Blog

What do you know about the nominees for the 2012 Best Newcomer (in association with HTC) MOBO Award? Allow us to introduce you to our top 10...

Angel, birth name Sirach Charles, is originally from west London. His debut single ‘Go In, Go Hard’ (featuring Wretch 32) was released in March 2012. His first start in music came with the Charles Family, a band he was in with his brothers and sisters. On a more pop front, Angel co-wrote the Number 1 single Green Light by Roll Deep with his writing team Parallel – a song which went on to sell 400,000 copies in the UK. Vote now!

Manchester’s Misha B, a.k.a. Misha Bryan, was born on February 10 1992. She came to fame through the UK X Factor, and is set to release her second solo single ‘Do You Think Of Me’ in October 2012. While Misha was at school, she played football for the Manchester United under-16s. And another interesting fact: she was coached by Leanne Brown, who had a hit with ‘Flowers’ in 2000 as half of the UK garage duo Sweet Female Attitude. Vote now!

Rita Ora was born in Pristina, Yugoslavia (now Kosovo) on November 26 1990 – and moved to the UK in the same year, growing up in west London. 2012 has been an incredible year for the singer, whose debut album Ora soared to the number-one spot in the UK album charts. ‘R.I.P.’ featuring Tinie Tempah was co-written by Best International 2012 nominee Drake – and currently stands at around 19.5m YouTube views. In 2004, she appeared in the British film Spivs – and in 2009, she auditioned for Eurovision: Your Country Needs You on BBC One to be the British contestant for the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, but later withdrew from the competition after a few episodes as she did not feel ready. Vote now!

Conor Maynard, born in Brighton on November 21 1992, has his the number-one spot in his first year as a proper solo artist. He broke out by uploading cover versions of songs with rapper Anthony “Anth” Melo, who resides in Virginia. When American singer/songwriter Ne-Yo watched Maynard’s cover version of his track ‘Beautiful Monster’, he contacted the musician soon afterwards – and a little while later, Ne-Yo became Maynard's mentor. Vote now!

Delilah, real name Paloma Ayana Stoecker, was born on 23 September 1990 in Paris, moving to England at a young age. Her debut album From the Roots Up was released on July 30 2012 and takes on genres ranging from dub and dubstep to acoustic, drum and bass – peaked at UK Album Chart No.5 She has come a long way from studying Entertainment Law with Music Technology at City and Islington College, having supported Maverick Sabre, co-writing ‘Time’ with Chase and Status and Plan B, and featuring on the 1Xtra live tour. Vote now!

StooShe are Alexandra Buggs, Courtney Rumbold and Karis Anderson. Their name originates from the urban term ‘stoosh’ - used to describe something that is expensive, and also used to describe ‘a girl who thinks she’s nicer than she is’. It can also mean being stoned or stashed away, and these contrasting meanings confirmed the girls’ choice. Their first single ‘Betty Woz Gone’ debuted in October 2011, and their most popular single to date ‘Black Heart’ peaked at No.3 after a month in the UK singles charts. ‘Black Heart’ is a ballad with a ‘Motown-esque’ feel about it, lyrics talk of the issues of being in a relationship with a cheating lover. Vote now!

Rudimental are an east London music quartet consisting of songwriters and producers Piers Agget, Kesi Dryden, Amir Amor and DJ Locksmith. They rose to prominence in 2012 with hit single ‘Feel The Love’, featuring John Newman – which gave Asylum Records its first No. 1 single in its 41-year history. Have remixed: Ed Sheeran ‘Drunk’ (YouTube views 395,749), Labrinth ‘Express Yourself’ and Wretch 32 ‘Hush Little Baby’ (YouTube views 100,272) They have stated they are on a mission to bring back soul into electronic music, and have been quoted saying: “We aren’t just electronic bedroom producers, and we’re not just guitarists and pianists who don’t know much about making a beat”. Vote now!

Lianne la Havas is an English folk and soul singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, born and raised in south London. She began singing at age 7 and wrote her first song age 11, adding influences from the likes of Nina Simone and Lauryn Hill. Before becoming a solo artist, she provided backing vocals for Paloma Faith. But it was her television debut on Later With Jools Holland that shot the young singer into the spotlight. Vote now!

AlunaGeorge are a British R&B duo comprised of singer Aluna Francis (former member of NME-loved band My Toys Like Me) and soundsmith George Reid. They cannot be neatly tucked away into any one box – thei r influences range from Flying Lotus, Hudson Mohawke, Chris Clark, to the more late 90s US R&B pastures of Aaliyah, Destiny’s Child, and Mariah Carey Singer Aluna says: “I’ll try and sing a song like I’d speak it, get some semblance of how you’d say something to someone. I want to make that connection; I’ll always go for character over anything.” AlunaGeorge dream of a European tour and collaborations with Quincy Jones, Pharrell and Caribou. Vote now!

Jessie Ware is a south London singer-songwriter born on 15 October 1985. She emerged from the UK underground, singing on tracks by SBTRKT and Joker. She’s inspired by legends Diana Ross and Chaka Khan, and has had extensive play on cult underground station Rinse FM. Her debut single ‘Strangest Feeling’ was released in October 2011, and her debut album Devotion followed in August 2012 – entering the charts at number five. She’s also been announced as a nominee for the Mercury Music Prize. Vote now!