The Year in Music 2017

This programme contains some strong language.

Welcome to The Year In Music 2017,

a chance to look back at an amazing 12 months.

We'll be bringing you the year's best albums, biggest artists

and some unforgettable live music

including a very special performance

-from Rag'n'Bone Man.

-That's right.

Now, Dave Grohl, Stormzy, Liam Gallagher, Dua Lipa

and many more are going to tell us

what they thought were the big music moments

and we're going to be revealing

the winners of the prestigious BBC Music Awards.

In the last 12 months, Sergeant Pepper turned 50

and there were new albums from Taylor Swift, U2 and Sam Smith.

And Stormzy was everywhere, from Glastonbury to Love Island.

The Foo Fighters also had a huge year

and they got to duet with none other than Rick Astley. I mean...

Living the dream. We will soon be revealing the winners

of the best live performance of the year

but before we do that, here's a selection

of some of the standout live moments 2017 had to offer.

The year kicked off with Ed Sheeran at the Brit Awards.

Ed Sheeran this year has gone from being a musician

to being fluid or gas.

He exists in the ether.

Ed passed the baton to Stormzy.

# I'm in love with the shape of you

-RAPS:

-# I gotta tell you I'm in love with your shape

# You said them other brothers couldn't really... #

The Brits night for me was one of the best nights of my life ever.

# Push and pull like a magnet do

# Although my heart is falling too... #

Yeah, big up, Ed, man, that's my brother.

CHEERING

Coldplay's Head Full Of Dreams shows

became the third highest grossing tour in history.

Well, they all try and outdo each other.

Coldplay have those wristbands which glow, it's a spectacle now.

It's technology getting better

and better and better, and being more exciting.

# ..of dreams! #

Heavy metal gods Black Sabbath returned home to Birmingham

for their last ever gig.

# Finished with my woman

# Cos she couldn't help me with my mind... #

As spring rolled around, the One Love concert in Manchester

proved that music couldn't be silenced.

# Her soul slides away

# Don't look back in anger

# I heard you say... #

Never, ever felt the power of music more than being

in Manchester for that concert.

One of Manchester's biggest rock and roll stars paid tribute.

With all that kind of stuff that's going down

and what had happened, I'd have walked there, you know what I mean?

As summer hit, so did the festivals.

# Staying alive... #

Radiohead returned to headline.

I thought it was a brilliant set.

What a weird sing-along moment Karma Police is.

# Karma police

# Arrest this man... #

Ed Sheeran and his guitar took to the main stage.

# I am on my way... #

Ed can do something which is really, really hard to do

which is headline festivals on your own.

Dua Lipa became the only solo female artist this year

to score a UK number one after she took Glastonbury by storm.

# You'll be mine... #

Glastonbury was the best day of my life.

It just felt like such a step up.

It's definitely up there with one of my favourite performances I've done.

Glastonbury, I love you!

The Proms season gave us stellar performances

with music from John Williams...

Jarvis Cocker celebrated '60s artist Scott Walker.

And the UK orchestra Chineke! showcased diversity

in classical music as they made their Proms debut.

I want the work of Chineke! to go so far

that in five, ten years' time,

we won't be having to have this conversation about

trying to diversify the industry.

Music itself does not discriminate.

So we've just got to get used to the fact that it's there for everyone.

Giggs was joined on stage at the Reading Festival

by global megastar Drake who continued to champion grime.

The thing about grime is that it's never really been

accepted by the mainstream. So what it's had to do

is create its own lane.

And this year it proved how big that lane is.

What a massive treat 2017 was for fans of live music

and the festival line-ups were outstanding.

At Glastonbury, Download, the Isle of Wight Festival

and of course, our very own Radio 1 Big Weekend.

Which bring us to our first award of the night.

The BBC Music Live Performance Of The Year. Here are the nominees.

# Your own personal Jesus... #

# Good times

# These are the good times... #

# I got the eye of the tiger... #

# Someone getting the best, the best... #

# Where the streets have no name... #

# Too many man, too many, many man... #

# Reach out and touch faith... #

Somewhere like Barrowland, it's tiny.

Everybody's standing up, everybody's chocker in there

and seeing the whites of your audience's eyes,

it adds a different frisson to the whole experience.

I mean, you know, Gahan's used to doing

his old snake hips routine

down some massive walkway in the middle of the Hollywood Bowl.

The energy was so reciprocal. He was throwing it out.

But he was sucking it up from the audience

and then he was throwing it back out again.

To see him up there doing it, it's just a massive thrill.

When Chic with Nile Rodgers played at Glastonbury,

everywhere you looked, everybody was moving.

# Good times

# These are the good times... #

The response from the people was, oh, my God, overwhelming.

Everybody say ho!

It was the most joyous,

feel-good live performances I've ever seen in my life.

# The clock is turning, why hesitate? #

You hear his influence in popular music,

and the crowd reacted to that.

Chic, Chic, everybody!

It was just incredible to watch the wave and to hear the wave

of people singing and then have it move back beyond you was fabulous.

Long live Nile Rodgers. Especially after that performance.

I love Big Weekend because we got to take Katy Perry to Hull.

That as a sentence is amazing.

# Turn it up, it's your favourite song

# Dance, dance, dance to the disco show... #

She's just got so many great songs.

And I love all the new ones.

And she was so, like, vulnerable and strong at the same time.

# We're all chained to the rhythm... #

She came back with Chained To The Rhythm which was, you know,

her voice, her opinion on the state of American politics.

I love that it had a message and it was political pop.

# Keep it on repeat

# Stumbling around like a wasted zombie... #

But it was still a banger.

# Chained to the rhythm. # No, we're not!

There was so much hinging on this performance.

I remember being nervous, "Oh, my God, what are they going to bring to Glastonbury?

"They've got to do something really special."

His exuberance, the energy, the enthusiasm,

comes across to the audience.

When they come on, they just blow you away.

It was just an amazing lesson in how to do a headline set at Glastonbury.

It was just the four of them on stage.

If you'd been to see U2 in 1977,

those were the people you would have seen on stage.

The Joshua Tree was extraordinary.

It was one of the best spectacles I've ever seen.

The biggest screen I've ever seen.

The U2 images, like,

the screens that were behind them, were so impactful.

You know, it's multisensory.

I mean, they're one of the greatest rock bands of all time.

# Where the streets have no name... #

Boy Better Know as a cultural phenomenon was crowned

headlining the Other Stage at Glastonbury.

To me, there's just nothing more electric

and more contagious than the energy of Boy Better Know on stage.

We need some more girls in here, we need some more girls in here!

We need some more girls in here!

It felt like a galvanising moment, everybody was going crazy

and I had Too Many Man stuck in my head for about a month afterwards.

# Too many man, too many, many man... #

We'll come back to that performance in years to come

to say, yes, that's when it all changed.

So many for the judges to choose from.

Clara, you witnessed this year's winners in the actual flesh.

I did, and they are truly wonderful people.

They did an amazing job for us in the Live Lounge

back in LA in September.

This year's BBC Music Live Performance Of The Year award

goes to Foo Fighters.

This year's winners for best live performance moshed

in the Royal Albert Hall.

They made Rick Astley rock in Japan.

# Never going to run around and desert you... #

Hey!

But it was their headlining set at Glastonbury

that clinched them the award.

I'm about two years late tonight, I'm sorry.

You know, we felt terrible about cancelling the first time,

but we just couldn't make it.

In the run-up to headlining Glastonbury in 2015,

Dave Grohl broke his leg at a gig in Sweden.

I think I just broke my leg.

It took me a long time just to walk again.

I kind of had to learn how to do everything again.

I hadn't stood up and played a show in so long.

So that gig was almost part of my therapy, in a way.

I wanted to see if I can do this to 100,000 people.

# It's times like these you learn to live again... #

I felt like we had something to prove, coming back two years later.

But I also felt personally it was kind of like

I had to prove to myself that we could do it.

# Easy for you say

# Your heart has never been broken... #

Everyone had built it up into such a big deal,

like, you're doing Glastonbury, Glastonbury, Glastonbury.

And I don't really think we realised how big of a festival it was.

After the first three or four songs, we catch a glance

with each other and we just kind of go, "Yeah, this is happening.

"We got 'em."

-We got a naked guy at that one too.

-Yeah.

I see a naked guy!

Sure-fire sign that things are going well.

# There goes my hero

# Watch him as he goes... #

It just had that sense of, like, we're stoked that you're here,

and we're stoked to be there,

and we worked really hard to get it as tight as we can.

And then you have to lose the script and let it be loose again

for it to really boogie.

Right now, it's all about this,

and you, and us.

You know, and thank God it did there.

# Someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you

# Someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you... #

The crowd wouldn't stop singing the part.

And we sort of backed up and watched for a while, you know.

-CROWD:

-# Whoa

# Whoa-oa-oa... #

It's nice when you go up to give someone a concert

and then they start giving it back so much

that you can sit down and watch them.

# Whoa, whoa... #

It really did just turn into this one big ball of love

and energy and celebration and music.

And that's what you want every show to be.

But when it's on that scale, it's a big feeling, you know.

And I remember when we walked backstage, and you could

still hear the audience singing that part of the song.

# Whoa, whoa... #

Damn, Sam!

That's a fucking award right there.

-Thank you so much.

-You get in the shot, baby, it's OK.

I think we should thank all of our fans here in the UK

because we really kind of cut our teeth becoming a live band here.

Absolutely.

You guys really taught us

how to become a band that could headline a gig like Glastonbury.

So, this is for all of us. Thank you all very much.

Definitely our second home, thank you so much.

Marvellous. This is fucking amazing!

Foo Fighters giving a masterclass in just how to headline Glastonbury.

There have been some memorable records released this year.

The debuts, the tricky second album and the big hitters.

Now, before we reveal the nominees,

let's take a look at some of the albums

that got us all talking in 2017.

This year, Liam Gallagher was the comeback king,

resulting in his album As You Were hitting number one.

I think there's been no bigger pop comeback this year

than Our Kid himself, Liam Gallagher.

# You would keep the secrets in ya

# You'd be keeping paraphernalia... #

2017 has been amazing, it's nice to be back talking about music

instead of the drama that goes with my life, you know what I mean?

I think that if he'd have come out there

with the amount of bravado that he's got

but the music didn't back it up, it would have fallen flat.

# All night... #

This is your first solo album, this is your chance to remind everyone how charismatic you are,

and, you know, engender some of that goodwill

you kind of earned over the years with Oasis.

In the '90s, I'd have had about four people doing it.

Little geezer doing the kettle, our kid.

Now you've got to do it yourself these days, do you know what I mean?

And they wonder why there's no real rock and roll stars around.

It's fucking good, man.

# Wall of glass... #

It's nice to get people realising that I'm not just a fucking lunatic,

I do sing and that I'm pretty good at it, you know what I mean?

Who got the power?

Little Mix have one of the biggest album sales of the year,

and they even brought Stormzy on board.

# You're the man... #

I remember when I done this song with Little Mix, some people thought that questioned my integrity.

I was, like, bro, I rate Little Mix more than I rate some of your favourite rappers.

The Mercury Music Prize winner Sampha

proved the album story is still important.

It was really just surreal, to be perfectly honest.

-CHEERING

-Sampha!

# No-one knows me like the piano

# In my mother's home... #

I think Sampha is talking about mourning and loss and love and the relationship with our mothers.

And I think that people can relate with that.

People, after shows or at festivals, people talked about how much

they'd been through situations with their own family,

that had been similar to mine.

Nothing beats listening to an album for the very first time

and hearing the journey that an artist has gone on,

and listening and appreciating the feeling and the care that has gone into that entire album.

Remembering something, even if it's difficult, is better than completely forgetting how it felt.

U2 told us another story this year, with their album Songs Of Experience.

# I could sing it to you all night, all night

# If I could, I'd make it all right, all right

# Nothing's stopping you except what's inside

# I can help you, but it's your fight, your fight... #

Another Mercury nominee, J Hus carved out a new British sound.

# Doing styles on them like it's common sense... #

It's just a record that sounds like 2017,

and there's such a kind of joy and ebullience to the execution.

# She love a ugly man making pretty money

# And I'm a ugly man making sexy money... #

You know, that is the best of British music, isn't it,

when you listen to an album and you're like, I haven't heard anything like this before.

# Yeah, yeah... #

This year, streaming has become the definitive method of consuming music.

Jay-Z released his 13th album on his own Tidal streaming label.

Tidal gave Kanye West the first album certified as gold.

-# But we still hood famous

-Goddamn

# Yeah, we still hood famous... #

The idea that we now have a certified gold album

purely from digital sales and/or streaming

is saying quite loudly that streaming is here,

it's not going anywhere.

But vinyl sales were on the rise, too, this year,

and the Beatles' iconic Sgt Pepper album topped the charts on its 50th birthday.

An album like Sgt Pepper is a record that was life-changing.

Its vision was just so incredible.

# We're Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band... #

It's as famous an image as anything by David Hockney or anything

you might go and buy a poster from the Tate and stick up on your wall.

It totally blew my mind. That is real psychedelia there for you.

# I don't like your little games... #

It was a social media blackout for Taylor Swift.

This year, Taylor deleted her Instagram,

put out a viral video with no explanation and did a track

and it was at the top of iTunes.

# Ooh, look what you made me do

# Look what you made me do

# Look what you just made me do

# Look what you just made me... #

George Michael was number one ten months after his death,

with the reissue of his second solo album,

complete with Nile Rodgers collaboration Fantasy.

Even though we had worked together in the past,

the fact that we worked together on the new product,

then it came to such a tragic end,

that I had to refocus and complete the record.

# I'll find another fantasy... #

He is just extraordinary, he's a national treasure.

# I'll find another fantasy. #

And Sam Smith returned with his second album, The Thrill Of It All.

# I'm way too good at goodbyes... #

I was just really scared that people didn't want to hear me sing again,

and the reception has just been overwhelming.

# I'm way too good at goodbyes. #

There were some excellent albums released this year.

There sure were, but who is going to be

on the shortlist for British Album Of The Year?

# You're getting way too big for your boots

# You're never too big for the boot... #

# Singing oh-oh-oh... #

# Mmm, I'm in love with the shape of you... #

# I'm only human after all

# I'm only human after all... #

# Don't be afraid to catch feels... #

# I've got new rules I count 'em... #

You needed an album that came along from somebody that had

that kind of bone fide star quality, and that was Stormzy.

# You're getting way too big for your boots

# You're never too big for the boot

# I've got the big size twelves on my feet

# Your face ain't big for my boot... #

To see Stormzy's Gang Signs & Prayer go to number one was really exciting.

He has not cowed to the mainstream at all to make that record.

# That's a Hublot, not a Hublot What? #

Enlisting someone like Fraser T Smith, who has produced

complete albums that have done well in the pop market.

# Leave my yard, blow a kiss to my girl... #

But also enabled you to sound like yourself, and that's why the album did so well.

Yeah, it's good, man, because they are the same as me.

We're all from, like, the street, as it is.

# You're getting way too old for the timeline... #

Stormzy's album cover for Gang Signs & Prayer

is the album cover of the year.

That is amazing. I loved it.

Gang Signs & Prayer signalled the arrival of grime

as a proper overground, mainstream entity.

I really like the xx record. I think it is really beautiful

and colourful and it's nice to see them doing something different

and moving out of that very monochromatic space they've operated in.

# Singing oh-oh-oh Go on, I dare you... #

It's weird, it's like they've almost got happy on it.

You've got like major key tracks on it, you've got samples on it.

# Singing oh-oh-oh Go on, I dare you... #

I felt it to be intimate and touching and honest,

but it was...I don't know, it felt a bit more ballsy.

# I can hear it now like I heard it then... #

And so brilliantly crafted. I think they're just head and shoulders

above most of the bands around at the moment.

Ed Sheeran is just this unstoppable hit machine.

He just reinvents things all the time.

# The club isn't the best place to find a lover

# So the bar is where I go... #

It's hard to write a song that's all over Radio 1 and all over Radio 2,

and The Shape Of You, I've never turned it off.

# I'm in love with your body OhIohIohIohI... #

The way the top line, the way the melody corresponds to what is

playing underneath, which almost pushes in a kind of almost jazzy direction.

# I'm in love with your body OhIohIohIohI... #

I mean, Ed Sheeran was already huge, but The Shape Of You just took him to another level.

When you listen to ¸,

there's Afro beat on there,

there's Springsteen-esque global kind of stadium rock on there,

there's dance hall on there, there's out-and-out pop on there, there's ballads on there,

there's pretty much a record for every emotion.

And that's what Ed does. He's such a great songwriter,

that I've got a feeling we will be talking about him in 50 years' time.

# I'm in love with the shape of you. #

I think Best British Album Of The Year for me,

it will always be Rag'n'Bone Man.

I just...I love the album, I absolutely love it.

# Maybe I'm foolish, maybe I'm blind... #

This year, obviously, with them having the biggest selling debut album of any other artist,

I think it proves that he has truly not only found his voice, but he's also found his audience.

I think every song that has come off the album, I've heard it on

the radio umpteen times and I'm still not tired of Rag'n'Bone Man.

# I'm only human after all

# I'm only human after all

# Don't put the blame on me... #

Just channelled something that really infects all of us.

He's talked about a human experience, and I think that that then speaks to quite a lot of us.

# Don't put the blame on me... #

You can if you want.

# Woo! Don't be afraid to catch feels... #

You can see playlisting influencing the way records sound.

If you look at the last Calvin Harris album, it's basically a mix tape.

Every song has about eight different guests on it. It sounds wildly different all the way through.

And although it's a cohesive, kind of artistic statement,

it's also doing the same thing of trying to please a lot of people.

# Oh, you can't front You're a stone-cold diva... #

It was very bold, I guess, being like, "This is the sound,

"and all you 10 or 15 different artists will fit to that."

Felt like it all worked as one piece of music. I love that record.

# One, don't pick up the phone

# You know he's only calling cos he's drunk and alone

-# Two, don't let him in... #

-With an artist like Dua Lipa,

she can be easily taken as a bit of a pop puppet

because we've spent so many years

of having female pop artists come through and them being manufactured.

Dua Lipa's not that.

# I've got new rules, I count 'em

# I've got new rules, I count 'em... #

She co-writes her songs, she helps produce the songs.

The records that she's got on that album and the pop songs she's done

are brilliantly written, well-performed songs.

# ..You ain't getting over him. #

Time for the winner of British Album of the Year.

Our winner started 2017 brilliantly by scoring two Brit Awards

and having the biggest-selling debut album of the year.

His New Year's resolution is always "must try harder".

Here with a very special performance of Grace,

it is the fantastic Rag'n'Bone Man.

# Said I loved you

# Without hesitation

# So easy

# For you to break my foolish heart

# Now I wonder

# If you ever speak my name

# Will I always

# Be defined by my mistakes?

# In the arms of a saint I'm a stranger

# We're all trying to find our way

# At the death of every darkness there's a morning

# Though we all try

# We all try

# We're all one step from grace

# I made myself believe

# There was no fight left in me

# But redemption

# Doesn't fall down at your feet

# In the half light

# I raised a hand to my defeat

# And I watched the walls fall

# And I rebuilt them piece by piece

# In the arms of a saint I'm a stranger

# We're all trying to find our way

# At the death of every darkness there's a morning

# Though we all try

# We all try

# We're all one step from grace

# I wonder why we give up on love

# When it's always within reach

# You and I We suffered this enough

# We all try

# We all try

# We're all one step from grace

# And in the arms of a saint I'm a stranger

# We're all trying to find our way

# At the death of every darkness there's a morning

# Though we all try

# We all try

# We're all one step from grace. #

Thank you very much.

That's a proper good award.

Er, I keep thinking at some point someone's going to fish-hook me off

and tell me it's a joke,

but it's not, and it's a wonderful thing to have.

So thank you very much to everyone at the BBC

for supporting my music over the years.

Big up to Radio 1, especially people like MistaJam

and Huw Stephens, for supporting me.

All the musicians that I work with, my management and my label.

Yeah. Thank you very much.

Huge congratulations to Rag'n'Bone Man.

In recent times, we have seen some horrific events

take place during music performances,

from the Bataclan in Paris to what happened in Las Vegas.

In May, however, it was closer to home

when Ariana Grande's concert at Manchester Arena was targeted.

After that life-changing event,

Ariana and some of pop's biggest artists rallied

and returned to Manchester for a special concert,

and it was an amazing night to witness.

We look back on how One Love Manchester united the nation

with music.

Breaking news out of Greater Manchester.

A major incident involving what many people

are suggesting has been an explosion.

This is at the Manchester Arena.

SIRENS

I don't know if it was the age of the kids at the concert...

It felt extra hard hearing that news and dealing with that news.

Music has been touched by the terror incidents that have been happening

and I think it's... It's changed everything. Everything's changed.

But it wasn't long before the people of Manchester came back fighting.

It was amazing to see so many different people

from so many different backgrounds

just centring around this idea that they won't be broken.

Basically a big up-yours to terrorism,

and I'm glad that it came from music.

It was great to see how the city reacted to it and came together.

I think it was the right thing to do and they did it really well.

# Her soul slides away

CROWD: # But don't look back in anger

# I heard you say. #

It's good when people go to a song

and find...strength in music,

whether it's Oasis or whatever. It's good.

Ariana Grande announced this -

the One Love Manchester benefit concert this Sunday.

The way that Ariana Grande responded to that,

I think she went absolutely above and beyond what could have been

expected from anybody, let alone a very young woman

who's experienced something deeply traumatic.

On 4th June, only 13 days after the tragedy,

Ariana, along with other artists and the people of Manchester,

turned out in unity and defiance.

The way everyone came together

so soon after shows that, you know...

Our faith is stronger than our fear.

Music was Olivia's life. If she was still here today,

she'd have been walking through these doors tonight with us,

showing her defiance that they might have got her, but she's not beaten.

She's here with us.

It felt like an army of people who were doing good,

and people caring for one another.

-# Because I'm happy

-Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof

-# Because I'm happy

-Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth

# Because I'm happy... #

For her to recognise that communal euphoria

is just as powerful as communal mourning

and commensurate to that, I think was wonderful.

# Her soul slides away

# Don't look back in anger... #

Music is emotion, isn't it?

And I think it gives people the opportunity to express emotion.

# At least not today. #

Thank you.

It brings people back together again.

Manchester!

With all that kind of stuff going down and what had happened,

I'd have walked there, you know what I mean?

# Tonight

# I'm a rock'n'roll star. #

When shit like that goes down,

whether it's in your country or someone else's,

and if you can help out by doing a tune, you know what I mean,

or being there... I did it, you know what I mean?

# Maybe I will never be

# All the things that I'd like to be... #

It was surprising to see Liam Gallagher and Chris Martin

given their... I don't know if it's a war of words,

I think it's more Liam calling Chris a geography teacher,

but if there's a spirit of the event,

that those two can perform together, that's it.

# We're gonna live forever. #

But, you know, there was a lot of love in there, you know what I mean?

So, it's a good thing to do, even though we shouldn't have to be doing them,

but... Just, them things shouldn't have to happen, innit.

# I was a liar I gave in to the fire

# I know I should've fought it At least I'm being honest. #

What I saw a lot was a real celebration of girls still

feeling like they connected to Ariana Grande.

Or there were still somebody who they could reach out on

and feel empowered by.

# One last time I need to be

# The one who takes you home. #

I've never ever felt the power of music more than

being in Manchester for that concert.

# Somewhere over the rainbow. #

All eyes were on Manchester, after something so heartbreaking

and horrific happening. It was... It was a real moment.

Thank you so much, I love you. CROWD CHEERS

CLAUDIA: Such an amazing response

and our heartfelt wishes to all those affected.

It was a concept which gave hope to so many

and you really felt how music united us all that night in Manchester.

And it's brilliant to see that the arena reopened so soon after.

That concert will be the defining moment of 2017.

This year saw the return of some of the greats,

from Jay-Z to Liam Gallagher.

But what if you're not a global megastar?

How do you break into music if you're a new artist in 2017?

This year, in 2017,

is in my mind possibly the easiest it's been to access

the industry, particularly in terms of being able to release records.

I feel like it's pretty easy to get your voice heard these days.

Getting your stuff onto big retailers like Spotify or

Apple Music.

I got picked up off the back of one single release, basically

that I just did it with...with a mate.

# He talks like an angel but he looks like me. #

From self releasing to recording your masterpiece in your bedroom,

in 2017 it seemed the opportunities to be heard are limitless.

There's kind of like a blueprint, of like, you can do this, you can

make the music you want to make and you can keep at it.

Don't be afraid to just, like, be, a bit cheeky

and just put yourself out there.

Right now is a really, really amazing time for people

wanting to see artists really being themselves.

# Do it, do it, do it, do it. #

There's so many artists who have come out now

and they know who they are from the very beginning.

Like, they are their own A&R person.

Some people just e-mail me

and there's a certain thing in what they say and I think, "Oh, sod it,

"I'll put them on a small stage at the Isle of Wight

"cos I like their approach."

If you have a song but you're not quite festival ready,

you could try another route in.

'Tonight is the tenth birthday of BBC Music Introducing.'

There are so many different artists now who all

have their roots in BBC Introducing.

10 years, so much has come though it and it's such a...

You know, the roots of it are in such a positive place.

# It don't matter now Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo

# Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo. #

What BBC Introducing do it in a very conceptional or

perceptional kind of way is highlights particular artists

and they almost grant them legitimacy of being a new band in the public consciousness.

Blossoms is a good example.

# And the river always flows So if you go I will know

# By the way, my Charlemagne. #

Blossoms have gone from uploading in 2013 to playing

South by Southwest, Glastonbury and the Reading Festival

to a Mercury Music nomination this year.

We've been to a few, like, ceremonies, like the Mercurys,

free drink and everyone taking photos of you.

It's kind of like, it's a bit mad.

Whereas someone like Stormzy pulls it off and looks really cool,

you know, we still look like we're on a school trip.

# And the river always flows So if you go I will know

# By the way, my Charlemagne. #

Charlemagne, Blown Rose,

two of the greatest pop tracks of the last you know, 18 months.

They deserve every plaudit that they get.

And they deserve that nomination as well.

CROWD CHEERS

# Sorry, I'm not. #

Another new band from the BBC Introducing stable,

The Big Moon, also achieved a Mercury nomination this year.

The whole Mercury nom thing was an absolute bolt from the blue.

These people on the panel have, like, listened to our album

in the same, you know, sitting as Ed Sheeran and The xx and Stormzy.

# I've been waiting for a girl like you. #

These are the kind of things the really dream of when you start a band

or, you know, when you're learning to play the guitar.

You think, "Maybe one day I'll be in a band. Maybe I'll be a rock star."

-Yeah.

-"Maybe I'll be Mercury nominated!"

CROWD CHEERS

Excellent advice.

Now, our next word is for the BBC Introducing Artist of The Year.

Catfish and the Bottlemen, Jack Garratt and Izzy Bizu

have all been awarded the Golden Mic.

But this year's winner is a 19-year-old indie wonder -

Declan McKenna. And here's why.

No way!

Oh, my God! Look at that! That is... That is so shiny!

Our BBC Music Introducing Artist of The Year, Declan McKenna,

first uploaded to his local radio, Beds, Herts and Bucks

and then Radio 1 beckoned.

I was 15, maybe, when I first sent in the tune

and I think 16 when it first got played.

# I heard he lives down a river somewhere. #

But it's like, Radio 1, when you're first starting out, especially

when you're like, 15, 16, whatever it was,

it just seems like an untouchable thing.

# Talks like an angel but he looks like me. #

Phil Taggart played it first and then, like, that was kind of the initial thing,

I was like, "Wow," Radio 1 is such a massive thing

and it's all sort of connected from this one little starting point.

It was just the best pop song that I'd heard from any artist,

young or old, in quite a while. When you get that interaction

from one song, one play, at night-time on the radio,

it's obviously going to be the start of a big thing.

After being picked up by BBC Introducing, it was Declan's

lyrics about corruption in football, police brutality and transgender

teens that saw the Evening Standard dub him "the voice of a generation".

# He's got eyes but he can't see

# He talks like an angel but he looks like me. #

What 15-year-old does that?

Like, it's obviously someone who's like a really, really deep thinker.

-PRESENTER:

-Well, Declan's with us now and I was looking on your

Twitter site today and you've got the slogan up there,

"Sepp Blatter don't matter".

-Yeah! I'm always changing that.

-How do you feel now that he's gone?

Erm, it's a good thing, I guess.

'Something that may be a passing statement from you becomes like a big headline'

and it's, like, sensationalised.

Or, you know, writing about observing the world

becomes like, "the voice of a generation".

# You don't have the right to choose. #

From Maida Vale, Declan went stateside

and topped it off with an appearance on Later with Jools Holland.

Now, from Hertfordshire, we welcome Declan McKenna!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

With Jools Holland, it was like, "I watch this every week!"

And it's like, I know the crack, I know what it is and to me

that is like just the biggest deal of all of the big deals

that there has been!

# If you can't walk and then run

# If you can't walk then run. #

So, I was like, I can't just go on Jools Holland and play a song.

I had to do something, kind of like flung off my shirt

and did, like, "Give 17-year-olds the vote".

# Run, run. #

If you're a teenager and you're seeing somebody doing that

while you're watching TV with your parents,

you're going to be like, "Right, I'm going to follow you into the sun."

If people care about what I have to say, then that's, like, that's nice.

I don't know, I'm just writing tunes.

Thank you to everyone for the support.

And all of the love and all that.

I'm just happy to be here let alone, I don't know!

Being, erm, picked out as someone that people like.

The last award is for the BBC Music Artist of The Year.

Previous years have seen Adele and Ed Sheeran take the prize.

But who will lift our Golden Mic high in the air tonight?

Now, there are some big contenders,

so it's going to be a difficult one to choose.

So, let's take a look at the short list.

-# Be humble, sit down

-Hol' up, hol'up, hol' up, hol' up

-# Be humble

-Hol' up, hol'up. #

# Cos honey I'll come get my things, but I can't let go. #

# Boy, I just leave him, 'ey I been cold the whole season, 'ey

# I should call my next song Freezin', cold. #

# I promise I promise to take you

# Take you as you are. #

# Just stop your crying It's a sign of the times. #

# Over the castle on the hill. #

# Nobody pray for me Even a day for me

King Kendrick Lamar.

-# Be humble, sit down

-Hol' up, hol'up. #

At a time where it's very,

very hard for you to talk about anything remotely political or anything about

identity without you completely being pulled to shreds on social media...

-# Be humble, sit down

-Hol' up, hol'up, hol' up. #

..Kendrick's managed it and I think he's managed to do it

because he's speaking from his heart.

# Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty. #

He's political, he gets the message across, he's engaging,

he's informative and I think definitely the most important voice

and definitely the most important lyricist of this generation.

Absolutely love Lorde, I think she's an amazing character.

She's come back with this album and, you know, there's just so many

wonderful songs on there, Liability, just such a gorgeous, gorgeous song.

# I'm a liability. #

And then, like, Green Light was so contrasting, so it had so much joy to it.

# Cos, honey, I'll come get my things but I can't let go

# I'm waiting for it That green light, I want it. #

Lorde is one of the only pop stars I can think of that

I actually believe. I don't feel like she has been put through some sort of a A&R mill.

If you look at somebody like Lorde, who's, like, come up through Tumblr,

they're part of that kind of collaging culture online and

they understand the power of image and how it spreads among young people.

She experiments musically and visually really, really well.

# I'm waiting for it That green light, I want it. #

CHEERING

Stormzy is one of the artists of the year, undoubtedly.

You can't talk about grime in 2017 without talking about Stormzy.

# All right, first things first I've been putting in the work

-# I'm a rebel with a cause

-With a cause. #

Possibly one of the, if not THE biggest breakthrough success

story of any British artist this year.

# But I still get to gunning Don't be running when I bang mine

# Before we said our prayers There was gang signs

# Gang signs. #

He's not only captured the zeitgeist

but he's also been able to push through the culture.

# I'm blinded by your grace. #

This album, Gang Signs & Prayer,

there was gospel on it, there was R&B on it,

Stormzy was singing on it, he had songs about his mum on it.

I was like, "This is great!"

# I'm blinded by your grace

# You came and saved me. #

The fact that he's had these moments at Glastonbury.

The fact that he's had the sales of the record that he's had,

has been because he's been firmly in control.

He obviously has such integrity as well.

Just talking about mental health issues, his involvement with Grenfell.

# That's for every last soul up in Grenfell

# Even though I've never even met you

# That could have been my mum's house. #

He is without doubt one of the artists of the year.

# Shut up. #

Stormzy just has this presidential sort of charm about him.

-# Why?

-Cos I ain't won a MOBO before

# What? #

I'm 48, I've got kids, I shouldn't be sitting in my front room

calling up YouTube on my telly, watching the video to Shut Up.

Because I just like looking at him.

He has got this charm and magnetism

and sort of spirit that's infectious and you can't not watch him.

# Dem man still go halves on a quarter

# See me turn from a prince to a pauper

# Two cigarettes and a bottle of water. #

Everything about his music and about his patter is just,

just super charismatic.

THEY LAUGH

# When I heard that sound

# When the walls came down

I was thinking about you About you. #

The music scene in 2017, I think, has been very exciting,

because I think we've seen a lot of new acts break through.

# You raised the lights when it was frightening. #

With Rag'n'Bone Man,

it's taken him a long time to become this overnight sensation.

# If you lay here in these arms tonight I promise

# I promise to take you Take you as you are. #

It's really hard for an artist, I think, to kind of come

from the corner of the musical world where he has come from,

you know, the tradition of British hip-hop, the tradition of British

soul, to be able to have something that is universally accepted.

# I'm only human after all Don't put the blame on me

# Don't put the blame on me. #

It just feels like there's a real gravitas to him,

there's a real depth. You know his musical influences, you know it's really, really heartfelt.

And there is just such substance to him.

The bottom line is that voice.

You know, when he opens his mouth and that voice comes out,

it takes you by surprise. And it's just so gorgeous.

# Oh. #

I think you might think that an artist like Harry Styles

could have it easy because he was part of one of the biggest

boybands EVER but that also can be quite a hard thing to do

because I think everyone is waiting on that debut album

and everyone will be ready to tear it apart as well.

# Just stop your crying It's a sign of the times. #

The fact that he went and got Jeff Bhasker, who, as a producer

and a co-writer, pretty much can do anything and make it sound amazing,

and taking down a route where he's using Pink Floyd-esque

influences, I think that was a massive risk

but it's a risk that I think has really paid off.

# We don't say what we really mean... #

CROWD CHEERS

# We're not who we used to be We're not who we used to be... #

It's the kind of classic template of former boyband star

grows up a bit

and it's finally time to impart some of their hard-won wisdom

in a mid-paced pop song.

# Just trying to remember how it feels to have a heartbeat. #

He made a record that he loved and I think that was really important

and I think the start to a really, you know, great solo career.

I definitely don't think you could argue if Ed Sheeran was

made artist of the year.

You know, he's had the biggest album, he clogged the singles chart,

the Official Charts Company had to literally change the rules

of how the singles chart worked because he flooded it so badly.

# I was younger then... #

He's done songwriting for so many other artists, he's had

one of the biggest tours, his peers really, really respect him.

# I'm on my way... #

The Guardian, I think wrote a story, saying,

"Do you think Ed Sheeran's boring?" The general public voted.

It's weird to say this about the biggest artist in the world

right now but I think Ed Sheeran kind of gets a hard time!

Love him, hate him, the thing that makes Ed Sheeran special

is his ability to write something that just hits you there.

# 15 years old and smoking... #

I think he's all right, I think he's obviously talented, you know what I mean?

But ...I certainly wouldn't put a poster of him up on

my wall, you know what I mean, if I was a young kid, you know what I mean?

He's a bit... He's called Ed, innit?

-CROWD:

-# I'm on my way! #

He's easy to dismiss but you can't dismiss someone who plays

to 240,000 people on his own.

Sing it out!

# When we did not know the answers and I miss the way. #

He took over Glastonbury, that got such a mixed reaction, I thought that was so unfair on Ed.

Because if any one of us was to imagine yourself walking out

onto that Pyramid Stage, with your songs and holding your own,

you know, how terrifying must that have been?

But he nailed it!

# I'm on my way Driving at 19. #

What I like about Ed Sheeran, amongst other things,

is that he said yes to the Glastonbury gig.

There's a kind of arrogance, there's a kind of rock solid core of self belief there.

He knew he could go a festival where most of the people

there probably didn't think he was very cool

and he just has this weird kind of magnetism, which,

I don't how you do it, maybe he doesn't know how he does it either.

# Over the castle on the hill. #

CHEERING

So much talent in so many genres, from pop to soul to grime.

But who did our judges think stood out?

Now, 2017's Artist of The Year started mosh pits at Glastonbury,

collaborated with Little Mix and gave us

everything from grime to gospel.

The BBC Music Artist of The Year is,

-we say it together...

-Of course.

-BOTH:

-Stormzy!

The statement I wanted to make and the whole message was to embody

myself, like, Michael, this man/kid

who's grown up in South London

and grown up on the streets but has also grown up in the church

and also grown up as an academic

and to embody that all into one album.

# Shut your mouth, you ain't squeezin'

# Little boy, I just leave him I been cold a whole season

# I should call my next song Freezin', cold. #

It happened and it was like, "Oh, this is mad!"

# Them man are selective bad boys

# Some We just wanna be accepted bad boys. #

If you gave someone Gang Signs & Prayer, the album,

and said, "This is grime," they're going to hear

Cold and Big For Your Boots and Return of the Rucksack,

and understand, "OK, there's the grime element."

It's going to confuse them a bit when they hear Blinded By Your Grace.

# I'm blinded by your grace

# I'm blinded by your grace By your grace. #

'But then, it's also a gateway,

'in the sense of getting people to listen to artists like myself

'and understand that grime artists aren't just this one thing.'

There's a whole different dynamic to it.

# But oh, my God What a God I serve

# Lord, I've been broken

# Although I'm not worthy. #

I poured out every last...bit of soul, emotion,

creativity, idea,

every last bit of it was done and it was embodied in that cover,

in the artwork, in the album booklet, everything and we done it.

# But I still get to gunning Don't be running when I bang mine

# Before we said our prayers There was gang signs.

# Gang signs, gang signs, gang signs... #

My name is Stormzy. This is Glastonbury.

This is history in the making.

With Glastonbury, I didn't even understand the capacity of what I was doing.

# Where do you know me from W-where do you know me from? #

The mosh pits moment, yeah, man.

I done 100 Bags and my mum came up on the screen and...

All right, Mummy, look at your boy now, man!

You raise me up, you taught me everything I need to know and you

literally bared all to do that as in, like, you gave me everything and, like,

you was kind of knackered after it and then

I went into the world and I said, "OK, cool, let's figure it out," and

I figured it out and I brought it back, and I said, "Yo, Mum, like, get up now.

"Don't be tired. We're good."

# Hey, no more broken promises, I swear. #

Do you know what I mean?

Same way I put everything into this album,

she put everything into me and then I was able to do all of this, so...

Yeah, it's all good now.

One of the lines on the new album talks about you dealing with

depression. Can you talk about what you were going through then,

-when you wear depressed?

-For me, it was like,

a realisation of how fragile we are as humans.

If there's anyone out there going through it, I think

for them to see that I went through it would help.

# Yeah, I don't know where to begin so I'll start by saying I refuse to forget you. #

I've always known that I have like a duty in my heart to always

make sure that I'm aware of the things I'm talking about

and using my voice for the right reasons, at the right time.

# That could have been me up there. #

It's not just about me, "Yeah, I'm Stormzy, and, yeah, this is what I do."

But to say, "Hang on, that's going on there, or that person needs my help."

And it's not even like some superhero thing of like,

"Yeah, hey, it's me to save the day again." It's not about that.

It's just about, well, you know what?

I can say that to 1 million people right now on Twitter

and show the world that, no, that's not right.

I feel like now when I do things, people see it and they know that's my truth.

Stormzy's going to go on X Factor

and it's going to be a mad moment for him and he's going to love it!

-That's my truth. So, even things like Love Island.

-Oh!

Oh, my days.

I don't know what the future holds for me

but I'm definitely ready for it.

I've just got to thank my whole team, the Mercury team.

Erm, Fraser T Smith, who helped me make an incredible album

and, yeah, I'm actually blessed to be able to say that I'm

an artist who has...gained enough...

I don't even know what the word is, like,

I've gained enough clout, is the word clout, can you say that?

Are you allowed to say that? But, yeah, man, I've...

I've managed to be regarded as someone who is

worthy of this award. Yes!

Thank you, guys. Love.

Stormzy's win is so well-deserved, he's really had such an amazing

year and we are sure that 2018 is going to be even better for him.

A hugely talented artist and he completely loves his mum.

-Auntie Abigail.

-Hello, Abigail. Huge congratulations to Stormzy.

So, that's it. Some of 2017's highlights.

Well done to all our winners. Here's to more amazing music in 2018.

-And thank you all so much for watching.

-Thank you, goodbye.

-Bye.