Jodie Abacus’ career so far can be attributed, at least in part, to SoundCloud, he says. After struggling to get his career off the ground, the South London singer picked up label interest off the back of one song, I’ll Be Your Friend, which was written from a place of “absolute trauma,” he tells Music Week. Abacus had broken up with his girlfriend of five years and was hospitalised with a life-threatening case of pneumonia.

“You know you get to ...