Myles Smith has been announced as the winner of the BRITs Rising Star Award for 2025.

The award caps a banner year for the Luton-born singer-songwriter, who beat off competition from soul singer Elmiene and indie-pop duo Good Neighbors to secure the award. The winner was announced on BBC Radio 1 on Thursday (December 5). New music show with Jack Saunders.

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“Winning the BRIT Award for Rising Star is such a surreal moment,” he said in a statement. “Music has always been about connecting with people, and to see it resonate on that level is incredible. I am so grateful to my team, my family and especially the fans who have supported me every step of the way. Your belief in me means everything. This is just the beginning and I’m so excited for what’s to come – thank you for being part of this journey.”

Smith is the first male artist to win in this category since Sam Fender in 2019. For the past five years, the award – formerly known as Critics’ Choice – has gone to three female solo artists (Celeste, Griff and Holly Humberstone) and two groups made up entirely of female and non-binary performers (FLO and The Last Dinner Party). .

The award was first presented at the BRIT Awards in 2008 and is given each year to the British act the voting academy believes will have the greatest impact on music in the coming year. Other previous winners include Adele, Sam Smith and Florence + the Machine.

The shortlist is selected by a panel of music industry experts including editors, critics, songwriters, producers and live bookers. The eligibility criteria are that nominees must not have achieved a top 20 position on the Official Album Charts or more than one top 20 single on the Official Singles Chart in the UK by October 31, 2024.

Smith was also recently longlisted for another new music award, BBC Radio 1 Sound of 2025. The winner will be announced in January. The 26-year-old experienced his breakthrough in the summer with his global hit “Stargazing”, which reached number 4 on the official British singles charts and number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In conversation with billboard In July, he stated that his main goal was “to get noticed as an album artist,” adding that “you can only say so much about an EP or a single.” Smith also spoke about the years he spent charting Covering hits on TikTok before landing a deal with RCA Records and in turn began writing his own original music. “Covers were an opportunity to find an audience that I thought would fit the music I would ultimately create,” he added.

The BRIT Awards 2025 will take place on March 1st and will be broadcast live on ITV 1 from London’s O2 Arena.

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