Octavian has beat the likes of Grace Carter and Mahalia to be crowned the winner of the BBC Sound Of 2019.

Octavian

Octavian

The 23-year-old French-British star - whose real name is Oliver Godji - has become the first rapper in 15 years, when 50 Cent topped the annual poll, to be honoured with the prestigious accolade.

He told the BBC: "That's lit. I don't even know how to feel right now ... Mum, I made it!"

A panel of 136 music experts, including Radio 1 DJs, artists such as Ellie Goulding - who won in 2010 - and 2018's winner Sigrid came together to narrow down the finalists and pick the overall winner.

Octavian - who released his 2018 mixtape 'Spaceman' to critical acclaim in September - has previously been compared to Drake and even received the praise of the 'In My Feelings' hitmaker for his dancehall-influenced sound, and he's vowed to make 2019 a "loud" year for his music.

Octavian said: "I get inspired and I try to make a new sound every day. It's going to be a very loud year for me. Loads of music, loads of visuals, loads of albums."

King Princess, 'Why Her Not Me' hitmaker Grace Carter, slow thai and Rosalía also made the top five.

Dermot Kennedy, Ella Mai, Flohio, Mahalia

and Sea Girls were also contenders in the longlist.

Annie Mac, who unveiled the winner on her BBC Radio 1 show, commented: "BBC Sound Of is always a wonderful opportunity to get a snapshot of the new music landscape in the UK and this year is really interesting. 6 of the 10 artists are women. And we have two rappers in the top five! I am delighted that UK rap music has got such great placement in the list - Octavian is a truly original and exciting artist, pushing the boundaries of the genre and it's great to see such a progressive artist getting such a huge accolade."

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