Chappell Roan wins BBC's Radio 1 Sound of 2025

Artist Chappell Roan has won BBC's Radio 1 Sound of 2025.

The list, used to recognize the most notable rising stars in the music scene, also included Irish rap collective KNEECAP. Winners were chosen by a panel of over 180 pundits, ranging from musicians like Elton John and Sam Smith, to festival bookers, producers and music journalists.

"No one deserves this accolade more than Chappell Roan,” said Jack Saunders, host of Radio 1’s New Music show. “She was the most exciting artist of the last 12 months and is now set to be the artist of the next 12 months."

While Roan's career began in 2017, she released her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess in September of 2023. She earned acclaim for the hit song ‘Pink Pony Club,’ inspired by her experience visiting a gay club in Los Angeles. Roan’s bubbly synth-pop has captivated audiences, with her lyrics commentating on growing up in the conservative southern U.S. as a lesbian.

“I know how hard it is to be queer in the Midwest and the South,” she told The New York Times in October of 2024. “I really needed a place where people weren't going to make fun of me for how I dressed or who I liked.”

Pundits were asked to nominate musicians who they saw reaching mainstream success in 2025. After Roan, the top five winners include Ezra Collective, Barry Can’t Swim, Myles Smith, and English Teacher. BBC aims for their winners to be based on “music quality, audience appreciation and innovation, disregarding hype or record deals.”

Click here to view the full list of winners, and read more about Roan's career.