Singer-songwriter Tom Grennan has been revealed as the winner of 2018’s BBC Music Introducing artist of the year, following a highly successful 12 months.

The 23 year old Bedford-born star has enjoyed a breakout year in 2018, recording with the likes of Chase & Status and Bugzy Malone on top of his debut album, Lighting Matches, going Top Five in its first week on sale back in July.

As such, the award puts him in company with the likes of Catfish & The Bottlemen, Jack Garratt and Declan McKenna, previous recipients of BBC Music Introducing’s artist of the year prize.

“It's an incredible honour for me to pick up such a prestigious award as the BBC Music Introducing Artist of the Year,” Grennan said in a statement. “I have seen other people I admire greatly pick up this trophy over the years so for me to now receive it is pretty mind blowing and a real landmark moment in my life. I want to sincerely thank my family, management team, and record label for giving me the strength to challenge myself and become the best I can be, and to BBC Music Introducing for their incredible support and for giving my work the recognition they have. And most importantly of all, I want to thank my fans, because without them I am nothing!”

James Stirling, the head of BBC Music and BBC Music Introducing, added that the service “has supported Tom Grennan for over five years now, via BBC Local Radio and our National Radio stations and television shows. It's such a pleasure to see his music making a significant impact and to be able to add his name to our list of talented former winners.”

Tom Grennan first uploaded his music to the BBC’s dedicated new music service back in 2012 while he was still a teenager, but returned four years after that as a solo artist to release some of songs for which he’s famous for now as a solo artist.

The long intervening period can be explained by a horrific street attack he endured when he was just 18, when he was mugged by a group of strangers outside a takeaway in London and was left needing four metal plates and screws in his jaw.

“I didn't leave my house for eight months,” Grennan told BBC Breakfast on Wednesday morning (December 5th), just after the news that he was receiving the award. “At first I was down but then from the pen and paper, it was therapy for me and it helped tear down the layers of all this stress.”

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