BBC Radio 6 Music announces its Artists of the Year 2025 04 Nov 2025
Today (Monday 3rd November) on BBC Radio 6 Music, the UK's biggest digital-only radio station with 2.7 million weekly listeners (RAJAR, Q3 2025), Nick Grimshaw revealed 6 Music's Artists of the Year 2025 on his Breakfast Show (weekdays, 7-10am).
Announced each November, the list features a mix of established and break-through acts who have dominated 2025.
The 6 Music Artists of the Year 2025 are (in alphabetical order): Blood Orange, CMAT, Deftones, Ethel Cain, FKA twigs, Geese, Jacob Alon, jasmine.4.t, Kae Tempest, Maruja, Pulp and Turnstile.
Blood Orange says: "6 Music! Thank you so much for your continued support of my music and latest album, Essex Honey. It's inspired by my experience growing up in Essex and all the music I loved while growing up, so the support back home means a lot."
CMAT says: "I am very happy to be one of 6 Music's Artists of the Year!! Thanks to everyone in 6 for the support on EURO-COUNTRY. Now that I am wisdom tooth-free, I can't wait to play these songs live x x"
Deftones' Chino Moreno says: "I just want to tell you how excited we are for being honoured as one of 6 Music's Artists of the Year, it's awesome. It's been a great year for us making this record, we put a lot of work into it and we are stoked that people seem to be taking to it."
FKA twigs says: "I'm really grateful to be one of 6 Music's Artists of the Year. I've been doing this a while now, so it's amazing to have a career that's still growing – to still get to play shows, make music videos, have ideas, share them and for all that to be received well."
Cameron Winter from Geese says: "I want to say how grateful we are for being included on 6 Music's list of good music. The support from the station has been very nice and of course from the listeners at home too. We love you very much, thank you."
Jacob Alon says: "Holy moly! It's a blessing and an honour to be on 6 Music's Artists of the Year list
jasmine.4.t says: "I can't believe I am one of the 6 Music artists of the year! Thank you so much for choosing me - this means the world. It's just over a year since my first 6 Music play, so coming this far so quickly is really wild to me. Thank you for all of your support."
Kae Tempest says: "So happy to be included in 6 Music's Artists of the Year. Had such a good time making this record and have had so many beautiful encounters with people who've connected with it in one way or another. Thanks 6 Music for spreading the word."
Maruja say: "This is such a huge honour and privilege for us, to be recognised as an artist of the entire year, by the revered likes of 6 Music - it's what we've always dreamed about. You have helped elevate us to that higher plane, and for that, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We are blessed to have the greatest team and the greatest fans in the world supporting us - we would not be here without you all. All the love, Maruja."
Pulp say: "6 Music is Pulp's favourite radio station: that's why we chose to have the first play of "Spike Island" on Lauren's show back in April. So, it's fantastic to be named as a "6 Music Artist of the Year" - you love us back! This could be the start of a beautiful friendship......"
Turnstile say: "THANK U 6 MUSIC MANCHESTER WE'LL SEE YOU TONIGHT."
Cam Pia, 6 Music's music editor says: "Celebrating artistry is what we do every day at 6 Music, and Artists of the Year is our chance to really big up those acts who have made a cultural impact in 2025. Once again, it's an incredibly broad mix that represents the wide range of music that we play on the network. Across this week, we'll be reflecting back on the sessions, interviews and special shows that these artists have shared with us, it's a joy to hear from them again and to recognise their wins this year."
Now available on BBC Sounds are two, one-hour programmes called 6 Music's Artists of the Year, Part 1 and 6 Music's Artist of the Year, Part 2. Part 1 focusses on Blood Orange, CMAT, Deftones, Ethel Cain, FKA twigs and Geese, and Part 2 features Jacob Alon, jasmine.4.t, Kae Tempest, Maruja, Pulp and Turnstile. The programmes celebrate these acts' successes and standout moments from the year and hear from their fans and peers including Billy Bragg, Chelsea Wolfe, corto.alto, Jordan Rakei, Katie Gavin, Lambrini Girls, Lauren Mayberry, Lewis Capaldi, Lucy Dacus, Panic Shack and more about why they deserve to be on this list.
The Artists of the Year 2025 will also appear across the 6 Music schedule over the coming days, with presenters broadcasting live music from the year, new interviews, themed editions of 6 Music's regular features and more. Highlights include: Jacob Alon's new 6 Music Artist in Residence series (Monday 3rd – Thursday 6th November, 11pm-12am), in which they'll share four hours of music that inspires them; Chino Moreno of Deftones' special called Locked in Room 445 (available now on BBC Sounds), which sees Chino share some of the tracks he uses to unwind after a session in the studio; and a live session from Blood Orange on Lauren Laverne's show (Wednesday 12th November, 10am-1pm).
NEWS & PRESS
Artists Rights Alliance (ARA) responds to UMG-Udio AI deal
ARA is hopeful that the newly announced settlement between UMG and Udio represents a positive step towards an AI licensing ecosystem built on the foundational principles of meaningful artist consent and fair compensation for the use of copyrighted works. At...more
BBC Radio 6 Music announces its Artists of the Year 2025
Today (Monday 3rd November) on BBC Radio 6 Music, the UK's biggest digital-only radio station with 2.7 million weekly listeners (RAJAR, Q3 2025), Nick Grimshaw revealed 6 Music's Artists of the Year 2025 on his Breakfast Show (weekdays, 7-10am). Announced each...more
Scottish Alternative Music Awards 2025 Nominations Revealed!
The Scottish Alternative Music Awards (SAMA) return to St Luke’s, Glasgow on Saturday 29 November 2025 for their 16th edition promising a vibrant celebration of Scotland’s diverse and boundary-pushing music scene. Hosted by BBC Introducing in Scotland’s Stephanie Cheape, the...more
English Teacher Frontwoman Made Leeds Conservatoire Fellow
Lily Fontaine, vocalist, lyricist and multi-instrumentalist in acclaimed band English Teacher, has been made a Fellow of Leeds Conservatoire. Awarded in an October graduation ceremony at the Royal Armouries, this accolade is an acknowledgment of Lily’s advocacy and impact on...more
Groundbreaking New Platform Dune Launches
Founders Pledge to Create a New Music Economy by Monetising Streaming in an Equitable Way for Artists and FansThe Hunna and BC Camplight Among First Artists to Join Offering A groundbreaking new online platform, which aims to create important new revenue...more
Proper Music Distribution Signs Hospital And Heavenly, Grows D2C Footprint
- Proper to manage fulfillment of Hospital’s Bandcamp and own online stores- To handle global (ex-US) fulfillment of Heavenly’s Bandcamp store- Bandcamp sales to be UK chart-eligible under both deals- Follows a period of rapid growth for Proper’s D2C division,...more
Women in Music UK Re-Launches with a Bold New Vision
Announcing Co-Chairs Trina Smith and Sarah Wilson Women in Music®, the non-profit organization originally founded in 1985 in New York, proudly announces the official re-launch of its UK chapter under the leadership of Co-Chairs Trina Smith and Sarah Wilson. The organisation’s...more
The Team Around You Launches — Connecting Artists with Vetted Music Industry Experts
Platform founded by highly regarded executive, Phil Loutsis, who has more than 15 years music industry experience The Team Around You, a platform connecting artists with vetted music industry experts on a consulting basis, has today confirmed its full launch on...more
New campaign to ‘demystify’ jobs in the creative industries for young people from working class and underrepresented backgrounds
More young people from underrepresented backgrounds to be launched into careers in the creative industries as part of the Plan for Change New research shows half of 11-18 year olds say do not know what qualifications are needed for creative jobs...more
Nelonen Media Live and Warner Music live strengthen festival partnership
Nelonen Media Live and Warner Music Live have signed a partnership agreement that deepens their collaboration in festival programming and artist bookings. As part of the partnership, Warner Music Live - a division of Warner Music Finland - will take...more
Greatest Hits Radio: Bohemian Rhapsody - Still our Number One!
On the day it turns 50 the Queen classic has been voted the greatest hit of the 70s, 80s and 90sby Greatest Hits Radio listeners for the seventh year in a row It's official! Just announced by Simon Mayo on his Drivetime show, Greatest Hits Radio listeners have...more
UK Music Video Awards 2025 winners announced
FKA TWIGS WINS BEST POP & BEST ALTERNATIVE VIDEO A$AP ROCKY’S ‘TAILOR SWIF’ NAMED VIDEO OF THE YEAROK GO’S DAMIAN KULASH ACCEPTS ICON AWARD, GABRIEL MOSES WINS BEST DIRECTOR, LUNA CARMOON NAMED BEST NEW DIRECTOR FKA twigs and A$AP Rocky were the...more
Downtown Artist & Label Services Expands in Brazilian Phonk with Major Label Renewals and Viral Wins
Follows long-term renewal deals with Enarma Records and Polaris Records as well as the viral success of tracks from DJ FNK, TRXVELER, and DJ ANXVAR. Downtown Artist & Label Services (DA&LS) has deepened its commitment to the fast-growing Brazilian Phonk and...more
Songpact Announces India Launch: Bringing Fast, Transparent and Accessible Music Contracts to Creators
India’s music industry is having its global moment. Streaming has reshaped listening habits, Indian artists are finding audiences far beyond their home borders, and the country is now one of the world’s fastest-growing music markets - with more than 185...more
BRIT Awards 2026: Stacey Tang announced as BRITs Committee Chair
New era for UK's biggest night in music as ceremony moves to Manchester BRITs Committee Chair announced as Stacey Tang Creative team for 2026 show revealed Awards categories & criteria evolve for 2026 Ceremony to take place at Co-op Live on Saturday 28th February Following the...more
Universal Music Group and Stability AI announce strategic alliance to co-develop professional AI music creation tools
Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment and Stability AI, the leading independent multi-modal generative AI company, today announced a strategic alliance to develop next-generation professional music creation tools, powered by responsibly trained generative AI and built...more
Applications now open for Manchester’s £245,000 Grassroots Music Venue Fund
Manchester sets a new national benchmark for local cultural leadership Music Venue Trust call on other councils to actApplications for grants open on Tuesday 28 October Manchester City Council’s £245,000 discretionary fund to support the city’s Grassroots Music Venues is now...more
Sony Music Publishing Invests in Elements Music & Launches Creative Partnership
Collaboration marks significant milestone for the Finnish music industry Sony Music Publishing (“SMP”) today announced it has acquired a significant stake in the Finnish company Elements Music, as well as the company’s music publishing catalog of approximately 10,000 works. Additionally, the parties have established a...more
SourceAudio Promotes Weston McGowen to Global Head of Catalog Services
SourceAudio, the music industry’s most widely adopted sync platform and a leader in AI music dataset licensing, has promoted Weston McGowen to Global Head of Catalog Services. He is based in New Orleans and will report to SourceAudio Co-Founder & CEO Andrew...more
The IMPF Global Music Summit receives honour at the AUPA! Awards
The Summit recently finished its fourth edition, attracting 650 executives from around the world. The IMPF Global Music Summit Palma has been honoured at AUPA! Awards in Bilbao, Spain. The AUPA! Awards are the closing highlight of BIME Bilbao (Bizkaia International Music...more
Beatport and Youth Music Join Forces to Empower Young Electronic Music Creators
Beatport is proud to announce a new partnership with Youth Music, building on the success of Beatport's Diversity + Parity Fund and Youth Music's ‘Rescue the Roots’ campaign. Together, the two organisations are collaborating to support grassroots electronic music projects...more
Dan Rosen to lead Warner Music Australasia & Southeast Asia
Unified approach creates bigger opportunities for artists in a region of over 550 million people Dan Rosen has been appointed to lead Warner Music Group's recorded music businesses in Southeast Asia - Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam - as...more
Music Streaming Services Call On National Assembly of Québec For "Cultural Sovereignty with Listener Choice" Over Bill 109
DIMA – the Digital Media Association – representing Canada's leading music services including Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube, yesterday (October 29th) submitted evidence to the National Assembly of Québec's special consultation on Bill 109. The bill seeks to affirm the cultural sovereignty of Québec by...more
Impala elects new executive board in Zagreb, holds first European independent music summit
IMPALA elected a new board and set its priorities for the next two years at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Zagreb this week. The meeting was hosted as part of RUNDA Digital Day, RUNDA Adria's annual conference supported by Merlin, which was represented by Shrina Patel, Merlin's Senior Director of Business Affairs and...more
Universal Music Group N.V. Reports Financial Results for the Third Quarter and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025
Summary Q3 2025 Results Revenue of €3,021 million increased 5.3% year-over-year, or 10.2% in constant currency, with growth in all segments. Recorded Music revenue grew 3.6% year-over-year, or 8.3% in constant currency, Music Publishing revenue grew 8.6% year-over-year, or 13.6% in constant...more
Anti Social Camp UK schedule reveal — pinkpantheress, glass animals, nathan sykes headline free major uk music festival next week
PinkPantheress, Glass Animals’ Dave Bayley, Jamie Cullum, Billy Bragg, Nicholas Petricca of WALK THE MOON, Nathan Sykes and 200 additional artists, songwriters and producers will kick off the inaugural Anti Social Camp UK presented by Tileyard November 3rd through 7th...more
SAY Award prizes made of repurposed skateboard decks unveiled with 1 week to go
With just one week to go until The Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award announces 2025's winner, Scotland's national music prize has revealed a first look at this year's prizes – handcrafted by local Dundee makers No Comply, and made completely from...more
Warner Music Italy Launches Warner Records Italy and Atlantic Records Italy
Eleonora Rubini elevated to Label Director, Warner Records Italy; Marco Masoli upped to Label Director, Atlantic Records Italy ADA Italy moves under the leadership of Renato Tanchis Warner Music (WM) Italy announces that it’s evolving the structure of the company on its...more
Bandsintown launches marketplace with 30+ partners to help independent artists reach billions of fans and own their data
Bandsintown now connects its 700,000 independent artists with music distribution, CRM tools, and marketing partners like CD Baby, Community, Groover, Musixmatch, ROSTR, TuneCore — expanding on existing integrations like Google, Linktree, Shazam, Shopify, Spotify, Squarespace, and YouTube Trusted by 100 million...more
Universal Music Group and Udio announce Udio's first strategic agreements for new licensed AI music creation platform
Companies settle copyright infringement litigation and collaborate on groundbreaking new creative product suite Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, and Udio, an AI-powered music creation platform, today announced industry-first strategic agreements, under which the companies settled copyright...more
THE HEADLINES
Spotify responds to RBX lawsuit over ‘fake’ Drake streams (see Digital)
Spotify perfected the business of distraction — and now we’re paying the price (see Features)
Remasters, deluxe editions and greatest hits show back catalogues are a goldmine (see Features)
Universal Music Group and Stability AI announce strategic alliance to co-develop professional AI music creation tools (see News)
UMG and Udio settle lawsuit; announce agreement for new licensed AI music creation platform (see News)
The last days of Utopia (see News)
UK Music introduces 'Five Ps' guide to boost diversity and inclusion across the music industry (see News)
Reservoir Media: A hidden gem? (see Features)
The music industry remains divided on generative AI. Where will that leave us? (see Comment)
How fan power is reshaping pop (see Features)
The “forever” stakes of generative AI ownership (see Comment)
Lyor Cohen: AI won’t replace artists — it will make them unstoppable (see Opinion)
Omdia tips music publishers’ revenues to hit $10bn this year (see Reports)
Unit1 Studio launches offering potential for immersive avatar concerts through lower production costs (see Digital)
