Johntay and Paurosi perform live

Warning: This show may contain future headliners! Phillip Stoneman introduces the best new music from our area, including:

• Crafting a unique fusion of 8-bit, rap and hip-hop: We're stateside catching up with the Telford musician playing to tens of thousands at comic cons all over the world.

• He's the Wyre Forest musician who turned Hartlebury Common into Bondi Beach and Kidderminter town centre in to a zombie apocalpyse. Darling of BBC 6Music, we chat to The Humdrum Express, including a gorgeous studio session, for a wordsmith who blends breezily delivered observation, social commentary, wit, and the utterly surreal.

• In our Musicians' Masterclass: When do you bring other people in? Our experts take you on a deep dive in to the industry, how you go from a one-person operation in to roping along producers, managers and more.

• Discover how almost every single orchestral stringed instrument in the country can trace its roots back to one man in Crewe. Find out why Rudolf Pilsel is a craftsman, but an endangered species of a craftsman at that.

• In our Music News: John Barrowman's been in Crewe, and one of the most heartwarming Christmas songs you'll ever hear courtesy of a school in Hanley.

• Live music from our stage at this summer's Worcester Show, courtesy of a musician born and raised in Zimbabwe who's made Malvern his home. Discover a set full of joy, afrobeats and dance.

• A stalwart of the Stoke scene for a decade and a half, if you love the music of Lauryn Hill, Kendrick Lamar and J Cole, you'll love Johntay. Performing at our stadium show at Stoke City FC, meet the Staffordshire performer pushing the boundaries of what a modern day female rapper should be.

Upload your tracks now: bbc.co.uk/introducing