NOMINATED alongside Sam Smith and Banks in BBC's Sound of 2014 poll, Luke Sital-Singh is set for an exciting year ahead.

The 25-year-old from New Malden, in south-west London, shares Smith's anticipation at the prospect of returning to play Kings Tut's in March.

"It is one of my favourite places to play," he said.

"It's one of the best small venues in the country."

The atmosphere of the venue sticks out in Luke's mind as he recalls how he got to this point of a BBC nomination,

"Every time I go it is a slightly different experience and different flavour of the crowd."

His appreciation of a Glaswegian audience is evident as he describes his last time at King Tut's as "probably the best gig" of his tour.

"There was energy with the crowd and the way they were teasing and joking with me, in terms of the banter," he said.

"They were just really going for it and made it really fun."

The experience shared between Luke and his audience plays an influential part in how he remembers his reception.

He said: "When I am playing on my own, there is no one on stage to feel a companionship with, and nothing to hide behind.

"There is something about being on stage that has a lot of solitude to it, while at the same time being in a room with lots of people."

With a tendency to sing with his eyes closed, Luke can often be surprised when he finishes a song to find a crowd of people staring back at him.

"It's a strange paradox really," he added.

"It's one of those things and I love it more than anything."

With inspirations of his harmonies stemming from the likes of Bon Iver, Jeff Buckley and Damien Rice, Luke's distinctive voice looks poised to take him far in 2014.

He aims to produce music with an alternative and "relatively melancholy" feel.

He said: "When I am writing, I try to be intimate and honest."

With two of his releases, 'Fail for You' and 'Nearly Morning' featuring on tear-jerking episodes of Grey's Anatomy, Luke's music tends to strike a chord with its audience.

The thoughtful pauses between the lilting choral harmonies of 'Fail For You' flow among the lyrics, 'I have been your champion, so why do you walk away'.

Such emotional descriptions signal an artist whose music will likely resonate with many listeners.

Despite this, Luke laughs as he describes how 'Fail for You' was used on a wedding scene in the popular TV programme.

"It's a pretty depressing song, which is kind of strange, but it works," he said.

WITH a debut album in the works, Luke's journey towards recognition on the BBC Sound of 2014 poll proved to be a surprising but gratifying experience for the singer-songwriter.

"It feels like a long six-to-seven year build up of writing and gigging, and then suddenly I put out this EP with Parlophone and it all kind of clicked," he said.

"It has been a bit crazy. I can't put a pin on what made it suddenly work."

Luke will be performing in Glasgow with Eliza and the Bear, Farewell JR and Annie Eve as part of Communion Music's 'New Faces' tour.

His focus is on waiting to see the interplay between the performers on this collective tour of artists that are hotly tipped for 2014.

"It's going to be a really interesting and eclectic mix of acts," he said.

"It's exciting - we are all in a similar world, but we are all quite different as well."

Luke Sital-Singh will play at King Tuts in Glasgow on March 5.