RAG'N'BONE MAN NAMED BRITS
CRITICS' CHOICE

Jason Iley’s Sony U.K. has come out on top in the competition for the coveted BRITs 2017 Critics’ Choice gong, which has been awarded to Columbia-signed singer/songwriter Rag’n’Bone Man. It’s the second win for Sony over the last decade after a long run of success for Universal in the category.

Rag’n’Bone Man, aka. Rory Graham, was up against Warner acts Anne-Marie and Dua Lipa. He was signed to Columbia by A&R Julian Palmer in the summer of 2014 after a year of traction. Palmer describes Graham as “one of the most powerful, distinct voices to come from the U.K. in a generation. He has a rare talent, and a very focused musical vision. He stands out from the crowd, both as a powerful vocalist and an honest and gritty storyteller.”

Latest single “Human” is proving an international hit. Released in June, the track has had Radio 1, Absolute, Radio X and 1Xtra support, amassed over 42m streams worldwide to date, with success across European and airplay charts. Can it cross over to the U.S.? A debut album of the same name will follow on 02/10.

Rag’n’Bone Man played more than 20 live shows and festivals this year, including Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds and The Great Escape. His headline U.K. and European tour sold out, and recently announced dates include two at London's 2k-cap. O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in April.

The Rag’n’Bone team includes: management Polly Comber and Josh Smith at Black Fox, agent Alex Hardee at Coda, Mark Collen (Sony EVP International Operations) and international exec Sophie Graham, Columbia U.K’s Stacey Tang and Nick Dearman (marketing) and Pete Black (Press and Promotion), pluggers Steph Seager and Maurice Dennemont, TV man Rob Clark, sync experts Ian Neil and Andrew Tansey, digital exec Simon Rollison, Mark Crew, Dan Priddy and Dan Smith of indie label Best Laid Plans, and press people Lorraine Long, Taponeswa Mavunga and Frazer Lawton.

The Critics’ Choice Award will be presented at the BRITs Nominations Show on the evening of 01/14. Broadcast live on ITV, it will feature performances from Olly Murs, Craig David, Christine and the Queens, Calum Scott and Rag’n’Bone Man himself.