Portsmouth singer named UK's top unsigned male musician

The 26-year-old, from Portsmouth, received 2,000 votes to see off nine other nominees and scoop the title.

In a week-long campaign to get votes, Richard was featured in The News, on BBC radio and gained online support from Portsmouth Guildhall and the Wedgewood Rooms.

He said: ‘I am genuinely lost for words. The amount of support I received has been insane and I’m so proud of my fan base who made it happen.’

Richard now hopes to use his success to reach new fans and create fresh music alongside planning his 2018 UK tour. Earlier this year, he sold out the Wedgewood Rooms, in Albert Road, Southsea.

Launched in 2012 the Unsigned Music awards have now seen more than 55,000 music fans cast their vote.

They are hosted by Best of British (BoB) Unsigned, a website for unsigned music.

Matt Graveling, BoB founder, said: ‘Not only is Richard Morris one of the hardest working acts on the scene, he possesses an incredibly unique voice which blends gritty rock with honest pop.

‘He’s already built a healthy fan base on the south coast, we hope this award will now see that expand across the UK.’

Richard started singing and playing guitar at the age of seven and since then he’s headlined at Victorious Festival and Wickham Festival, completed a European tour and been crowned BBC Introducing Artist of the Week.