RNCM Artist of the Year: Pop Final / Sat 13 Jun

Welcome to the RNCM Artist of the Year (Pop), the College’s most prestigious annual award, in an evening of performances in front of a distinguished panel from across the music industry. In this concert, our four pop finalists will each play a set of original music. It is a great opportunity to hear new music from the best our esteemed pop course has to offer. We would like to thank you for supporting our students and hope you enjoy an evening of wonderful music-making.

The Panel:
Manus Carey – Deputy Principal & Artistic Director, RNCM
Manon Dave – Head of Future World Design, BBC
Linda Merrick – Principal, RNCM
Eva Petersen – Programme Leader, LIPA
Helen Weatherhead – Assistant Commissioner, BBC

Performers

RNCM Session Ensemble:

Andy Stott director
Chris Binns assistant director

Joanne Teo, Yuyan Chen, Fabio Gonzales Zavala, Sophie Wu violins
Susie He, Alexandra Harrison violas
Cillian Hennessy, Fanyu Huang cellos
Emily Leavy, Isla Gordon saxophones
Thomas Brook, Craig Shaw trumpets
Emily Mason trombone
Christian Holyoake percussion

Programme

Harry Lines
Chemicals
Landslide
Shot In the Dark
Waiting For June

Ella Laughton, Sidney Patrick arrangers
Seth Ling keys
Jack Willan drums
Kevin Winter guitar
Juliet Sear bass guitar
Rose Molyneux, Moli Edwards backing vocals

Blending elements of singer-songwriter introspection and acoustic soul, Harry Lines’ vintage-tinged backdrop supports his strong, expressive vocals and memorable melodies, giving his songs a lived-in and unfiltered character. Harry’s debut EP, Landslide, was captured at the prestigious Abbey Road Studios, marking a significant milestone in his career. Since relocating to Manchester in 2023, Harry Lines has carved out a dynamic niche in the local gig circuit. He has headlined revered venues like Band On The Wall, Castle Hotel, and The Yard. His songs have earned endorsements from industry tastemakers, including BBC Radio 1’s Honor Morrison and BBC Introducing’s Kerrie Cosh.

Mateo Rodriguez
Is This What It Is to Love
Nightmare In a Dream
St Anthony
When You Hold Me

Sam Roberts keys
Sophia Dooley bass guitar
Owen Carruthers guitar
Peter Holland drums
Owen Francis Black, Amelie Langley backing vocals
Felix Do, Amit Manna, Luis Sullivan arrangers

Belgian-born and Manchester-based, Mateo is a singer-songwriter known for his powerful vocals and emotionally honest songwriting. Inspired by his experiences with faith, mental health, homesickness, love, and personal growth, he creates songs that balance vulnerability with resilience. Drawing influence from SYML, Lewis Capaldi, and FINNEAS, Mateo blends intimate storytelling with soaring melodies, creating music that connects deeply with audiences. At its heart, his music is about finding hope, meaning, and connection through life’s defining moments.

Elin Grace
Stockholm Syndrome
The Badger
Willow
Oxford Road

Elin Grace, Joaquin Garces Caamano arrangers
Isaac Dobson drums
Ben Smith bass guitar
Cara Smith clarinet
Isabel Street oboe and cor anglais
Kaoruko Takehara, Amelie Sainsbury flutes

Raised in rural mid-Wales, Manchester based singer/songwriter Elin Grace grew up a storyteller. Characterised by her raw and honest lyricism, Elin’s songs detail her upbringing in the depths of the Welsh countryside; a country girl in the big city, addressing themes of girlhood, mental health and growing up. These narratives are conveyed elegantly through deft vocal harmonies, tasteful band, string, and woodwind arrangements, and complex piano parts in which her classical training shines. Influenced by legendary artists Joni Mitchell, Laura Marling and contemporary icon Adrienne Lenker, Elin’s songwriting displays a rare depth for someone so young. Her work is defined by a unique combination of poetic lyricism, complex arrangements, and raw, emotional authenticity that is unmistakably hers. Elin’s gigging journey started young, taking her across mid-Wales to Cardiff, and notably playing Clwb Ifor Bach at 16 years old. The past few years have since shown her live set progress and take her all over the UK: Manchester, London and her first major festivals: Green Man, Truck Festival and Kendal Calling. Elin’s gigs are varied and compelling – moving between solo sets with a cellist to full band with backing vocals, flute, oboe and strings, with all parts written herself. Tipped as ‘one to watch’ by BBC Radio 6 and ‘prodigiously gifted’ by BBC Wales’ Adam Walton, Elin’s upcoming EP was recorded by Manchester’s Toby Ollis-Brownstone last year and mixed by the acclaimed Tchad Blake. With four refreshingly honest tracks, this debut is not one to miss: both timeless and current, rooted in the storytelling tradition of folk, but refreshingly modern in its execution.

Lottie Gray
Keep Me Sane
Worst Punchline
Bed & Breakfast
Stutter

Ella Laughton, Gus Zhang arrangers
Ryan Bee electric guitar
George Fisher-Edwards keys
Seb Murphy bass guitar
Ozzi Hunt drums

Lottie Gray spent most of her childhood nurturing her imagination, conjuring stories from her bedroom on the south Norfolk coastline, where she grew up. This instinct has remained central to her music, which draws from folk and Americana traditions while embracing a more contemporary, genre-fluid edge. Lottie writes with intent, frequently revisiting lyrics until they feel completely true, resulting in music that resonates with a rare sense of authenticity. Creating an intimate, open conversation between audience and artist, Gray writes exactly how she feels. Joined by a band formed of close collaborators and friends, Lottie’s dynamic live set weaves moody, emotive tales with pop-infused, upbeat tracks creating an immersive sonic landscape grounded in honesty and vulnerability. Blending acoustic-led instrumentation, powerful band arrangements and her fiercely emotive vocals, Gray creates a sound that is both intimate and compelling. Lottie has steadily built a reputation on the live circuit, performing at venues including The Troubadour in London, The Eagle Inn in Manchester and Voodoo Daddy’s in Norwich. In 2025, she expanded her reach with a mini tour in Munich and Vienna, alongside a Britten-Pears Arts residency that led to performances at Aldeburgh Festival. Festival appearances at Latitude and First Light, where she was broadcast on BBC Introducing, have further cemented her as an emerging artist to watch. Her debut single Worst Punchline marks a defining moment, capturing the most honest version of her songwriting to date and setting the tone for her forthcoming EP.