London girl group Flo have taken the top spot in the BBC’s annual Sound of … poll.
Flo formed in 2019 after drama school friends Renée Downer and Stella Quaresma saw a video of Jorja Douglas singing on Instagram. Their debut single, Cardboard Box, produced by MNEK, was released in his 2022 and became an instant viral sensation. The band released their debut EP The Lead shortly afterward to critical acclaim. Last month, The Guardian named her Cardboard Box one of her best songs of the year, and Laura Snapes described the track as follows: [Flo] Kick Bug-A-Boo and get him back in Y2K where he belongs.
In a statement, Flo described the Sound of… victory as “wild.” “We feel so connected to our British musical roots winning the BBC Sound and admire the artists that have come before us, especially last year’s winner Gal Pink Pantherless,” said the band. wrote. “Thanks to everyone who voted for us and put girl groups back on the map. It’s great to see our music recognized and people believing in our vision.” , will be an inspiration for us to go further this year.”
Flo also confirmed that he will be joining the remix of Hide and Seek, a recent single by grime kingpin Stormzy, who broke the news to the band that they had won the vote. It’s great for all of us to get out and see you become a star,” he said.
Runner-up in the Sound of 2023 poll was London dance producer Fred Again. Fred Again has released a series of his Actual Life albums during the pandemic, collaborating with artists like Headie One, FKA Twigs and Romy from The xx. In third place was jungle his producer Nia Archives, followed by singer his songwriter Cat Burns and soul his trio Gabriels. As for Gabriels, The Guardian’s lead Alexis Petridis, his pop critic, called it “incredible” in his five-star review last year.
BBC Sound of … Voting previous winners include Ellie Goulding, Adele, Years & Years and Sigrid. More than 130 of his members in the music industry were surveyed, including representatives of major streaming services and former candidates like Dua Lipa and Sam Smith.
