Pa Salieu named BBC Sound of 2021 winner

Pa Salieu has been named as the winner of the BBC’s Sound of 2021 poll.

The Coventry rapper, who last year released his debut mixtape ‘Send Them To Coventry’, follows in the footsteps of the likes of Adele and Sam Smith in being named the winner of the poll. He follows on from last year’s winner, Celeste.

“I was just really happy to even be included on the list alongside some amazing artists, a few of who I know personally,” Salieu said upon being crowned the poll’s winner. “They’re all crazy talented, so to be the winner of something like this so early in my journey just feels mad.”

The poll was decided by a number of music industry figures, plus artists including Billie Eilish, Stormzy, Jorja Smith, AJ Tracey and Charli XCX.

Late last year, Pa Salieu revealed plans for his first UK headline tour, with dates tentatively scheduled for May of this year.

For more on UK drill, revisit DJ Mag’s 2020 feature on the evolving sound of the genre.