English Teacher come in at Number Five in kicking off of BBC Sound Of 2025 countdown

nme.com:

English Teacher have kicked off the BBC Sound Of 2025 countdown poll, coming in at Number Five.The rising Leeds four-piece were among the artists confirmed for the longlist for the BBC Sound Of 2025 last November, and joined the list alongside Chappell Roan, Ezra Collective, Kneecap and more.Now, the countdown for the top five artists has begun, with Lily Fontaine and co.

taking the Number Five position.They were voted in fifth place after a panel of 180 music industry experts chose them as one of the acts with “the best chance of mainstream success” in the next 12 months.

The position also comes after a huge 2024 for the band, with them both releasing highly-lauded debut album ‘This Could Be Texas’ and going on to become last year’s Mercury Prize winners.

The latter saw them beat off competition from Charli XCX, CMAT, Beth Gibbons and more.The countdown for the remaining four artists on the BBC Sound Of 2025 list will continue across Radio 1 this week, before the winner is announced on Friday (January 10).When the longlist was shared two months ago, the artists chosen drew a mixed reaction from fans on social media, with many agreeing that the chosen names were talented, but were already too established to be considered a “rising” act.For instance, Chappell Roan was named following the release of her huge 2023 debut ‘The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess‘ – an album that hit Number One back in August and has seen her attract millions of streams and rise to the rank of festival headliner.Her inclusion on the list came as new rules were implemented for 2025.