BBC Radio 1 live lounge is back with a whole host of artists, from recent upcomers to the biggest names in the UK right now. Let’s take a look at the lineup:
RAYE – Wednesday 7th September
R&B singer-songwriter RAYE is no stranger to the Radio 1 live lounge. Back in 2016, RAYE made her live lounge debut on 1extra, performing a cover of Gnarls Barkley’s ‘Crazy’, alongside SG Lewis. Since then, RAYE has released her debut album ‘Europhic Sad Songs’ and nominated for ‘British Single of the Year’ at the BRIT’s three times. We can’t wait to see what she’ll bring to the live lounge room this year.
Wet Leg – Thursday 8th September
Wet Leg, a name created out of hitting random emoji’s, are made up of band-mates Hester Chambers and Rhian Teasdale from the Isle of Wight. Signed in May 2020 to Domino Records, the indie-rock duo emerged swiftly following the release of their track ‘Chaise Longue’ in 2021, which has already racked up over 28 million global streams. Alongside their Mercury Prize nomination, this will be Wet Leg’s live lounge debut.
Knucks – Tuesday 13th September
Knucks, a name revived from his high school nickname ‘Knuckles’, has been recognied as ‘Britain’s most progressive rapper’ labelled by GQ earlier this year. Grown up in North West London, Knucks fell in love with grime, and following a year at boarding school, he made the ultimate switch to rap. Combining jazz and rap is what makes Knucks so unique, seeing him flourish within his chosen genre over the last 6 years – we look forward to seeing him in the live lounge.
Harry Styles – Monday 19th September
Megastar Harry Styles will be back and better than ever in the live lounge this September, with an exclusive unseen track from his performance earlier this year, where he performed his single ‘As It Was’, and cover of fellow live lounge associates Wet Leg’s, ‘Wet Dream’. The pop singer is also nominated for this years Mercury Prize for his album ‘Harry’s House’, and are looking forward to Harry’s live lounge return.
Rina Sawayama – Tuesday 20th September
Although her presence seems on the pop scene seems recent, it started quite a way back for British-Japanese popstar Rina Sawayama, releasing her first 2 singles almost 10 years ago on Spotify, consistently producing and releasing music since, which lead her to her signing with Dirty Hit in 2019. Now in 2022, Rina has been nominated for several awards including ‘Rising Star’ at the BRITs 2021, and NME’s ‘Best Live Act’ 2022, which she won. This will be her very first live lounge experience, and you can catch her on tour here.
Tom Grennan – Wednesday 21st September
Tom Grennan first found fame featuring on the song ‘All Goes Wrong’ by Chase & Status. Since then, the singer-songwriter’s debut album ‘Lightning Matches’ was one of the best selling debut albums of 2018, and his second studio album ‘Evering Road’ landing him his first number 1. Tom is a regular in the live lounge, performing several of his biggest hits and arrangements in the room since 2016, and we look forward to see him back.
Aitch – Thursday 22nd September
Mancunian rapper Aitch first came about when a video of him freestyling gained popularity on Youtube. From that, he rose to fame following his success of debut single, ‘Straight Rhymez’, which was released in 2018, shortly before his successful breakthrough year that followed in 2019. Aitch is a familiar face to the live lounge, from his cover of Drake’s ‘Nice For What’ to his originals, and he’ll be returning this September. Buy tickets to see him on tour here.
Beabadoobee – Tuesday 27th September
Music was never the plan for Beabadoobee, who aspired to be a school teacher, but it quickly changed when her original song, sweet, soft-pop ballad ‘Coffee’ went viral on it’s first release, and gained even more popularity in 2020, when it was sampled on Powfu’s track ‘Death Bed’. Beabadoobee is now signed to Dirty Hit and continues on the rise as one of the biggest artists in alternative/indie-pop. September will see her debut in the live lounge, and you can fetch tickets for her October tour here.
Steve Lacey – Wednesday 28th September
Alternative R&B multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and producer Steve Lacy is a rising independent artist, as he’s predominantly known for his guitarist role in The Internet. Alongside his collaborations with artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Tyler the Creator and Mac Miller, Lacy’s solo material is hugely popular, with his album ‘Apollo XXI’ securing him a Grammy nomination. Steve Lacey will be making his live lounge debut.
The 1975 – Thursday 29th September
Creatures of habit, The 1975, will be returning this September, which will mark 9 years since their very first performance in the BBC R1s’s live lounge. The band, who are also signed to Dirty Hit, have had huge success over the last decade, and continue to grow. Their recent singles ‘Happiness’ and ‘Part of the Band’ are the band’s first releases since their previous album in 2020, showcasing a fresh take on their trademark sound. Maybe we’ll be hearing this live in the lounge in a few weeks.