Jacob Alon is first Scottish winner of BBC Introducing Artist of the Year

Singer-songwriter Jacob Alon has been named BBC Introducing Artist of the Year 2025, becoming the first Scottish act to receive the award.

It celebrates emerging artists who have made a significant impact over the past year with the support of BBC Introducing, and often predicts a major breakthrough.

The Fife-born musician, who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, joins an impressive list of previous winners including Arlo Parks, Olivia Dean, Tom Grennan and Catfish and the Bottlemen – all of whom have gone on to major success in the UK and beyond.

‘They just trusted the music’

Alon was surprised with the news while visiting the BBC Introducing in Scotland studio last week – the same place their journey with the platform began.

“BBC Introducing has been a companion along the way, like a friend holding my hand,” they said.

Alon also praised the platform for giving opportunities to artists who, like them, started out with little more than their songs.

“I believe in BBC Introducing so much as a force for good in this industry, that’s dominated by so much neptosim… and major labels pulling the strings,” they said.

“They just trusted the music.”

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Raised in Fife, Alon taught themself guitar as a teenager after finding an old instrument at their grandmother’s house.

They said music quickly became a source of joy and purpose, though a career in it once felt out of reach.

Growing up, Alon rarely saw people like them represented in music, which made it difficult to picture a future as an artist.

“I wouldn’t have dared to believe in myself that much back then,” they said.

While they were encouraged to dream, Alon said it often felt like they shouldn’t dream too high – something they believe is a common feeling for young people in Scotland.

They hope their success now helps others to believe in their own potential.

“I hope that maybe someone growing up in a wee town in Fife… maybe someone queer, maybe someone who doesn’t feel represented… could see me and see that it’s possible,” they said.

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But despite Alon’s success, their path to music wasn’t straightforward.

After a difficult stint at university and a turbulent period in London, they returned to Scotland, performing across Edinburgh’s folk circuit and living out of a van.

These early challenges helped shape the intimate, confessional sound that soon caught the attention of BBC Introducing in Scotland.

Their distinctive, otherworldly style quickly stood out, earning a live slot at Tenement Trail in Glasgow later that year.

In 2024, they performed at BBC Introducing’s national showcase at The Lower Third in London.

However, it is this past year that has been a breakthrough for Alon.

They released their debut album In Limerence, performed on Later… with Jools Holland, played the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury, and earned a Mercury Prize nomination for Album of the Year.

They were also named one of BBC Radio 6 Music’s Artists of the Year, cementing their reputation as one of the UK’s most distinctive new voices.

Celebrating their Scottish roots

Reflecting on their win, Alon says they are proud to be the first Scottish artist to receive the award and feel privileged to be representing Scotland.

They describe Scotland and storytelling as influences in their music, and say they would love to learn Gaelic and incorporate it into future performances.

Alon also highlights the role BBC Introducing has played in their career, calling it a platform that provides encouragement and exposure when it is needed most.

“All these opportunities… all these life experiences have been so generously given to me, and to so many others,” they said.

“BBC Introducing feels like such an essential platform in this crazy age, to just get a little bit of a boost.

“I want to protect that and keep it alive, because it’s kept me alive in a way.”

As the 2025 BBC Introducing Artist of the Year, Jacob Alon now joins a select group of musicians whose careers were launched through the broadcaster’s grassroots network, marking both a personal milestone and a proud moment for Scotland’s flourishing music scene.