Florence Road featured on BBC Radio 1 Sound Of 2026 longlist

Wicklow band Florence Road have been named on the longlist for BBC Radio 1's Sound of 2026.

The annual list has been running since 2003, with this year’s candidates having been whittled down by a panel of over 170 industry experts and artists, including Elton John, Dua Lipa, Jade, Olivia Dean, Yungblud and former winner Sam Smith.

Florence Road joins the list alongside Alessi Rose, Chloe Qisha, Royel Otis, Geese, Jim Legxacy, Kwn, Sasha Keable, Skye Newman and Sombr.

2025 saw Chappell Roan take the top spot, however, her victory caused controversy, as some believed that she was 'too established' at the start of the year to be considered a 'rising star'. As a result, the rules have been revised and now specify that artists should not have had a significant public profile in the past two years to be eligible for the award.

Florence Road first rose to prominence on TikTok last year, covering pop songs such as Olivia Rodrigo's ‘Obsessed’ and ‘Making The Bed’.

Already this year, the band has toured with Olivia Rodrigo, Sombr, Wallows and Royel Otis and are currently supporting Wolf Alice. Florence Road recently played their biggest headline show at The Academy in Dublin and announced they will play the 3Olympia next year.

Alongside a list of live performances, the band were featured in Hot Press' April and July A&R Departments and released their debut mixtape, Fall Back, in June.

The shortlist is set to be announced starting on Monday, January 5, 2026, with the winner crowned on Friday, January 9.

• Listen to their latest single, 'Storm Warnings', below: