MTV UK And Ireland Announce MTV Brand New For 2013 Shortlist

LONDON, UK (Top40 Charts) MTV UK & Ireland announces the final ten shortlisted artists in their annual search for the very best in new music - MTV BRAND NEW FOR 2013 presented by Emporio Armani Diamonds. The list includes Ebony Day who is revealed today as the winner of MTV Brand New Unsigned 2013.

The nominees are (see below for more info on each):
Angel Haze
Disclosure
Ebony Day
Gabrielle Aplin
HAIM
K Koke
Kodaline
Little Nikki
Rascals
Tom Odell

On the 14th January the nominees will be put to a public vote on brand new.mtv.co.uk before the overall winner of MTV Brand New for 2013 is announced on 1st February. All artists will receive dedicated support across all of MTV's networks for the rest of 2013, with the winner being highlighted as the viewer's number one choice.

For only the second time ever, this year's shortlist of nominees also includes one unsigned act. Guildford singer-songwriter Ebony Day, has been announced as the winner of MTV Brand New Unsigned 2013. A YouTube sensation, Ebony has amassed over 19 million views of her channel and an impressive social media following by uploading videos of herself covering her favourite songs.

'Winning MTV's Brand New Unsigned 2013 competition is a dream come true! I'm so thankful to my fans for getting me here and I can't wait to see what 2013 brings.' said Ebony Day.

Over 500 unsigned artists entered the competition upon its launch in November before being put to a public vote. Following this, over 30,000 unique votes were placed - double the number received last year - whittling the entries down to a shortlist of 20 artists before MTV's team of music experts decided on an overall winner.

Superstar DJ and producer, DJ Fresh headlines the Brand New for 2013 launch show tonight at The Kentish Town Forum supported by shortlisted artists Rascals and K Koke. Two more shows will follow in January, showcasing this year's nominees and celebrating established UK talent - announcement to follow.

With one of the most successful track-records for a new music poll, over the last 5 years MTV Brand New has identified international stars such as Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber & Ke$ha before their debut releases whilst also picking up top British music talent Tinie Tempah, Adele, Florence + The Machine, Ellie Goulding, Jessie J, Friendly Fires, White Lies, Wretch 32, Labrinth and last year's winner Conor Maynard at the very start of their recording careers.

Angel Haze: Angel Haze is without a doubt one of the most exciting figures in the rap scene after the release of her 'Reservation' EP. Her visceral, emotive and even startling lyrics have earned Angel over a million views on Youtube and more than 500,000 downloads. With her track 'New York' already being praised by the likes of BBC Radio 1 DJ's Zane Lowe and Annie Mac who made it their 'Next Hype' and 'Big Thing' records respectively, Angel Haze is destined for greatness in 2013.

Disclosure: This highly exciting electronic duo's recent release, The Face EP (Greco-Roman), alongside their unforgettable remix of Jessie Ware's 'Running' - received a rapturous reaction, with tracks Boiling, What's In Your Head and Control, dominating playlists (170 plays across Radio 1 and 1xtra on the EP alone) and dance floors throughout Europe, Australia and the US.Following a year of highly acclaimed live performances across the globe and an ever-growing barrage of tastemaker support, Disclosure are one of the most talked about new dance acts around.

Ebony Day: British Singer Ebony Day, born on 21st March 1993, lives in Guildford (UK). She is currently studying at the Academy of Contemporary Music. After spending the last year at her parent's home in Australia, Ebony is now back in the UK focusing on her music career. With big hopes and dreams for the future she is working hard at writing original music and developing herself as an artist.At the age of just 19 Ebony Day has racked up over 19 million video views and 150,000 subscribers on YouTube. By covering a mix of her favourite songs, as well as compositions of her own, Ebony has grown a huge, dedicated fan base that spreads across the globe. Ebony is now well on her way to success and hopes that she can inspire young people into following their dreams by showing that anything is possible with determination and hard work.

Gabrielle Aplin: Gabrielle Aplin is the whipsmart teenage sensation with spirit in her voice and ability to bottle melodic lightning who, at 14, wrote her first song, Ghosts. At 17, she made it the title track of her first EP. At the same age, she set up her own label, Never Fade Records. Soon she had landed herself a booking agent and was plotting her own tours round the UK. By 18 she had released two further EPs and was running a profit making DIY artist's enterprise. At 19, Aplin decided she'd learnt what she needed to learn under her own steam and was ready to take things to the next level. Her debut single for Parlophone Records - the hauntingly beautiful The Power Of Love - entered the chart at 5 and remains in the top 10 2 weeks later. She has a second single - Please Don't Say You Love Me - planned for February 2013, followed her debut album later in the Spring. Her videos currently have over 13.5 million youtube views, and she has just sold out her 6th UK tour, which ended at the Scala in London on November 22nd.

HAIM: Hailing from Los Angeles California, sisters Este, Danielle and Alana Haim, have been creating waves of excitement throughout the UK music press since releasing their debut EP, 'Forever' in February. Their unique mix of folk-rock and R&B has seen them support the likes of Mumford & Sons and Edward Shape and the Magnetic Shapes and the band are set to open for Florence and the Machine in their December 2013 UK tour.With their debut album pencilled in for Spring 2013, next year looks like it is their's for the taking.

K Koke: The first British rapper ever to be personally signed by the legendary Jay Z to Roc Nation, K Koke represents UK hip hop's coming of age and it's brightest hope. Growing up on the infamous Stonebridge Estate in Brent, North London, Koke achieved huge underground success releasing mixtapes and posting homemade videos on YouTube, attracting over 10 million views and widespread major label interest. Recently signing to Sony and collaborating with the likes of RIta Ora, Emeli Sande' and Maverick Sabre on his upcoming debut album, K Koke is a bonefide star in the making.

Kodaline: Currently maintaining an air of understated mystery (their Facebook bio states, merely, "we're four lads in a band"), Kodaline are soon set to unveil themselves to the world with these first four tracks recorded with Steve Harris (producer for Dave Matthews band, mixer for U2).Steve, Mark and drummer Vinny May - all aged 22 and 23 - have been working towards this moment for much of their young lives. Growing up in houses just two minutes away from each other in Swords, a working class town near Dublin airport.Currently planning another EP, live dates and - further down the line - a debut album, Kodaline are creating waves of excitement throughout the industry and are destined for big things in 2013.

Little Nikki: West London's very own Little Nikki, fresh from signing to Columbia records, brings her inimitable effervescent, gritty and unique brand of pop to 2013. Originally signed to Mercury Records aged only 13 as one third of girl act Soundgirl and after touring with Pixie Lott and Justin Bieber, Nikki went solo after the group disbanded. Combining a hypnotic blend of the rich diversity of musical genres London is proud to play host to (Grime, Bass, RnB, House, Hiphop, Pop, Dub and Reggae), Nikki's "ludicrous fusion of synthpop, bashment and hip hop" (Dazed and Confused) has been described as "Rihanna meet Azealia" (Popjustice). 2012 has seen her support Rita Ora and Rizzle Kicks and at only 16 this is only the beginning for Little Nikki.

Rascals: Hailing from Bow in East London, Rascals - made up of members Shizz, Tempz, Merkz and Kay Willz - have created a huge buzz this year with their tracks 'Ape Shit' and 'What's Going Down' winning strong tastemaker support from the likes of Mistajam (1Xtra), Huw Stephens, Zane Lowe and Fearne Cotton (Radio 1) plus fellow artists Wiley, Professor Green and Tinchy Stryder. With their 'The Launch Vol 2' mixtape currently causing a big stir online and their selection for the MTV Brand New for 2013 shortlist, these mischievous rascals are set for a massive 2013.

Tom Odell: Chichester-born maverick Tom Odell is a beguiling mixture of idealism (he wants the music to do the talking, preferably releasing one album a year) and belief (he seems to exist happily in his own musical world) which becomes somewhat incendiary when coupled with music so magnificently formed as that on his forthcoming debut album.After being signed up by a management company, a publisher and, subsequently, a record label after only his forth gig, Tom's precocious talent is destined to put this young singer-songwriter firmly on the map in 2013.