It's that time of year again when ffteen of the most promising new music acts are named on the BBC's Sound of 2013 longlist.
Aimed at showcasing talent for the year ahead, the list was compiled using tips from 213 tastemakers, who each named their favourite three new acts.
Soul singer Michael Kiwanuka came out on top last year, with Adele, Jessie J and Ellie Goulding among past winners reports the BBC.
The 2013 line-up includes boy-girl pop duo AlunaGeorge, Birmingham indie group Peace and Californian sisters Haim.
Other acts tipped for success include all-girl post-punk band Savages, Glasgow electro-pop three-piece Chvrches and London rock quartet Palma Violets, whose debut single Best Of Friends was recently named track of the year by the NME.
The Sound of 2013 winner will be announced online and by DJ Huw Stephens on the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show on 4 January.
The Sound of 2013 longlist:
AlunaGeorge A*M*E Angel Haze Arlissa Chvrches Haim King Krule Kodaline Laura Mvula Little Green Cars Palma Violets Peace Savages The Weeknd Tom Odell
Check out the Music-News.com recent interviews with some of the nominees below.
Stephens described this year's list as "exciting and vibrant", with a mixture of strong vocalists, leftfield artists and a number of bands with "their own take on modern pop".
"It's always a varied list that surprises people, causes debate and speculation about the state of the music scene," he said.
"For me, it's an exciting time of year, where we don't really know what the year will bring with new music, but this helps give people an indication of what might sound good."
Previous winners have been:
2012 - Michael Kiwanuka 2011 - Jessie J 2010 - Ellie Goulding 2009 - Little Boots 2008 - Adele
The top five acts will be revealed in reverse order in the week beginning Monday 31 December on BBC Radio 1, the BBC News website and the BBC Sound of 2013 website.
