Grantham singer announced as BBC Sound of 2021 runner-up

Grantham-born singer/songwriter Holly Humberstone has placed second in the BBC Sound of 2021 poll.

Humberstone’s runner-up placement in the BBC Sound of 2021 poll was announced yesterday (6 January) after Berwyn took third place yesterday (5 January). Greentea Peng came fourth on Monday (4 January), and Griff was named as fifth place on Sunday (3 January).

The 21-year-old’s music career began when she uploaded songs to her local BBC Introducing show while still in school, which resulted in her first radio play a week later.

Humberstone released her debut single “Deep End” in January 2020 following her Glastonbury performance in 2019, and was due to tour Europe with Lewis Capaldi. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, those plans got put on hold, but she did manage to play Wembley’s SSE Arena with Capaldi before the first national lockdown in March 2020. Her debut EP Falling Asleep At The Wheel dropped in August 2020.

She celebrated placing second in the BBC Sound of 2021 poll via Twitter, writing, ” I’m over the moon.”

While speaking to BBC, Humberstone revealed that her next single is titled “Haunted House”, and is about her family home.

When asked if it’s really haunted, Humberstone said: “I think it must be. My best friend Scarlett, her mum has an antique shop and she’s really superstitious – and when she came here, she said that there were ghosts around. It makes sense because it’s such an old house and people have definitely died here.

“But they must be nice ghosts because this house is such a big part of my soul.”

The BBC Sound of 2021 winner will be revealed today (7 January).