Rap duo GeeOne and Zachariyah SOL win Royal Albert Hall’s Future Makers 2025 Competition

19 November 2025 - Press release

The grime artists will receive support from the Hall over the coming 12 months  

Grime artists GeeOne and Zachariyah SOL have been named the winners of Future Makers 2025 by music industry judges, after performing in the Royal Albert Hall’s 154-year-old auditorium.

Hailing from Lewisham in Southeast London, the duo, aged 17 and 18, performed their original song ‘Better Than’ to an audience of thousands of schoolchildren at the Future Makers final on Wednesday 5 November. The competition and development programme is run annually by the venue, where young musicians aged 18-24 from across the UK are encouraged to apply with their own original material

As winners, GeeOne, real name Jentai, and Zachariyah, will now receive support from the Hall and its partners throughout 2026 as they attempt to launch their careers in the music industry. Those opportunities include a headline performance in the Hall’s 200-capacity Elgar Room venue, a slot at an external festival, studio time with a top producer, and assistance with marketing and PR campaigns.

Speaking about the moment they were announced winners, Zachariyah explained, “I was so shocked, and I was so grateful. The last thing I thought [that what] we're going to do is make it to the final. And then for us to go ahead and win the final as well, I was just beyond disbelief, honestly.” After Zachariyah described their performance as “feeling like a movie”, GeeOne added, “I was trying to hold it down, but I was actually really nervous. But as soon as we got onto the stage and I'm there with my brother, we just stepped into our element and I really, really had fun.”

Other finalists included performances by Scottish punk-rock band Amber, singer-songwriter George Walker, instrumental classical pianist Emma Uwatse, jazz/RnB fusion 6-piece band Kynda, Welsh jazz singer Sami Semanni-Rodriguez, experimental outfit Gombo, acoustic duo Minty and Sophia, and jazz-funk and samba-infused band Realm.

To conclude proceedings, 2024 Future Makers winner Graceé was joined on stage by her band and backing dancers to deliver a heavily choreographed set ahead of her headline performance in the Elgar Room later that evening.

Geeone and Zachariyah were chosen as winners by three music industry professionals: Paulette Long OBE (Music Publishers Association), Matthew Todd (Director of Programming at the Royal Albert Hall) and esteemed music manager Lily Crockford who were judging on the day of the final.

Matthew Todd, Director of Programming at the Hall, and one of the Future Makers judges, said, “This year’s Future Makers has been our best yet - with young musicians applying from all over the country to be part of this competition. The standard of talent, quality and originality that we have seen throughout this process, from the applications through to the in-person auditions and final this week has been nothing short of astounding. The future of British music is very much in safe hands with this next generation of artists. GeeOne and Zachariyah SOL brought an infectious level of energy to their performance as soon as they stepped out on stage, and paired with their amazing lyrics, they won over the entire audience within seconds, so we’re incredibly excited to see where their journey goes from here.”

After meeting at the BRIT School, the pair have grown and developed as artists to create their own sound, taking inspiration from the likes of JME and Stormzy as well as their favourite grime songs and freestyles to create music that captures the essence of old school flows and new school vibes.

When asked about their future aspirations, Zachariyah said: “Music is one of the things I do… There's no real end point for me, I just want to be able to get as far as I possibly can,” before Jentai agrees, “I want to see as many people having as much fun as me. I just want to do music until I can't anymore, like until there's no option. I will always be doing music.”

In total, Future Makers 2025 saw over 300 acts submit audition tapes, with nine acts going through to the live final. The event was hosted by radio and television presenter Yinka Bokinni, who interviewed each act after their respective performances.

Future Makers will be open for submissions in Spring 2026.