It is fair to say that 2014 has been another fantastic year in music for the UK. Each year we keep getting better and better by producing music talents that are just simply mind blowing!
As a country we really are starting to give the rest of the world a run for their money when it cames to talent! Not only are we producing big standard artists but we are also producing artists that are multi-talented vocalists, song-writers and performers. The UK is becoming a force to be reckoned with! With that said, lets take a look at some of the newest and hottest UK acts to debut in 2014!
Sam Smith
It was obvious for me that Sam Smith was not only just going to make this list but he was also going to be the first act I mentioned and was going to sit proudly on the top spot. Sam Smith is an English singer-songwriter who first made a name for himself in 2012 when he appeared on Disclosure’s break through single “Latch”. Since then he has taken the world by storm and really made a name for himself in 2014! In 2014 he dropped his hugely successful debut album “In The Lonely Hour”. The album has delivered many successful number 1 singles and has even more to come we are sure. “In The Lonely Hour” hit the number 1 spot in the UK and the number 2 spot on the US billboard chart. Sam’s talent has got him noticed all around the world and everyone wants a piece of him. Even the queen of RnB, Mary J Blige has shared the stage and studio with this kid. Sam Smith you make us proud to be British!
Ella Henderson
Now I think it’s fair to say that Ella Henderson may have had one of the biggest hits in 2014 with her debut single “Ghost”. Ella Henderson became a finalist on the X Factor 2012 when then judge, Tulisa saw something special in her and made her one of her final four! Unfortnately her X Factor high didn’t last very long and her early exit was a shock to everyone. This really was a reminder to the public that votes really do count! However the boss man Mr Cowell clearly saw exactly what Tulisa saw and signed Ella straight away. He then made one of the best decision ever to keep the then 16 year old out of the limelight for a good 18 months. Henderson come back older and better and made a huge bang in 2014. It just shows that with the right team behind you an early exit from a reality show really doesn’t matter. Ella Henderson we salute you!
Rachel Foxx
Rachel Foxx may not be known to many of you but for me she is a true contender for this list. Foxx is a singer-songwriter from London who has already worked witn the likes of Evil Needle, El Train and J-Louis. 2014 saw the release of the singers first EP simply titled “The EP”. The beats mix perfectly with Rachels unique vocal tone on every track and really showcases this chicks talents. Not only are the vocals and beats on point but the lyrics are deep and meaningful too, which make every track different but with clever similarities. The London singer is someone who you really need to pay close attention too. Her name may not stand out right now but trust us when we say her time is coming! Rachel Foxx is an artist who clearly writes and sings from the heart and an artist who remains true too herself. For that reason alone you deserve this spot!
MNEK
Uzoechi Osisioma Emenike is professionally known as MNEK. MNEK is a Grammy-nominated UK singer-songwriter and record producer from South East London. MNEK is fairly new to the music scene and was first noticed when he feature on Rudimentals track “Spoons”. However behind the scenes MNEK has been very busy over the years and has wrote for acts such as Little Mix, Misha B, Duke Dumont, Kylie Minogue and the list could go on for ever. Not only does he write the tracks but he produces them as well, now that’s what you call talent. With that said 2014 has been the year where MNEK really debuted himself and started making a solid name for himself. He bagged nominations for numerous big music awards and has a list of huge artists all waiting to work with him. With his own debut album due to drop soon we are sure MNEK is going to continue to make big waves across the music business!
M.O
M.O is an up and coming all female UK girl group made up of three very talented young females. The girls have been on the scene for awhile now and have already released several warm up tracks and music videos including Hot, Aint Got Time and On Ya. However 2014 saw the release of their first official debut single titled “For A Minute”. The track did extremely well on the underground scene and also hit main stream. With the likes of BBC’s Mista Jam backing them and with the support from well known established acts such as Tulisa, Little Mix and Ed Sheeran these girls are not to be slept on! There have already delievered note perfect acoustic sessions for huge platforms such as SBTV and have successfully pulled of a remake remix of 90’s classic “The Boy Is Mine” and most recently DC’s “Bug A Boo”. M.O is a cool urban pop girl group heading for great things, watch this space!
All About She
All About She is a UK music trio from London. The trio consists of two record producers, James Tadgell and Jon Clare, and singer-songwriter Vanya Taylor. The musical threepiece is signed to Tinie Tempah’s record label, Disturbing London. We first heard about All About She in late 2013 when they dropped their first single “Higher” which gained huge radio play and picked up quite a bit of buzz for these guys. However their first ever EP was released in 2014 creating an even bigger buzz for the threepiece. The EP was titled “Go Slow” and consisted of six tracks. With their slick garage beats and sick vocal tone this group know exactly how to make music at its best. Not only are they creating music for themseleves but they are also creating music for the likes of Tinie and Jessie J. Now that’s not a bad year for a fairly new group!
Jess Glynne
Jessica Hannah Glynne, also known as Jess Glynne, is a 25 year old singer-songwriter from the UK. She is signed to Atlantic Records UK and is best known for featuring on one of the biggest tracks of 2014! Jess featured on Clean Bandit’s single “Rather Be” which hit the top spot on the official UK charts this year! She also featured on Route 94’s single “My Love” which scored Jess her second number one with just a couple of weeks apart from each other. Glynne’s debut solo single “Right Here” didn’t do too badly either and peaked at number six on the official UK chart! Not a bad year at all! Jess is gearing up to release her debut album soon but no date has been confirmed as of yet. Two number ones and a top ten hit, not bad for a brand new artist on the scene. Jess Glynne is definatly one to watch!
Clean Bandit
Clean Bandit is a UK electronic group who were formed in 2009. The group consists of Jack Patterson, Luke Patterson, Grace Chatto and Milan Neil Amin-Smith. The group may have been around since 2009 but 2014 was a year they will never forget. 2014 saw the release of their biggest single to date called “Rather Be”. The track featured fellow contender Jess Glynne and hit the number one spot on the official UK charts. Not only did they score high in the UK but they also reached the top ten over seas in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Now thats impressive! 2014 also saw the release of their studio album “New Eyes”. It’s not easy to gain success in the UK and US so for that we respect you!
Ella Eyre
Ella McMahon or better known by her stage name Ella Eyre is a UK singer-songwriter who is signed to Virgin EMI Records. Eyre is known for her collaborations with Rudimental on their hugely successful UK number one single “Waiting All Night” and on Naughty Boy’s single “Think About It”. The singer released her debut single “Let It Go” in 2014 and also scored her first ever Mobo Award for Best Newcomer 2014. Prior to this Ella Eyre was up against Sam Smith for the highly anticipated 2014 Critics Choice Award at The Brit Awards and became runner up. With a successful win and runner up nominations already under her belt we are sure we are going to be hearing a lot more from this super talented 20 year old! Ella Eyre the world is your oyster!
Joel Compass
Joel Compass is a UK RnB Soul singer from London who was best known for his 2014 single “Forgive Me” which reached the number 34 spot on the official UK charts. Since the singles release Joel has now become even more known to the public by featuring on a track with Cheryl Fernandez-Versini which appeared on her number one 2014 album “Only Human”. The track is titled “Coming Up For Air” and really showcases this kids vocal talent on a deep electro but slow paced beat. The young singer has also performed live with the likes of Rudimental and has released his own remixed versions of well known recent releases. We are sure that Joel is ready to make an even bigger bang next year and if he’s good enough for the nations sweetheart then he is good enough for Flavourmag! Joel Compass we are excited to hear what else you have in store!
So there you have it! Some of the most exciting UK music talent who really made their debut mark on the music scene in 2014! Like I said above, the UK really is becoming a force to be reckoned with and we are seriously getting stronger and stronger by the minute. Here at Flavourmag we believe 2014 really has been a year to remember for debut music acts and we can not wait to see what 2015 has in store for us. More exceptional vocal talents, mind blowing songwriting skills and slick productions we are sure!
What do you think? Like always leave your comments below and hit the follow button on Twitter @Flavourmag.
Words by Joe Waller
Twitter – @JoeWa113r
The UK is full of exciting talent. We need to shout about it more and take note from the yanks.
YES YES YES !!! The uk is hot right now