Years and Years top BBC Sound of 2015 poll

Years & Years have topped the BBC Sound of 2015 poll.

The east London pop trio beat off competition from singer-songwriter Rae Morris and grunge pop band Wolf Alice to top the list – which aims to highlight the year’s rising musical stars – with the group’s frontman Olly Alexander admitting he ”nearly passed out” when they discovered they had won.

Speaking on BBC Radio One, he said: ”I nearly passed out when I found out. I got quite emotional; there were tears, so many feelings, so many.”

The list was voted on by 139 UK-based musical tastemakers who tipped the acts they believed would gain prominence in the following 12 months, with James Bay, Stormzy, Raury and George the Poet completing the top five.

Following their win, the ‘Desire’ hitmakers say they are planning on releasing their debut album in 2015 to live up to expectations.

Speaking about the LP, bassist Mikey Goldsworth revealed: ”It’s almost finished.”

However, the group’s keyboard player Emre Turkmen acknowledged their reluctance to stop writing new songs has delayed the release of the anticipated record.

He added: ”We just keep writing new stuff. You could go on forever, really. We’re going to stop soon.”

Now that they have been tipped for success, the ‘Take Shelter’ singers joked they won’t become ”boring” like the poll’s 2014 winner, Sam Smith.

The 24-year-old vocalist told music website Popjustice: ”We’re going to try really hard not to be boring. ‘Not boring’ – we’re going to get it tattooed on ourselves. It will be the word boring with a line through it.”