This year the 成人论坛 have announced Beirut-Born Radio 2 favourite Mika and his camp OTT, "wish I'd been Freddy Mercury-ness"; bolshy Midlanders The Twang, who have put Birmingham back on the musical map thanks to the NME; and last but not least, and quite a safe bet, The Klaxons, breaking through last year to transform British indie and lead a fluorescent revolution. But how accurate have past predictions been? We take a look at the three tips for stardom from 2006, 2005, 2004 and 2003 to see where they got it right and where they got it very very wrong. 2006 1. Corrine Bailey-Rae
Soulful singer Bailey-Rae was last years tip and thanks to a brilliant performance on Jools Holland and having her debut single play-listed by Radio 2, she established herself as a true talent and will be looking to follow up her success with another big year in 2007.
2. Clap your hands say yeh A surprising choice last year and a band that not all that many people had heard of, but the self-titled debut record from the American five-piece was nothing short of genius, and should be a definite acquisition if you don't already have it. Another good choice by the Beeb! 3. The Feeling
 | | The Feeling |
Harmlessly poppy The Feeling reflected the success anticipated by the poll too, probably enjoying the most successful year of the three. Debut record 'Twelve Stops and Home' sold well, and with singles like 'Fill My Little World', the band was somewhat inescapable. A tip from movie critic Adam Kennedy no less!
2005 1. The Bravery Oh dear! Well they correctly anticipated SOME success, 'An Honest Mistake' was one of the albums of the year for about a week and the single of the same name firmly established itself in the CD player of DJs across the nation. Alas, the constant feud with The Killers, the manufactured image of the band and the somewhat ill-advised 'getting naked' on stage at Glastonbury put paid to the career of these wannabes. 2. Bloc Party
 | | A member of Bloc Party |
Second behind The Bravery? Good lord! If ever there were a travesty it is that! Bloc Party utterly transformed indie, bringing shoegaze and Art Rock back to the foreground and creating anthem after anthem. With a new album on the way and sold out tour, Bloc Party have indeed managed to live up to the hype. 3. Kano
Rapper Kano has had a tricky two years since this poll was taken. With gigs called off by the Police and suggestions of involvement in gun crime, the artist has of late been keeping something of a low profile.
There are still high hopes for the youngster and with the emergence of 'Grindie' it wouldn't be surprising if he was seen collaborating with one of the bright young things from the indie world this year. 2004 1. Keane
Bedwetters Keane won the poll for 2004's Sound of The Year, pipping Glaswegians Franz Ferdinand to the title and they did indeed enjoy two solid years of success.
 | | Tom Chaplin of Keane |
Forever on the radio and playing at more festivals than you can shake a stick at, the pressure finally got to fat-faced singer Tom Chaplin, who admitted himself to the Priory to beat a drugs addiction. 2006's 'Under The Iron Sea' sold well, and 2007's success will depend somewhat on the mental state of its frontman. 2. Franz Ferdinand A good prediction this one. From a band whose initial manifesto was 'to make girls dance', Franz drastically had to rethink this plan after every bugger started to dance to their art rock pop, swiftly transforming these underground heroes into worldwide superstars and one of the biggest bands in the country. Most recent album 'You Could Have It So Much Better' failed to capture the imagination as much as the self-titled debut, but their sell-out live shows most certainly did. I'd imagine new material will surface in 2008, after Alex Kapranos has finished producing the new Cribs album. 3. Wiley
Who? Apparently this guy is some Hip Hop type鈥've never heard of him and I haven't got anything to say about him.
I'm sure he's revered, but the fact I've NEVER even heard of him means that he obviously didn't make as much of an impact as the 成人论坛 had envisaged. 2003 1. 50 Cent Well they got this one right, the bullet-riddled rapper became a global superstar even endorsing his own computer game! Go him! However, his rise to popularity was marred somewhat by a petty feud with fellow rapper The Game (which transpired to be a PR stunt) and then being bottled off stage at Reading festival. Still held in high regard stateside, his next album will no doubt sell well. 2. Electric Six
Comedy act Electric Six never had the longevity factor really, and though they enjoyed some success in 2004 they're not exactly going to be the source of high brow musical debate from this moment on. Fun while it lasted, but ultimately pretty awful.
 | | Electric Six |
3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yep, you read it right the poll placed Electric Six above Yeah Yeah Yeahs! One can only imagine that a work experience kid pressed the wrong button and the end result was this most heinous of rankings! 'Fever To Tell' soundtrack-ed a year for some and the follow up 'Show Your Bones' showed a maturity in their material and since this poll Karen O et al have become one of the bands held in high regard by all that hear them. The verdict Some faux pas there, but more often than not the predictions are accurate. However, by the 成人论坛's own admission, missing that little band the Arctic Monkeys out of the poll was something of an error! But no-ones perfect and it'll be interesting to see how this year's winners will fare. | 
