Myles ahead of the pack

A year ago Myles Smith was mainly a Tik Tok star. Then came that song. Now he's the UK's hottest new artist

- LISA WRIGHT

This time last year, Myles Smith was a name still largely contained within the hashtags and shares of Tik Tok. A rapidly rising favourite on the app, he'd gained early success from posting covers online stripped back, acoustic renditions of Ed Sheeran, Amber Run and The Neighbourhood that had gone on to ink him a record deal with Sony RCA.

Then, in May, the 26-year-old Luton native released Stargazing, a rousing ode to finding the elusive "One" that, in its less than three minute run time, changed his fortunes entirely. By the close of 2024, Stargazing had gone on to become the year's highest streaming song by a UK artist, also beating anything released by Beyoncé or Ariana Grande on the global chart. Subsequently picking up the Brits Rising Star 2025 award - a gong previously won by the likes of Adele and Sam Fender he'll begin this year in earnest with a stop off at the ceremony and a largely sold-out solo world tour before going on to support Sheeran across a string of European stadium dates; a closing of the circle barely more than two years after opening it.