably the pressure that comes with the award will be lessened. It is clear that Sam Smith is a raw talent in the making, considering he was selected from one hundred up and coming artists. He has also been shortlisted for the BBC Sound of 2014, with previous winners including Haim, Jessie J, Ellie Goulding, Adele and Keane. With his smooth vocals and the production value that his EP had, his album should be a big success and this artist can continue onto great things.