Though she'd been writing songs in her head since she was six, and on the guitar since she was 12, it took a long time for Nilüfer Yanya to work up the courage to show anyone her music. "I knew I wanted to sing, but the idea of actually having to do it was really horrifying," says the 23-year-old. When she was finally persuaded to do so, by a music teacher in West London where she grew up, she says "it was horrible. I loved it."

At 18, Nilüfer -- who is of Turkish-Irish-Bajan heritage -- uploaded a few demos to SoundCloud. Though she's preternaturally shy, her music -- which uniquely blends elements of soul and jazz into intimate pop songs with electronic flourishes and a newly expressed grungy guitar sound -- isn't. And it didn't take long for it to catch people's attention. She signed with independent New York label ATO, following three EPs on esteemed london indie label Blue Flowers, and earned a place on the BBC Sound of 2018 longlist. She also supported the likes of The xx, Interpol, Broken Social Scene and Mitski on tour.