MUMBAI: Nick Grimshaw added to the building excitement around the BBC Music Awards this morning with the announcement that George Ezra will join the star-studded line up of artists performing at the inaugural event which broadcasts live from Earls Court on 11 December. George will also be performing on The One Show tonight.

Grimshaw says, "I have loved George Ezra since the moment I first heard him. It’s been brilliant to watch his rise to fame from his first BBC Introducing play to Glastonbury and now the Music Awards."

The young singer-songwriter will perform to a live audience of 13,500 people at London’s Earls Court and to millions more across the country on BBC One, Radio 1, Radio 2 and at BBC website alongside One Direction, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Clean Bandit, Paloma Faith, Calvin Harris, Ella Henderson with Labrinth, Take That, BBC Introducing’s Catfish and the Bottlemen and the BBC Concert Orchestra.

A BBC Introducing alumnus, George Ezra first played his soulful brand of folk-pop on the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury in 2013, and subsequently released his debut EP Did You Hear the Rain? later that year. The guitar-playing musician was long-listed for the BBC Sound of 2014, which saw him finish in fifth place. In March this year George released his second EP Cassy O, followed by and his debut album, Wanted on Voyage, in June.

Ezra says, "I am extremely excited to be part of the first ever BBC Music Awards. I can’t wait. I think the nicest thing about is that it’s the first one so I have no idea what to expect. There’s going to be a good excitement around everything."

Tickets for the BBC Music Awards extravaganza have now sold out; whilst the ceremony, including George Ezra’s performance, will go out live across BBC One, Radio 1, Radio 2 and on BBC website.

Both BBC Radios 1 and 2 will bring listeners all the backstage build-up throughout the day with Greg James broadcasting live from Earls Court between 4 – 6pm and then the Radio 1 and Radio 2 All Stars simulcast hosted by Jo Whiley and Nick Grimshaw from 6–8pm before the main event broadcasts across both networks. Then Zane Lowe and Sara Cox will wrap things up with live after party from BBC Music Award’s Earls Court HQ from 10-11pm.