Stars To Watch in 2014

London is a place full of talented young individuals trying to make it as musicians. With reality shows such as The X-Factor and The Voice still going strong, it has never been easier to break into the industry. Yet, there are some young talents out there who have found success through other means.

For example, in recent years YouTube has become a massive platform for singers and musicians to get their name out there and have their voice heard. These are my picks of ones to watch for 2014.

Elyar Fox

Elyar Fox is a relatively unknown artist breaking his way into the music scene, but with his debut single ‘Do It All Over Again’ being released next month, it won’t be long before the young singer’s name is well-known to the British public. Having recently performed at both days of Capital FM’s Jingle Bell Ball at the O2 Arena, Fox is currently supporting X-Factor band Union J on their first headline tour.

Following in the steps of pop star Conor Maynard, Fox started off his career by uploading Acoustic covers to YouTube. His channel has since reached over 14 million views and Fox has scored himself a major record deal with Polydor. With a sound reminiscent to Maynard, Fox’s debut single ‘Do It All Over Again’ has the makings of a massive club hit and is already getting some serious radio airplay.

Fox has proved that he has the diversity to get far in the music industry, and with an album on the way, this 18 year old from London is definitely going places in 2014.

Ebony Day

In 2013, 20 year old Bournemouth girl Ebony Day became the first ever unsigned act to win MTV’s Brand New talent search competition. Competing against acts such as Haim, Tom Odell and Disclosure, it was Day’s massive online following that secured her the title. Like a lot of young singers these days, Day got her start on YouTube. Over the past 3 years she has racked up over 20 million YouTube views and collaborated with many other YouTube stars. She has also performed at Teen Hoot, a popular music event in Nashville, USA. While her global popularity grows, Day continues to work on her song-writing and YouTube covers.

Being described as having an acoustic pop-R&B sound, Day has been compared to artists such as Gabrielle Aplin and JoJo; the former of whom actually lost out to Day in the Brand New competition.

It is Day’s natural and raw talent that has gained her popularity all over the world and with the recent release of her self-penned debut EP ‘The Beginning’, there are big things on the horizon for this young songstress.

Ollie Marland

The name Ollie Marland may sound familiar to you, as the 18 year old from Stoke-on-Trent has spent a lot of 2013 performing at festivals throughout the UK. He also supported Jessie J at her Durham Nights show this summer and is currently supporting Union J on their first UK tour.

In fact, Marland’s first big gig was at a festival just last year, as he won himself the chance to perform at Stoke Live 2012. Having already built a substantial fan base through YouTube, Marland has worked hard to make himself known in the music industry and has since been dubbed ‘the next big thing’ in British music. He is currently working on his debut album, due out 2014, and is working with some of the best writers and producers in the music industry. With an R&B/Pop sound that resembles a young Justin Timberlake, it won’t be long before Ollie Marland is storming the UK charts.

We’ve been at the forefront of promoting new music talent for nearly a decade now. Also on the radar of our edior Mark Boardman is Jamie Eldridge, Only The Young, Sam Smith, Ella Eyre, Overload, Tom Mann, Joel Compass, Laura Steel, plus expect more from Kingland Road and The Vamps in 2014!

Our tastemakers at MarkMeets have previously backed one’s to watch including: Sam Callahan, Adele, Ellie Goulding, Jessie J, Tich, District 3, Rixton, Kingsland Road and Ed Drewett.