Ezra Collective come in at Number Two on BBC Sound Of 2025 shortlist

nme.com:

Ezra Collective have been announced as the runners-up to the BBC Sound Of 2025 shortlist.The list looks to highlight the acts with “the best chance of mainstream success” in the next 12 months, and is chosen by a panel of 180 music industry experts.The longlist was first shared late last year and contained names like Kneecap, Confidence Man, Mk.gee and NME 100 2023 alumni Doechii.This Monday (January 6) saw the BBC begin a day-by-day countdown of the top five Sound Of 2025 artists.

Leeds band, Mercury Prize winners and former NME Cover Stars English Teacher came in at Number Five before 2025 BRIT Rising Star winner Myles Smith took the Number Four position.Yesterday, third place was confirmed as going to festival favourite and Scottish electronic producer and DJ, Barry Can’t Swim.Now, it has been announced that London-based jazz quintet Ezra Collective have secured the Number Two slot on the 2025 list.The milestone accomplishment comes on the heels of a massive couple of years for the band.

In 2023, for instance, they became the first jazz act to walk away with the prestigious Mercury Prize. There has been a whirlwind of acclaim and further accolades too, including streaming figures rising exponentially and the 2024 single ‘Ajala’ being nominated for ‘Best Independent Track’ at this year’s AIM Awards.

They were also the first jazz act to sell out Wembley Arena last November.“We’re just trying to bring something positive and joyful to whoever will listen,” Bandleader and drummer Femi Koleoso told the BBC. “So anything that exposes us to more people is always gratefully received.”For Ezra Collective, the win comes after the members met in a youth club in London and went on to play their first gig in a Foyles bookshop..