BBC Radio 6 has announced Northern Irish band Kneecap on its annual Artist of the Year list.
On the BBC Radio 6 Music Breakfast Show, Nick Grimshaw, sitting in for Lauren Laverne, announced 6 Music’s Artists of the Year 2024 today, Monday November 4.
Announced each November, the list features ten acts who, over the past year, have been championed by the station and have made a cultural impact.
The 6 Music Artists of the Year 2024 are (in alphabetical order):
Charli xcx
CMAT
English Teacher
Fat Dog
Fontaines D.C.
Jamie xx
Kim Gordon
Kneecap
Little Simz
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Irish hip hop group Kneecap (Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí) released their second studio album Fine Art in June this year, which reached Number One on the UK Hip Hop & R&B Albums chart and Number Two on the Irish Official Album Chart.
The release came just before the band performed at Glastonbury Festival. In July, Kneecap performed a session at Maida Vale Studios on New Music Fix Daily (Monday – Thursday, 7-9pm).
The trio’s film, Kneecap, which is a fictional account of their rise to fame and features the group themselves, alongside Michael Fassbender, was released in August and picked up the NEXT Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival.
There’ll be another chance to hear highlights from Kneecap’s New Music Fix Daily session on tonight’s (4 November) edition of the show (7-9pm). Kneecap will join Huw Stephens for an hour-long takeover of his show on Wednesday 6 November (4-7pm).
Commenting on their latest recognition, Kneecap said:
“We’re buzzing to be one of the 6 Music artists of the year. It’s especially important to us given our use of Irish language, and for it to be now fired out by the BBC thanks to you lot!
“We hope this inspires other artists using indigenous languages worldwide to be confident in their own identity.”
Cam Pia, 6 Music’s music editor says:
“6 Music is the home of the artist, we’re a place where they can tell their stories, create unique moments and dig deep into their output and creative process…and Artists of the Year is an opportunity to celebrate those acts who have culturally dominated 2024.
“Once again, the list features artists from across the musical spectrum and shows the exciting range and breadth of music we play. Some are at the beginning of their careers and some have been icons for decades. We’re really proud to be a part of their journeys and I’m looking forward to revisiting some of the moments we’ve created with them for listeners in 2024. Congratulations to all the artists on this year’s list.”
6 Music will celebrate its Artists of the Year 2024 with a range of programming, including:
Two shows, entitled 6 Music’s Artists of the Year - Part 1 and 6 Music’s Artists of the Year - Part 2, which are available on BBC Sounds now and will each explore five of the artists on this year’s list. Thursday’s programme will focus on CMAT, Charli xcx, English Teacher, Fat Dog and Fontaines D.C and Friday’s show will feature Jamie xx, Kim Gordon, Kneecap, Little Simz and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Programmes will also hear from famous fans of the Artists of the Year 2024, including Amy Taylor from Amyl and the Sniffers, Bobby Gillespie, Emily Eavis, Felix White, Joan As Police Woman, John Cooper Clarke, John Grant, Michael Fassbender, Rosie Lowe, Yannis Philippakis and many more, who share what they think makes these artists so special.
Artists of the Year themed editions of regular 6 Music features, including: Craig Charles’ Hymns of Simz (Tuesday 5 November, 1-4pm); Huw Stephens’ 6 Musicology on Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (Tuesday 5 November, 4-7pm); and, within the Breakfast Show (weekdays, 7.30-10.30am), a special edition of 6 Music Salutes celebrating Jamie xx (Tuesday 5 November) and a Desert Island Disco from English Teacher (Friday 8 November).
New interviews with Kneecap on Huw Stephens (Wednesday 6 November, 4-7pm) and Fat Dog on Craig Charles (Friday 8 November, 1-4pm)
In addition, Fat Dog’s entire Maida Vale performance, which was first broadcast on Steve Lamacq’s Teatime Session in September 2024 is now available for the first time in vision on BBC iPlayer as part of a 6 Music Artists of the Year collection. Also available within the BBC iPlayer collection are CMAT’s performance at the 6 Music Festival (March 2024), Little Simz’ Pyramid Stage set from Glastonbury Festival (June 2024), Fontaines D.C.’s Maida Vale performance on Steve Lamacq’s Teatime Session (July 2024), and Kneecap’s debut at Reading Festival (August 2024).
All radio programmes will be available on BBC Sounds after broadcast.