Earlier on today, it was announced that the insanely talented Years & Years had been crowned the winners of the BBC Sound of 2015. An award I feel they completely deserve as I've been head over heels for them since 'Real' was released this time last year.
The BBC Sound of 2015 is something that is on the lips of every music mogul in the final months of the year, with the longlist released just before Christmas and the Top 5 revealed in January, live on Radio One. Whoever makes that Top 5 is almost guaranteed to have the most incredible (and busy) year ahead of them. If you didn't know, here's who made the final five this year:
5. George The Poet
4. Raury
3. Stormzy
2. James Bay
1. Years & Years
What do you notice about that list? Well done, they are all male. Does that bother me? Absolutely not. They're all amazing acts, who deserve their place on that list for their sheer musical talent. However, it seems to have fluffed up a few feathers with the females of the internet.
As I scrolled through my Twitter feed after the winning announcement was made, I was disheartened to see females, instead of congratulating Years & Years on their victory, complaining that there wasn't a single female in the Top 5. If you take a look at the longlist, you'll see the likes of Rae Morris, Lapsley and female-fronted indie-rock band Wolf Alice sitting cosy amongst all the other nominees. Female artists have been far from ignored on this years list, it just so happens that actually, the guys this year have made slightly better music.
The BBC Sound of 2015 is in absolutely no way a sexist competition, it praises the girls just as much as the guys and if you look back at previous winners you'll see Ellie Goulding, Jessie J, Haim and Adele taking the crowns. Last year, BANKS and lion-haired Ella Eyre were in the Top 3. It's just a matter of fact, that this year, the guys came out top.
If you've paid even the slightest bit of attention to the new music buzz the past few months, you shouldn't be surprised by the Top 5. It was a no brainer that James Bay, Years & Years and George The Poet would be high up on the list, it was just guessing who'd take the other two spots.
I'm not going to get too deep into the feminism argument, but it's stuff like this that really grinds my gears. Just because a female isn't reigning queen of EVERYTHING doesn't mean that the event/company/judges are sexist pigs. We fought for us to have equal rights as men, so let's keep it equal, we can't be on top all the time, it'd get exhausting. The BBC Sound of 2015 is a fantastic competition that praises music in all forms and introduces us to our new favourite bands and artists, so instead of moaning about it, let's all have a cracking good dance off to THIS!
