Winner of Green Man Rising 2025 revealed

wing! has been crowned as the winner of the esteemed Green Man Rising Competition 2025, presented by Green Man Festival and The Green Man Trust.

wing! – otherwise known as producer Adam Swan – combines heavy samples and ambient textures to make ethereal hip hop. The emerging producer beat a record-breaking 4,000 applicants to scoop the title and will now open the Green Man Festival 2025 by performing on its iconic Mountain Stage – continuing Green Man’s pledge to support the festival headliners of the future.

Last night’s live final at Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, saw wing! expand to a trio and perform alongside their fellow shortlisted emerging artists Cardiff band Shale, A Lesser Version, lots of hands and Sarah Meth. Each performed in front of a panel of leading industry professionals consisting of Adam Williams (Head of Music, Clwb Ifor Bach), Ben Coleman (Green Man Director, Glastonbury Other & Park Stage Booker), Betsy Harley (Music Programme Manager, KOKO), Eve Thomas (Promoter), Georgie Stott (Porridge Radio), India Shaw (European Project Manager, Fat Possum), Ivano Maggiulli (Director, Brace Yourself), Owain Evans (Free Trade Agency) and Thom Pike (Managing Director, TJP Tours) where BBC 6 Music’s Huw Stephens awarded them the prestigious title of Green Man Rising 2025 Winner.

Rising

The final five shortlisted artists for the 2025 competition were selected by music industry experts from the likes of Clash, DIY, Klust, God Is In The TV, The Quietus, Hard of Hearing, Vocal Girls and So Young; earning them a coveted spot in last night’s final.

They were following in the footsteps of 2024 Rising winners The Orchestra (For Now), who have since gone on to secure industry acclaim from BBC 6 Music, NME, Rolling Stone, The Line of Best Fit, Clash and many more.

The competition runners-up have also secured a slot on Green Man 2025’s Rising Stage, which has previously hosted the likes of BRIT Award winners The Last Dinner Party, Mercury Prize awarded English Teacher, Green Man staples Melin Melyn and 2024 Green Man Rising artist TTSSFU.

Each Green Man Rising artist will also receive a professional recording from the festival, offering an invaluable opportunity to showcase their talents to future labels, agents, festivals and more.

Launching talent

Fiona Stewart, Green Man Managing Director and owner, said: “Launching talent is at the heart of Green Man and to see over 4000 bands applying to Green Man Rising has been incredible.

“To emerge as a finalist from that number already proves your phenomenal talent. But there can only be one winner, and we are delighted to be welcoming wing! to open the Mountain stage, sharing the bill with the likes of Underworld and Wet Leg, and joining the music legends who have graced that stage over the years, or even launched their careers.”

Green Man Rising is a Green Man Trust project supported by Green Man festival, Arts Council England and Arts Council Wales.

Largest festival in Wales

Now entering its third decade, Green Man is the largest festival in Wales, an award-winning seven-day event that attracts 25,000 daily visitors from across the world to the breathtaking Bannau Brycheiniog. The Green Man experience spans music, comedy, literature, film, performance and installation art, wellness, science, as well as specific areas for both children and teens, its own Welsh Beer Festival showcasing the best independent Brewers in Wales. It was the first UK festival to sell out for the 2025 season, which it did in less than  minutes without any line-up announced.

The festival is well known for nurturing and launching new talent; artists such as Fontaines DC, Michael Kiwanuka, Self Esteem, First Aid Kit and Kae Tempest have all had their first seminal performances at Green Man.

Green Man is one of the three remaining large independent festivals in the UK. It generates £28 million into the Welsh economy, and is the only large UK festival where a woman has controlling ownership.

It was awarded a Gold Charter by Attitude is Everything, a charity that improves accessibility for people with disabilities across the events industry.