Sam Smith has been announced as the winner of the BRITs Critics Choice award, beating fellow nominees Chloe Howl and Ella Eyre to the coveted gong. The singer, known for his vocals on Naughty Boy’s hit ‘La La La’, will be presented with the prestigious award in January next year in a televised ceremony hosted by Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw.

Smith described his win as an “amazing Christmas present” and spoke of his delight at joining a list of previous winners that he considers musical inspirations.

“To see my name alongside other artists that I admire so much is incredible,” he said. Previous winners include Adele, Jessie J, Florence and the Machine and Tom Odell.

Smith’s mantelpiece will proudly display the Philip Treacy-designed statue next year, after he is presented with it at pre-BRITs teaser show, ‘The Brits are Coming’, to be broadcast on ITV on January 9 2014. The show, which promises an evening of star-studded performances from an as-yet undisclosed line-up, will also see Smith take to the stage.

He shot to fame after featuring on two of the biggest hits of this year, Disclosure’s ‘Latch’ and ‘La La La’ by Naughty Boy. His impressive vocals led to him being snapped up by Capitol USA, and his debut solo single, ‘Money on my Mind’ is set for release in February 2014. From ordinary beginnings in Bishop’s Stortford, the 21-year-old is now a hot property on the music scene and his solo EP ‘Nirvana’ is currently enjoying success following his collaborations with the Grammy-nominated Disclosure and Naughty Boy.

2014 is set to be an even bigger year for Smith, with his EP’s title track ‘Nirvana’ being featured on a compilation album of all BRITs Critics Choice winners since 2008. The album, which also features music by runners-up Chloe Howl and Ella Eyre, is set for release on 6January next year.

The BRIT Awards 2014 will be held on 19 February at London’s O2 Arena, and while the nominees haven’t been revealed yet, organisers The BPI have confirmed that Katy Perry and the Arctic Monkeys will perform.